I am Karaoke

by DJ Sunshine

 

I am a karaoke host. I am also 20 years old.

Three weeks before the quarantine began, I purchased the karaoke company that I was working for. Business was booming and I was making decent money. The problem was that 50% of my earnings were going towards my boss for the equipment I was using. It didn’t seem fair in the slightest, so I bought him out. I was excited because the money in my bank account wasn’t going up by much before. I didn’t have much, and I was paying rent for an apartment that I didn’t want to be in.

Then COVID-19 hit.

When the stay at home orders were beginning I was in Arizona visiting family. I was worried I wouldn’t make it home in time to get to my Thursday gig. Luckily I got there just in time. That was the last time I hosted karaoke before I was quarantined. I had made $150 and I was relieved.

During the stay at home order I would sleep until 3pm, then I would go rollerblading, eat some ramen noodles, and then watch television/play video games. I had also ordered recording equipment before the quarantine so that I could get a jump start on my music career. I was writing music on piano and guitar while waiting for the equipment. It took a month and a half before the equipment arrived on my doorstep. It drove me nuts. Two weeks into the quarantine, a friend of mine called me around 3am to let me know my car had been broken into. I had my DJ equipment in my trunk with a blanket over it so nobody could see it. Someone figured that something nice was under the blanket because they smashed my rear windshield and took about $1,500 worth of equipment. I was devastated not only because I couldn’t afford it, but I had just spent an ungodly amount of money on the company. If I didn’t have equipment, how the hell was I going to be able to work once the quarantine ended. My world fell apart.

I put together a GoFundMe and luckily my community and friends came together and helped me get the money. By this point I had about $180 to my name. I could only afford ramen noodles, and I was doing odd jobs for people just to make ends meet. The quarantine is over, I’m back to work with new equipment, and I’m living comfortably. I struggled hard during the quarantine, but it taught me how to handle tough financial situations.