{"id":1276,"date":"2025-03-26T09:46:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T09:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/?p=1276"},"modified":"2025-03-26T09:46:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T09:46:50","slug":"601-challenge-we-tried-karaoke-for-six-hours-and-security-kicked-us-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/ditch\/601-challenge-we-tried-karaoke-for-six-hours-and-security-kicked-us-out\/","title":{"rendered":"601 challenge: we tried karaoke for six hours and security kicked us out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For International Voice Day, DITCH<\/em> writer Lois Beasley and the team take on karaoke\u00a0

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Just because you can do something doesn\u2019t mean you should. But this logic doesn\u2019t apply to DITCH<\/em>\u2019s 601 challenges, where we try doing something for a whopping six hours and one minute. FYI, that\u2019s the average\u00a0 amount of time young people spend on their phone per day. For this challenge, grab your mic and DITCH<\/em> your phone \u2013 this International Voice Day<\/a> (16th April), we\u2019re doing karaoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we asked to book a karaoke room for six hours, we were met with justifiable confusion. Who in their right mind would want to listen to a drunken group of out of tune crooners for that amount of time? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily for my friends, I was practically born with a mic in my hand. I come from a family of loud and proud singers, who regularly host karaoke parties. We\u2019re like the Von Trapps without the sopranos\u2026 or the Nazis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not me claiming I have the voice of an angel. Far from it. Check out my self-incriminating footage as proof. But I believe we all need to get off our self-conscious behinds and just have some fun<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies have found singing to be good for you, mentally and physically. According to an article by the BBC<\/a>, not only does singing improve lung capacity, it also releases \u201chappy hormones\u201d to your brain, giving you a miniature high. In a time of doomscrolling, imminent war and through-the-roof therapy costs, singing therapy is FREE and I\u2019m getting as much as I can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I took to the stage, I spoke to singer Paula Scott for some advice. For our challenge, she recommended we avoid belting and straining our voices, instead singing softly while breathing from the belly. Drinking lots of water and having breaks was also highly encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 hours to go<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After some persuading, the room was ours. We found out as we arrived, it was more of a cramped lounge area than the sparkling stage I had hoped for, but it would do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our karaoke marathon got off to a rocky start thanks to some technical difficulties, but we soon managed to get the karaoke machine working and were faced with a wide-ranging, somewhat random mix of songs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 hours to go<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After an hour of singing, I began to wane. It was at this crucial moment the rest of the team arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After some persuasion (and a few glasses of wine), they stood up, grabbed the mics and sang their favourites. What made it fun was the astronomical differences in music taste we had: from Sting to Beyonce, it felt like we had covered the entire cosmic stretch of musical history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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