Heinola, Finland, July 28: The British have been declared the world's best bar room crooners after winning the inaugural World Karaoke Championships, though they avoided a showdown with karaoke-mad Japan, who refused to compete. Twenty-three-year-old British restaurant worker Danni Gadby and stock analyst Uche Eke, 31, were crowned champions in the small Finnish town of Heinola in the early hours of Sunday morning (27 July) after belting out classics such as Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon".
Each of them went home with 3,500 Euros (4,000 USD) in prize money. Around 70 wannabe singers from seven countries warbled to the raucous accompaniment of the 500-strong crowd. In the women's category, Finland's Saede Hovisilta won silver, followed by the Norwegian Christine Aas-Hals.
On the men's side, Olli-Pekka Junttila, also a Finn, took the silver ahead of his compatriot Jan-Mikael Pennanen. Karaoke, a type of entertainment invented in Japan, involves performers singing well-known pop tunes, to a pre-recorded instrumental backing.
"It is a bunch of music star wannabes and very few of them have what it takes to become a star," said Thomas Heinonen, a jury member and music producer from neighbouring Sweden.
Organisers said Japan and other karaoke-crazy Asian nations refused to take part, claiming there was no tradition of karaoke competition.
The contest was the latest in a string of bizarre competitions hosted by Finland, including sauna endurance, mobile phone throwing and wife carrying, as Finns think of new ways to attract tourists to the remote Nordic country. Bureau Report