노래방 written by American wife.

Every foreigner who comes to Korea will at some point find their way to a noraebang, or singing room. If you can get over the awkwardness of belting out your favorite songs at the top of your lungs in front of your friends or colleagues then this can be the highlight of a weekend night out. 

For someone who is highly aware of their own tone-deafness, going to the noraebang can be an uncomfortable experience which ultimately ends with you convincing your friend to sing a song with you while you sing as quietly as possible. Even if you’re not much of a singer, going with other foreign friends can be alright, because usually everyone just ends up singing together to old 90’s classics. 

If you find yourself heading to a noraebang with a group of Koreans, however, get ready for each of them to belt out a well-rehearsed and on-key rendition of their favorite Korean ballad and then expect you to do the same. I can say from experience it’s pretty embarrassing to get a whopping zero score after a sad attempt to sing “Call Me Maybe” in front of your Korean colleagues. 

All this being said, I do have one thing to be thankful for when it comes to noraebang. I kissed my husband for the first time in a noraebang. From time to time we would go to the noraebang together and slowly but surely I got over my inhibitions and learned to just sing my heart out. Now we go to the coin noraebang near our house regularly and my singing has improved to the point where it’s is almost bearable to listen to. A few more years, and maybe I’ll be the one belting out ballads in perfect key.