How Ballarat became the unofficial karaoke capital of Australia

For four nights a week, a regional town in the heart of Victoria comes alive with the sound of music. Amateur music, that is.

That’s to say: locals in Ballarat come together to live out their dreams of pop or rock megastardom through pub karaoke.

Stevie Kelava, owner of Kaze Entertainment, has run karaoke nights in the regional outpost for the past 24 years. He spends about 19 hours a week spinning requests and listening to the best of local confidence.

“Every night there’s always something that happens, somebody happens,” he said.

“It’s not just about the singers, either, it becomes an experience for everyone who’s there. It’s almost like seeing a live band — it’s just as entertaining.”

On Thursday night, he sets up at The Sporting Globe. On Tuesday, at the Robin Hood Hotel — where Mr Kelava has hosted karaoke for seven years. On Friday, he will be at JD’s Bar and Lounge. And on Saturday, he’ll head just out of town to The Cattle Yards Inn.

“I love doing it, I love karaoke,” he said. “It’s one of those things where even in the current climate where not a lot of people are going out, we’re still finding that every venue, every week, we’ve got a good crowd coming along.

Most nights, he will see 20 to 30 singers take the stage. And songbirds have to get in quickly for a turn on the microphone: “To walk in and pick a song, that’s often an hour wait because the list is so booked out.”

People come from all over the world to belt out a tune at a Ballarat pub, thanks, in no small part, to the mildly viral success of Kaze Entertainment’s live streams from the venues.

The project that started two years ago with only a couple dozen viewers across social media suddenly “took off” one New Year’s Eve and has since earned Ballarat’s karaoke scene a legion of loyal TikTok fans from around the globe.

“I’ve been told some people set their alarm to watch the live stream and see the regulars perform,” Mr Kelava said.

“Quite a few people come and visit Ballarat, from other parts of Australia, overseas, New Zealand the UK, because they love the stream.”

And they have their favourite karaoke singers too, some performers racking up hundreds of thousands of likes in the space of a single performance.

“People get so invested, it’s like Days of Our Lives or something. They know the regular singers, they know their songs,” Mr Kelava said.

“Where else can you actually be entertainment for three or four minutes? This is the one thing where you can go out and everyone’s looking at you, you’re the focus, and everyone’s having a good time.”

Over 24 years hosting karaoke, he has seen some truly memorable performances — like the 14-year-old boy who took the mic at the Cattleyards Inn and sounded like Johnny Cash reincarnated.

“He had this most amazing country voice, a deep voice that, for someone his age, it blew me away. Everyone stopped and listened.”

And Mr Kelava has seen how some people use karaoke as “a kind of therapy” and a way to express themselves.

“The thing that I love about karaoke is the same thing that’s resonating with people online,” he said.

“Everyone that jumps up brings something different to a performance. And it doesn’t matter if it’s the best singer with an amazing vocal range or someone who’s just up there drunk and having fun.

“There’s something on the stage that’s going to captivate people, and that’s what And whether it’s voyeurism or what. People want to see people having a good time.”