Singing relieves stress and is also a great form of self expression.

And while singing in the shower is O.K. most of the time, it cannot quite scratch the itch.

Which is why so many Singaporeans go crazy for Karaoke (KTV).

But if you're clueless on which KTV chain to visit or the types of songs to pick, here is a rough guide for you.

1. Budget picks

a) Teo Heng

For cheap, no-frills KTV, you cannot go wrong with Teo Heng.

It's the only chain that charges you hourly room rates. This usually works out to be the cheapest KTV experience among the competition. The more people you squeeze into your room, the cheaper it gets.

The rooms are spartan but clean. Everything is focused on KTV. Oh you can dabao your own food and drinks in. Nice.

b) Manekineko

If for some reason you want a little more to your KTV experience, there's Manekineko.

It's the chain that replaced the now-defunct KBox. Although the per pax pricing is not as competitive as Teo Heng's, Manekineko offers food + KTV packages that aren't too shabby.

Here's the pricing (per pax) for its Cineleisure outlet:

2. To audio or not to audio

"Audio" in KTV parlance means leaving the original singer's voice track on.

Many KTV-lovers visit KTV joints precisely because they can sing their favourite songs sans the original singer's voice.

Don't feel pressured to do that though. KTV is about having fun. And if fun means leaving the "Audio" on so that the singer can fill in the parts your mortal vocal cords can't reach, then why not?

3. Warm up

KTV sessions are usually three-hour marathons. If you go from zero to 100 within your first few songs, your voice will be gone -- fast.

Like muscles, your vocal cords need to warm up too. Start with slow, mellow songs like these:

Beginner songs

These songs are slightly harder than warm-up songs be it in speed, lyrics complexity or pitch. But still manageable.

Intermediate songs

With more confidence, you can advance to songs that are slightly more challenging.

They demand a wider vocal range and require you to be familiar with the song's pacing:

Advanced

And here are songs that require prior practice, either because of their pitch or the fast lyrics.

Consider-a-singing-career songs

These songs are reserved only for the vocally-talented. But don't let me stop you from attempting it and shredding your throat.

Now go forth and conquer the microphone!

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Top image from Teo Heng Facebook

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