In my book “Karaoke Krazy”, I give advice on the many ways to succeed as a Karaoke DJ or “KJ”. Here’s an exception:
“Style”
If you’re a KJ, your style is just as important as your reputation because it’s PART of your reputation. It is what defines you.
There are a lot of things you can do to create your own style, and it’s not always about how you speak into a microphone.
This section includes things about me and things I’ve done to improve my style.
You may get some ideas, or maybe you have a style of your own that you are happy with. Either way, you might learn something.
“The Art of Illusion”
There is an art to creating an illusion in the room, one that will draw and hold a crowd. It is your job to provide an environment that did not exist prior to your arrival.
The way you dress, the music you play, and how well you work in a room and motivate people are all integral parts of the whole. If you don’t do one of these things right, you may survive. However, if you miss more than one of these things, you may not.
What you wear sets the tone in the room. If you wear jeans and a t-shirt, your audience will also wear jeans and a t-shirt.
If you wear trendy clothes, a pink tailcoat or sneakers, and a bow tie, you’ll set a better tone and people will respond to that. It will also let people know that you are an entertainer and they will get ready to be entertained.
My old manager, JR, insisted that I always dress like a star. If I was getting off a tour bus at a gas station, I was required to be perfect. His motto was: “If you look like a star and act like a star, you are a star.” He was right on this. People treat you like a star if you dress like one.
Obviously if you are doing a private function you need to ask what the theme will be or what attire is required. You will look very out of place at a formal function if you wear a cowboy hat and jeans. Similarly, you’ll feel out of place if you’re wearing a tailcoat and guests are wearing cutoffs.
Another detail that you could pay attention to is lighting. I don’t advise a lot of bright lights. The room needs atmosphere and “mood”. Bright lights make people want to hide.
Dimmed or diluted (ambient) lighting helps people relax. It also makes people feel younger (wrinkles darken) and this makes them feel better.
People who feel good about themselves are more likely to stay the night.
Make sure all tables and chairs are in order. You may think this isn’t your job, and maybe it isn’t. But you want to do everything in your power to make the room as presentable and cozy as possible.
You will often see me pushing bar stools. This is something JR taught me to do years ago. At first I hated doing it, but then I realized that a messy room is a reflection of me.
Periodically throughout the night, you must also help collect empty drink bottles and glasses. Not only does it look bad when they’re sitting down, but it slows down the drinking process.
People are more likely to order another drink if they don’t know how many they’ve already had.
Remember that your job is to fill the cash register. This is the reason why your club owner has the promotion.
Don’t worry if you’re a KJ who works alone and is too busy to handle all these odd jobs at once. He will gradually become comfortable and skilled enough to multitask.
For “in-between” music, keep the beats per minute above 120. Keeping the BPM high will cause a subconscious assault on your clients’ central nervous system, causing them to become more excited, thirstier, and less bored. .
To determine what the BPM is in a particular song, use a stopwatch. Play the song and count the beats for one minute. If you count 112 BPM, the song is definitely slow.
If you can, turn stage lights on and off during dance sessions. This will produce another assault on the central nervous system.
If you maintain a high BPM with in-between music and karaoke songs, you may need to “get rid of the dance floor.”
Although it’s rare (because there’s almost always a barrage of slow karaoke songs), there are times when you have an overly excited crowd. Good for you, you’re doing your job!
However, it may be necessary to slow down and calm down your bosses. Take the time to drop a slow song and get the fast dancers off the dance floor. Fights can be avoided by using this technique. People will also take this opportunity to order a drink.
Let me express that I am not advocating getting every person in the bar as drunk as possible. However, there are reasons why your club owner owns this business and should know how to improve it.
For more information or to order my book, visit: karaokekrazy.org