I used to laugh at my friends when they went out on Thursdays and sang karaoke. It was loud. It was offkey. Rarely could they get all the words in without messing up the rhythm, and even then, weren’t they just copycatting the singer who did the tune originally? On top of that, the sound sucked. I thought I was trapped in a bar full of losers…

…But everybody loved it!

I couldn’t figure it out. The school I came from said you gotta be cool at all times. Don’t get out of your comfort zone and make a fool of yourself up there. You’re better than that.

So I didn’t sing. And I didn’t sing again the next week. Or the week after. And I grew more and more frustrated that my friends enjoyed making fools of themselves and didn’t care about how cool I was.

“Oh yeah, Nick’s a good singer. He writes some great songs too. But he’s too good for us.”

I remember meeting a guy named Orlando when I first moved to L.A., and he’d been a backup singer for some big-name bands in years past. Having some late-night/early morning food with him one Saturday night (after my coolness got me turned down by multiple girls :)) and thinking I had rapport with him, I blatently stated I was a singer too.

“Oh yeah?” he said. “Sing me something.”

“What do you mean? Right here in the restaurant? Oh I don’t think so. I don’t have my guitar.”

“Who cares about the guitar. Just sing me a line from one of your songs.” he prodded. “If you’ve got a good voice, let’s hear it.”

It scared me to death. Me, sing acapella in a crowded restaurant at 2am? People would stare. The “hot girls” would laugh. I couldn’t put my reputation on the line in this instant. Sorry Orlando…

He grew tired of prodding and gave up on me, disappointed I’m sure. But that night slapped me upside the head in a couple of ways. If I was ever going to make it as a singer or a songwriter or a guitar player, I had to be ready to perform. Anytime. Anywhere.

Lesson for the day: Check your “reputation” at the door. Doesn’t matter if it’s karaoke or singing for your supper. You’re not in the music business to be cool. You’re there to create and perform music. The more you do it, the better you get.

Sing every karaoke show you can. It only makes you a better performer. Who cares if you look stupid. That’s the point.