“I’ve sung at people’s weddings, and at some charity events, and I’ve even had a guy ask me to sing at his funeral,” Karen, 54, of Martinsville, said.

Karaoke also recently provided Karen with an all-expenses paid trip to the USA for Talent Quest International – a sort of karaoke world championship.

It was her third consecutive tilt at the event, and she achieved her best result - a fourth placing in the masters division (over-50s), and second placing (with Booragul’s Kieran Fraser) in the duets section.

Karen performed Memory, from the musical Cats, in the final of her solo competition. And in the duets, Karen and Kieron sang Say Something (A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera) and Please Don’t Ask Me (John Farnham).

“A lot of it is song choice,” Karen said. “That’s one of the hardest challenges. It can make you or it can break you.”

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To progress through the heats of the masters section, Karen sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz), and House of the Rising Sun (The Animals).

She progressed through the quarter-finals with her rendition of Rise Like a Phoenix (Conchita Wurst’s song from Eurovision 2014).

And she dialed up the diva rating in the semi-finals when she sang Run to You (Whitney Houston).

“I tend to do the big diva numbers,” Karen smiled. “I’m called a ballad baby.”

Karen earned her berth in the international competition when she won a qualifying event in Sydney. The prize included her flight and accommodation, competition entry fee, and $500 spending money.

Her second and fourth placings in Oklahoma saw her collect $US200, 300 karaoke disks, and trophies.

Karen is also a regular on the karaoke circuit at local clubs and pubs.

In the past six weeks, alone, she’s won three events.

Morisset Country Club, Wangi Workers Club and Wyong Leagues Club are among the venues she regularly competes at.

Karaoke just boozy fun? Think again