West End star in karaoke search

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Musical star Peter Karrie is beginning the search to find the best karaoke singer in Wales.

He will host the first heat of the Welsh National Karaoke Championship in the Walkabout pub in Cardiff on Monday.

Karrie is best known for his starring role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End version of The Phantom of the Opera.

"The voice might not be the most brilliant in the world, but sometimes the performance makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck," he said.

Organisers said they were expecting people from across Wales to turn up for the competition.

The eventual winner will receive £1,000 and the chance to compete in the UK final.

Up to 48 competitors will have to do their best to impress the audience, who will vote for their winner.

It's something that's inside you that makes it work and you've got to tap into that and believe in yourself Peter Karrie

The evening's favourite will take home £300, with the second and third places receiving £100 and £50 respectively.

The top five will go through to the Welsh final on 12 March, with the winner going through to the UK sing-off, which is expected to take place in London.

Karrie, who grew up in Llanmaes near Llantwit Major, said the idea came from the "terrific response" when people were invited to audition for the chance to appear with him in concert.

Karaoke swept the world after its beginnings in Japan in the 1980s. It takes its name from the Japanese words kara, short for karano, of "empty", and oke which is short for okesutora, meaning "orchestra".

He said because of reality television and programmes like ITV's X-Factor, nowadays, everybody felt they could become a star.

"The ideal medium for that is karaoke," he explained.

"People don't necessarily want to make a career out of it, but they do enjoy getting up there with a certain anonymity and just performing."

'Entertain the audience'

Each competitor will have to pay an entrance fee of £3, and when they register they will be asked to choose a minimum of four songs.

But the winner may not be the person with the best voice, Karrie warned.

"It's down to how you entertain the audience," he said.

"The voice might not be the most brilliant in the world, but sometimes the performance makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck.

"It's something that's inside you that makes it work and you've got to tap into that and believe in yourself," he added.

The competition will continue throughout February, culminating with the grand final on 12 March.

Doors open at 1800 GMT on Monday and competitors must register before 1900 GMT.