I love the thought of KTV, when you and your friends show no inhibitions and reservations reaching for that microphone despite you not being very good (read ‘very bad’) at singing. It is fun and you can let off a little steam while singing your favourite songs or pretending to be your favourite singer for a short while. So, when I suggested to my friends to meet up at Diva Karaoke in 1 Utama Shopping Centre, they were very much looking forward to it.
Diva Karaoke looks exactly like its name suggests: it’s all about opulence, velvety lounge chairs, enormous crystal-type chandeliers, and gold-rimmed paintings with a series of pictures prominently hung on the wall displaying mainly local artists inspiring you to bring out the diva in you. Some would probably consider it slightly on the tacky side, but I am sure many can appreciate the ambiance and go along with it.
Type of rooms at Diva Karaoke
Diva Karaoke has five categories of rooms available for booking: STD room (1-3 pax), DLX room (4-6 pax), VIP (6-12 pax), VVIP (8 – 20 pax) and a party room (20-30 pax), each decorated in its own style and to be rented by the hour or with a package of 3 hours. Weekday prices are quite affordable and range from RM25 per hour for the STD to RM45 for the VIP room, and RM65 for the party room. They have special promotions if you get the 3-hour package which includes some soft drinks and light bites. Weekend rates are quite different with the bigger rooms almost doubling in price.
As we were there on a Thursday, I booked us the 3-hour package VIP room for RM120, coming with two jugs of soft drinks and two sets of bites. Our room reeked slightly of cigarette smoke, but it had a private restroom, was cozy enough for our group of six and fancily decorated with (chained) Birkin and Chanel bags on the back shelves. It got us in the right mood for our ‘performances’.
Food and drinks to go along
We were informed that the food menu was quite limited this time as they were renovating the kitchen with only snacks available and a few fried rice dishes. We were pleasantly surprised to hear that we were able to bring our own food, although it had to be pork-free and halal. For drinks however, there was a list of local drinks such as hot teas, Milo, Nescafe and Kopi O, juices and soft drinks.
What did we think?
We had a great time in those 3 hours, singing and dancing to a range of Cantonese, Mandarin and English songs until one of us literally had her voice turned hoarse! The staff was all right, only coming in to bring in drinks and snacks but otherwise not checking in. The limited food options were a bit disappointing: but then again, we could have stacked up on our own snacks! All in all, it was a memorable and fun evening.
Diva Karaoke is quite suitable for birthday parties and great for teens: it starts as early as 11am, with affordable weekday prices. The kids will love the slightly over-the-top interior and with popular snacks like fries, chicken nuggets and wings and a variety of soft and local drinks available, there should be no problem keeping them occupied for a few hours.
As you can bring your own snacks as well, I can already see our youngsters stack on chips, popcorn, gummy bears and whatnot to complement their ultimate sing-off activity! There are only 2 floors at Diva Karaoke, with one main entrance and exit, so parents could easily leave their teens there until they are done. With the staff barely checking in though, I would recommend younger kids and preteens to be left with some supervision.
Diva Karaoke is on the same floor as Camp 5. Take the elevator on the backside of H&M to get to it.
