If you are a true blue Singaporean, chances are, you’ve been on Karaoke outings in a bid to display your singing chops in front of family and friends.
A staple of Singaporean’s sources of entertainment since the 1990’s, the landscape of Karaoke is about to undergo a dramatic change with Popsical, a new Karaoke streaming system.
“Popsical was an idea born out of genuine frustration with both Karaoke systems currently in the market and trying to use YouTube for Karaoke,” said Faruq Marican, CEO and Co-Founder of Popsical.
“We found that most Karaoke-on-demand systems were really expensive local storage systems and had extremely poor UX. So I tried to hack together a system using an Android box and YouTube, and realised that the UX and content offerings on YouTube were not designed for Karaoke. I knew a better solution had to be built. It was inevitable. Karaoke in 5 years will be nothing like Karaoke today.”
And with that, Popsical was born.
The Perks Of Popsical
Billed as the smallest and smartest Karaoke streaming system, Popsical lets you bring the Karaoke experience with you anywhere you go.
Lightweight, stylish, and convenient to boot, all you have to do is plug it in, establish an internet connection, and you can immediately begin your Karaoke session.
Whether your preferences are the classics or the latest hits, Popsical’s ever-expanding library of songs will surely have a tune to your liking.
With Popsical breaking new ground in such a traditional form of entertainment in Singapore, it naturally came with its own set of difficulties.
“Design for manufacturing of the hardware was a challenge initially,” said Faruq.
“To do this right, we realised that we needed to work with hardware designers and engineers that were plugged in with a manufacturing ecosystem. We were very fortunate to have teamed up with some guys from Shenzhen who love Karaoke as much as we do.”
Not content with being the same as the usual Karaoke systems, Popsical also contains several exciting features that will surely be irresistible to Karaoke fans.
A Connective Karaoke Experience
With live streaming being the “in” thing at the moment, you can attach a Popsical Cam to the main device, giving you the power to livestream your Popsical performance via Facebook Live.
Faruq explains the rationale behind incorporating this feature. “Bringing Karaoke into the digital age is something that excites us tremendously.”
“Our goal is to build a product that empowers people to express themselves beautifully to their friends, family and the world.”
At the same time, Popsical remains mindful that Karaoke is still a social activity first and foremost, and they have created the Popsical app to amplify the social aspect of Karaoke.
With the app, the device is able to connect to multiple mobile devices at the same time, and everyone who’s in the Karaoke session can add songs to the queue without distraction.
No more haggling for the remote or distractedly choosing the next songs while your friends are singing!
Of course, behind a successful product lies a team of people who have devoted untold hours to it, and Faruq feels this point keenly.
“I have to give credit to the team of incredibly talented people we have at Popsical. We have some great engineers and designers, previously from amazing companies companies like Viki and Grab, who have assembled to create a Karaoke experience that millions of people are going to fall in love with.”
Where Can I Get A Popsical?
For those who are wondering where, and how to get their hands on one, fear not, for its launch is not far away.
“We are launching on Indiegogo for pre-orders in December.” Faruq said.
“For people who are really excited about Popsical, we are giving a 50% super early bird discount on our website for a limited time only on Popsical.com. Go sign up now.”
Already looking ahead to the future, it is clear that Faruq and his team has big plans for Popsical.
“By next year, we plan to be available in stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. We are also planning to unveil a commercial product next year designed for KTV establishments.”
Popsical is definitely shaping up to be the next-generation social experience that will revolutionise the future of Karaoke, and now you can stand a chance at winning a Popsical unit for yourselves!
Click here to go to their contest page, and whoever guesses the closest price wins!
For more information, you can also visit Popsical’s website here, so prepare your wallets, Karaoke aficionados!
