KTV Makes Its Appearance in Central Illinois

Karaoke television, otherwise known as KTV is popular in Asia, and now some hope it gets just as big here in Central Illinois. Star Karaoke Bar and Grill just opened in Savoy, next to the Savoy 16 Theaters. Owner Chulkee Chang hopes it will introduce the community to a popular form of Asian entertainment.
  As you walk though the door, the business seems like any other karaoke bar; but down the hall, is where it takes center stage. It has 10 private rooms each with different colors and different themes including an Illini room. Chang says it gives different vibes to people in different moods. One of them Korean student Erin Kim, "we thought we'd stopped by and sing for an hour." To Kim, this is more than just a karaoke bar, it's a Korean twist on  an American favorite. "for us, it's more like part of our culture, we definitely do sing more, it's just a great way to get rid of stress."
    Chang shows us, a big controller works the karaoke machine in each room, but don't be intimidated by the buttons. All you have to do is enter the number, and press start. Once the music begins, the light dims, and the disco ball starts. Some just can't help but let loose, including our photographer, who sings a Sinatra song.
    KTVs like this are "big in Korea, Japan, Thailand", says Chang and he hopes the craze catches on here. "they sing a song, party, they can drink here, they can eat food." He shows us each room also has a button, calling workers to the room for service.
    WIth more than 20 thousand songs in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, English, and Vietnamese, Chang says he updates his songs every month. No matter where you come from, you can come here and shake things up in a different culture, "No one can sing like the actual singers so we just sing to have fun", says Kim.