Five Shots & High Notes

Pune's only karaoke championship is back,this time with 36 participants and a prize pot of Rs 50,000

One of them crooned Aretha Franklin’s 1967 track Natural Woman ,while another one belted out the popular Jason Mraz track,’I’m Yours’ . The crowd of 300 -plus cheered and hooted. The participants looked super confident on stage. The guest judge – music director Ankur Tewari – sat back,thoroughly enjoying himself. The event: the elimination rounds of The High Idol at High Spirits,Koregaon Park on Tuesday. The city’s biggest karaoke competition attracted as many as 36 contestants from Pune and Mumbai,aged between 22 and 30. And the main clause that made them all grin: five shots before you go up on the stage!

In the last three years,the competition has grown in terms of the number of participants as well as the prize money. “This is our fourth year. When we started off,we had only 10 participants. This year,we had to close the registration at 36 entries,” says Khodu Irani,owner of High Spirits at Koregaon Park.

The High Idol has become an annual event,much awaited by amateur singers and struggling musicians. After all,they get such a fun stage to showcase their talent. “In fact,the winner of the first edition now sings with the band,Highway 61,” informs Irani.

Raushan Verma,a student and musician,a contestant in the fourth edition,says he enjoys the exposure that the competition gives. ” This is the second time I am participating. Because of the large scale of this event,people now know my name and recognise my voice,” he says,beaming.

“The competition is tough,especially from the girls,” he chuckles. Verma sang Love of My Life by Queen during the first elimination round held last week. The judges at the contest were singer Chris,Blues session guitarist Rahul Chatterjee and drummer Varun Venkit. “I enjoy performing in front of an audience. The rush you get when the audience applauds is unmatched,” he adds.

The participants are allowed to sing only English songs if they’re doing covers. For original compositions,language is no barrier. On Tuesday,Tewari judged the singers on the basis of their stage presence and the song they chose. “Also,on how much they actually ‘felt’ the song they were singing,” he says. “I associate karaoke with singing for fun,so it was quite funny to hear people actually singing in tune. They were so sporting,” he adds.

For Pashmina Dadabhoy,another participant ,the contest is a way of showing her love for music. Ditto for Christabel Menezes. The latter’s popularity as a musician is steadily increasing in the city. “This is my first year in Pune and Khodu insisted that I participate. Competitions can be very uptight but this one is all about fun,” she says. She views it as a stage for people who are otherwise quite shy. “The alcohol loosens them up. Also,the generosity of the cash prize (Rs 50,000) is a big attraction,” she adds.

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The finale will be held on December 6 and the finalists will get to form a band,called High All Stars,which will perform at the resto-bar every month.

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