LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — With kids out of school and many parents working from home during the novel coronavirus pandemic, some families may need a fun activity to lighten the mood around the house as stress levels run high.
That was Albert Shumake's thinking when he initiated a #CoronaKaraoke challenge with a post on his Facebook page. The request was simple: Pick a song, turn on your camera and sing.
"Let's make our own concert!" he wrote.
"I thought it was a great way for people to take their minds off being isolated from their friends and families and being stuck in the house," said Shumake, who is the director of River City Drum Corporation.
Music runs through Shumake's veins, and he believes in its power to bring people together and to heal. In addition to leading the drum corps, he is also a well-known DJ in Louisville and entertains crowds under the name DJ Always. Although a request for karaoke submissions from home may be a change of pace from taking the stage for performances, the wave of videos Shumake has received lets him know he is making an impact.
"It's good to just see people smile on the other side of the screen," he said.
Two weeks after Shumake started the challenge, the videos have been viewed thousands of times with hundreds of comments likes and shares. Among the submissions pouring in: a homemade rendition of Tina Turner's hit "Proud Mary" and a group twist on Beyoncé's "Halo" put together by one creative family. Others have sang theme songs to TV shows and taken a satirical approach by changing the words to familiar songs to fit their situation. One singer, for example, switched the lyrics to Destiny Child's hit "Bills, Bill, Bills" to include a line about needing her mortgage and student loans paid.
"Somebody did 'Tenderoni' by Bobbi Brown and change it to Corona; it was pretty funny," Shumake said. "Someone did a lip-sync of 'Contagious' by Ron Isley."
Similar #CoronaKaraoke groups now exist elsewhere on social media. Shumake said he doesn’t know if he was the first to start the movement but understands why it’s become popular: There is power in connection amid a worldwide crisis.
"Just that momentum starting might be the reason that somebody gets out of bed, puts on some clothes opens the doors and spreads some positivity," Shumake said.
Shumake also hosts Friday afternoon DJ sessions on his Facebook page. Watch along here.
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