Karaoke is fun for lots of people, at the party it's a nice safe space and so we get many people singing who wouldn't normally do karaoke. It's brilliant!
the biggest piece of advice I can give for doing karaoke is to do it because you want to have fun.
I've done karaoke a few times over the years, and I've done it well and also fallen flat on my proverbial arse a few times, so I shall give a few tips on how to avoid doing the latter.
BUT - and this is important - it's absolutely fine to just stand up and have a go and enjoy yourself. There's no pressure to sound good or get the words right; you are welcome to simply life out your rockstar dreams!
If you do want to sound good, though, here are a few tips.
pick a song you know
Even if the words are in front of you, unless you're pretty comfortable with the lyrics and the melody, you'll stumble at some point. Even the best singers in the world don't sound great on a song they don't know...
sing more quietly than you think you need to
Unless you've had some training in how to project whilst singing, if you try to get too loud you'll end up shouting and that won't sound so good. try singing not much more loudly than you'd speak. Charles can twiddle the right knobs to make you heard over the music.
don't overthink it
imagine you're singing along to the song in the car or the shower* and don't worry too much about the big notes. If they happen, they happen. They are much less likely to happen if you overthink it and get tense.
close your eyes
You know what I said about knowing the words? Well, I almost always sing with my eyes closed. It's the only way I know to turn off the "OMG! THERE ARE PEOPLE WATCHING ME!" feeling in my head. you can only do this if you know the words, though.
Sing with someone
it's hard to sing a duet in harmony; it's quite easy to sing in unison with someone else on a song. you'll support each other, you'll guide each other to the melody and you won't be standing in front of everyone on your own.
don't stop!
whatever happens, don't stop. If you lose the key, take a breath and go again on the next line. If you miss a high note, carry on as if it happened. If you fluff a word, carry on and pretend you got it right. You'll be listening more intently to your own singing than anyone else and many of the things you think you missed won't even be noticed by anyone listening!
(* don't actually try to bring a car onto the stage as it won't fit through the gaps in the hedges between the lawns, and as for the shower thing - well it goes without saying that you shouldn't take your clothes off and rub yourself with a flannel. It's not that kind of party)