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Little Miss Attitude is an anonymous advice column. Feel free to put your questions, concerns or comments in regards to anything to do with karaoke. You may get a return email personally from Little Miss Attitude or even better, your story published in the next issue of Karaoke Scene Magazine! Check out the Little Miss Attitude Column from Dec/Jan 09...

Dear Little Miss Attitude,
I am so upset with a particular KJ, I don’t want to get her in trouble or anything but man, I just need to vent. I have been going to this particular karaoke club for years and recently they have replaced the KJ with a new girl. In the beginning she was so sweet and nice but lately her head has gotten so big! Last night I turned in a song to sing and she looked at my slip and handed it straight back to me and said, “Sorry you can’t sing that one, I’ve been requested to sing it.” I was appalled! I only have two songs that are my “really” good ones and if I can’t sing one of them it’s a waste of my time to come to the show to only perform once! Hey, aren’t I the one paying for drinks and helping to keep the night going? I thought a karaoke host was there to encourage you and persuade you to sing. If I wanted to go to a concert, I’d buy tickets on Ticketmaster! Do I confront this KJ or do I simply just put up with this kind of treatment? Signed Stolen Solo

Dear Stolen Solo,
I would definitely not put up with that kind of treatment from a karaoke host! She is entirely taking her job description to extremes. You are right about the role of a KJ, it is to be encouraging. It’s a plus if she is an entertaining performer as long as she does not abuse her position. If you thinks she is abusing her position, my suggestion to you is to get there early one night and ask her if she would have a little meeting with you. Tell her how you feel without attacking her and wait for a reaction. A lot of times KJ’s like this just didn’t get the proper training and don’t know any better and probably didn’t realize that she was upsetting you. If she still comes across with a “big head”, take it one step higher and go to her boss because you are right, you pay the bar tabs that pay for the karaoke. Without pleasing the crowd, karaoke won’t be at that establishment very longer anyway so by saying something you’re actually doing everyone a favor. In the long run, you may help her become a better and more successful host. KJ’s are just people after all.

tell her to find another place, and learn more songs.

She said she was asked to sing it. Maybe by someone who doesn't sing, but still drinks plenty of booze.......doesn't sound like a big head to me, just someone doing what a customer asks of her. Learn a few more songs ya hussy.....

Frankly, it's not the KJs JOB to sing requests... and on fairly busy nights, thats an age-old excuse for the kj to sneak a song in!

Most kjs worth their salt will not sing after 8 or so singers.

Many things could have and should have happened. For instance, the KJ could easily have told the original requestor "Hey, we have someone here that wants to sing that song! So you'll still get to hear it!" That would have saved face for everyone.

The way the story was told, it was pretty abrupt, and dismissive the way the KJ told it.

I side with the singer on this one.

Now I've had to refuse somone a specific song when ANOTHER singer had sang the song previously, or had it queued up! But it had nothing to do with me or my ego! !

But she could have explained it to the other person who wanted to sing it if that was the case - instead of no sorry, you can't do this one because I had a request for it. Or went down to find out from the 'requestor' if it would be ok if so & so did the song instead - sometimes people just want to hear the song & don't worry about who does it.

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Our gal needs to learn a few more songs than two.

I have an issue where a couple of people sing the same songs regularly, not quite nightly but enough to claim some sort of ownership of the song for the venue. They get real catty when I tell them someone else put the song in already. I've even gotten the "Well they won't do it as well as me so let me sing it" line.

Were that me I'd tell her someone asked me to sing it and I'll clear it with them that you're going to sing it instead. Could be my friends wife asked me to sing their song and likes my rendition of it <shrug>.

wow Lonnie... disturbed minds think alike! !

I'll play the devils advocate

If this singer took the time to write this situation up --she's probably a real P.I.T.A.
One of the PRIMA DONNA types - Maybe this song is usually requested to be sung by the KJ . Believe it or not ..some people at karaoke bars actual go to just listen to people sing. Maybe this was a SPECIAL request from someone ? Maybe this person wanted to hear the KJ sing it ? nothing wrong with the KJ singing a song or two on the course of a 4 hour show.

Personally I have and would always let a customer sing a song they requested before I sung it. UNLESS there were special circumstances. AT which point a GOOD KJ would explain it to the singer a little better

Lonman needs to quite ripping off my posts and posting them seconds before I do!

I always defer to the customer (especially when it comes to Picture) so I side with the singer on this one.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

OK... My turn... I agree with just about everything said here, but I'll chime in anyway.

Firstly, she doesn't indicate whether the place was busy (a lot of singers) or not.
Secondly, she does sound like a diva...
quote:
"I was appalled! I only have two songs that are my “really” good ones and if I can’t sing one of them it’s a waste of my time to come to the show to only perform once!"
end quote
I agree, she needs to learn some more songs if she feels that way.
Thirdly, there is merit to her complaint about a KJ encouraging you to sing. However, the bit about paying for drinks and helping to keep the night going just sounds like the talk of a child... almost like when a Police Officer pulls you over to give you a ticket, and you counter with, "How dare you! My taxes pay your salary."

It's hard to tell what the real tone of the KJ was, when she handed the song slip back and said, “Sorry you can’t sing that one, I’ve been requested to sing it.” When you are upset, it is not uncommon to exaggerate things a bit. For all we know, the KJ could have said it in a polite tone, but since this person was too upset with the fact that she wasn't allowed to sing it, she may have just heard what she wanted to hear.

Sometimes a KJ has a favorite song that they want to sing every night and they don't want anyone else to sing their NEW favorite song until the KJ is sick and tired of singing it herself. They use that B.S. "request" excuse so no one else can sing it. As a singer, it wouldn't bother me one bit if someone sang the same song after I had already sung it.

One more thought on this.....Sometimes a singer thinks that he or she can sing the KJ's favorite song better than the KJ does and hands in a song slip with that song in an effort to show up the KJ.

As a singer, I don't think it'd bother me either if someone wanted to do the same song as me. But as a crowd member, I really don't want to hear the same song over and over. Which is why, as a KJ, I don't let the same song go multiple times that evening (with the exception that I had an early crowd and a separate late crowd).

Also, as a KJ, I get kinda ticked when someone does "my song" but I let the customer sing it no matter what and I do something else. Not really ticked, but ERKed a bit, but I would never dream of letting that show to my guests. In this situation the customer is always right.

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I don't own any song even as a singer. If possible, it is less so as a host. Also, as a singer who is a host (and lots of people know that at the show) it would be small of me to even show a little irritation at someone singing "my" song.

Plus, I have so many songs I do -- many of which nobody else ever does. (Or did until they heard me do it, anyway.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I would never tell a customer they can't sing a song, because I was going to sing it. I sing well over 100 songs now, the customer probably does not.

She does need to learn more songs. Besides the fact that someone might want to sing it too, people get tired of hearing the same peop;e sing the exact same songs int the exact same order every night.

When I first started singing, I only had 3-5 songs I would feel comfortable doing, and I would get a little mad if somone sang one of those songs, because I had no others. Like any singer who gets better with time, you diversify and try harder songs.

I had a singer, before I had to ban him from my shows, who sang the exact same songs in the exact same order, exactly off key. The regulars get tired of it, and I sure did. He is the same age as me, 40, but predominately sings Sinatra. One night I had to say, "hey, do you have any songs written in our lifetime that you might try to sing?" My regulars used to cover their ears when he sang.

Felix the KJ

As a KJ, the singer always comes first. We are there to get customers to sing, stay, and come back next time (hopefully with friends). I've had this happen many times where someone has requested a song for me or my wife to sing but if a singer decides to do it before we do, it's theirs. We've never had a problem by doing this.

Heck I drop songs if a regular picks it up, even if they aren't going to sing it that night.

Too many songs, too little time...

so is this the only thing little miss attitude has to offer?

Dear Little miss attitude...
I caught my boyfriend snogging the female kj out in the beer garden...they didnt see me but now I have noticed that she mixes me and my songs badly yet makes him sound amazing, what should I do?

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Uh......start with explaining "snogging"

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Mongo ain't exactly a "who," he's more of a "what".

Noun 1. snogging - (British informal) cuddle and kiss

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