The sound of Carrie Underwood’s 2006 hit, “Before He Cheats,” filled the room as Karaoke Club sang charting songs from the past 20 years.
Junior and historian Juliette Tannoux Rondon kicked off their meeting on Wednesday, April 22, in Room 2704 with a duet of this country classic, part of a larger wave of 2000s nostalgia fueled by post-COVID social media.
“Nostalgia is a big factor on why 2000s music is so popular to this day, especially when it resurfaces through social media trends,” Tannoux Rondon said.
To switch up the genre, a club member suggested continuing with “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay from 2008. As the day’s playlist was not pre-set, the song idea was heavily welcomed by the rest of the club.
“I think the music from the 2000s has maintained its status because our parents used to play it when we were kids, and music hasn’t evolved that much since the 2000s,” junior Iris Yeh said. “I feel like it’s pretty timeless because it incorporates many parts of old melodies and beats, usually through sampling soul music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.”
While past Karaoke Club meetings featured themes like Halloween and K-pop, during this meeting, where song choices were left completely up to those present, the popular requests were usually post-Y2K chart-topping songs.
“I tend to like the ‘freer’ meetings because everyone’s able to be themselves and sing whatever they want,” junior and secretary Abigail Tan said. “We can sing Christmas songs in almost summer-level warm rooms. The point is to do what we want. In school, where mostly everything is structured, it provides a nice break.”
Finally, the club finished off with Grammy Award-winning and U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2009 runner-up ”Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. The officers invited friends in other classrooms to join in for the grand finale.
“Karaoke Club always has snacks and is very welcoming to everyone,” Yeh said. “It’s a super chill club with an amazing officer core, and [the members] make sure everyone is involved, even if they are shy to sing or whatnot.”
Sometimes, Karaoke Club finds ways to combine academics with its activities. For example, a recent meeting on Wednesday, May 6 involved many songs from the “Hamilton” setlist in order to help the juniors prepare for their AP U.S. History exam.
Karaoke Club’s community focus allows for anyone and everyone to join in the activities at any time. Sharing experiences in song is “a nice way to de-stress,” according to Tan.
The club’s huge social aspect makes it even more open to non-members. Anyone in the school can drop in, and they have the freedom to come and go as they please.
“I really love that we aim to accommodate and welcome everybody,” Tan said. “Karaoke Club leaves the door open so that anyone’s welcome, even if they just want to eat snacks and listen. Karaoke’s about bonding with other people — Karaoke Club wants everyone to be able to sing their own song, showing us a little part of themselves and getting to perform, should they want to.”
To find out more about upcoming Karaoke Club events, follow their Instagram @karaokebhs.
