A Filipino inventor called Roberto del Rosario patented an early karaoke machine in the 1970s. He called it the 'Sing-Along System'. A Japanese inventor, Daisuke Inoue, created a similar machine at around the same time. Together, their ideas spread across the world.
What makes Filipino karaoke special is that everyone joins in. There is no embarrassment about being a 'bad singer'. The point isn't to be perfect - it's to share a song with people you love. The machine gives you a score out of 100 at the end, which is mostly there to make people laugh.
Filipino families sing together at parties, birthdays, and especially during the long Christmas season. Songs in English, Filipino and Tagalog all share the same playlist. Many Filipino musicians say they first found their love of singing by belting out songs at family karaoke when they were small.
The Philippines has produced some of the most famous singers in the world, including some who appear on huge international TV shows. Many of them grew up taking the microphone at home, in front of family who clapped no matter how the song went.