Searching for SIngSing

by Lucas Brammall (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Vietnam

I didn’t expect to find… Myself Searching For SingSing If you really think about why we travel, there are countless reasons, stemming from a fundamental desire to see something new in contrast to our daily experience. Whether it’s a fresh place to get a cold beer, a brand new culture to get lost in, or a museum stuffed to the brim of Esoteric artwork and artifacts; we’re all looking for something different, which is why we travel. Therein is also the concept of the souvenir; whether it’s physical or otherwise. To bring back a thing or a way of thinking as a memento of where we’ve been and how we move forward. One place where the eastern teachings of connectivity shine through over the ego is Vietnam. During my time there I found a naturally pleasant, warm, and humble people; locals who will literally welcome you into their homes and cook you dinner. They may even sing some karaoke with you. In broad daylight! I know! We are all aware that there is a huge culture in Asia of karaoke but what I wasn’t expecting to find was that the Vietnamese have just taken things to the next level with a piece of kit branded “SingSing”. It’s a Bluetooth microphone with a cube around it, you know the type you see American news reporters speaking into, but this cube part is actually a speaker. You can then play karaoke tracks from Youtube, and Bluetooth them to this and yes, sing over the top. It even has a slide switch to add echo to it for that ever classical karaoke sound. This piece of kit makes karaoke accessible and portable so its commonplace to see someone sitting on their own on the street casually singing along to one of their favourite hits. In the Western world this kind of activity is unheard of! Surely you need a skinful of booze, and maybe more, before you get up there and halfheartedly do your worst? How are these people doing this with such disregard for their surroundings? No embarrassment. No dingy backdrop. No textbook day after shame. The truth? The karaoke itself is the drug. And seeing people singing for the very sake of singing itself was a wonderful thing. Such a pure act to sing publically, and with no expectation or need for applause or payment. The enjoyment seems to come from within, far more than a need for outward signs of appreciation from peers. For those with a fear of singing publically, to mentally strip this back and sing without any form of substance to help them on their way is comparable to meditation. To not fear the response of others is liberating, and it is this unadulterated feeling that is a breath of fresh air and I bring home as my souvenir. We don’t need an excuse of drunkenness, or half-heartedness to sing; we can do it for enjoyments sake alone. Maybe there are more things we do where we are missing the point. Don’t get drunk in order to sing; get drunk on singing itself. Don’t get high before you dance; crip walk your way to a natural kick. Lets just say that street karaoke sheds light on how the people of Vietnam can enjoy the things we don’t, without any need to hide from them. George Orwell predicted a time when there would be cameras watching us from everywhere, and he was right. But he never predicted the next rising. Devices attached to those cameras in every persons hand, amplifying their voices and singing their little lungs out on every street corner. And so I give you SingSing, Street Karaoke, whatever you want to call it. In its purest form it gives you a great buzz, and forget the meagre selection down the “Pipe’n’Slippers”, when the whole of Youtube is your Lobster. Take it to the park, sing it with your Nan, go a capella if you’ve got the Minuets! Just one word of warning: SingSing is highly addictive and can cause public feelings of enjoyment, and hilarity for extended periods of time! Link to my SingSing travel Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WytbF47kjRQ