Skip to main content

Rock out in the carpool lane with Singing Machine’s Carpool Karaoke microphone

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Carpool Karaoke fans can start counting down the days till summer because that’s when you’ll be able to buy Singing Machine‘s Carpool Karaoke, the Mic, which debuts this week at New York Toy Fair 2019.

Connect the Carpool Karaoke microphone to your car radio via Bluetooth to make your next road trip a mobile karaoke party. Created in partnership with CBS Consumer Products, the microphone was inspired by the Carpool Karaoke segments featuring famous singers and musical groups on The Late Late Show with James Corden. The Mic is intended for passenger use, not drivers. It’s a unique product in the world of aftermarket car accessories.

The Carpool Karaoke Mic has independent volume and audio echo controls, but the music plays through the car’s speakers. The mic connects to your car’s audio system via Bluetooth wireless or an AUX stereo audio cable. Complete with lights that flash in sync with the music, the Carpool Karaoke Mic runs on a rechargeable battery.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Here’s how to connect and use the Carpool Karaoke Mic:

    • Turn on your car radio and find an open station — a frequency that isn’t streaming content. Your vehicle’s seek-and-scan controls won’t help because both functions look for content. So you’ll have to turn the selector manually to find a setting without a broadcasting station.
    • Turn on the Carpool Karaoke Mic and match the frequency setting on the microphone to the open frequency displayed on your car radio. At this point, you can hear your voice over the car speakers.
    • Pair the Mic with your smartphone via Bluetooth.
    • Stream songs from any music or karaoke app — for example, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube.
    • Start singing. Only the car’s driver and passengers will hear you, so don’t hold back.
    • If the app you use streams song lyrics on the display, all the better.
    • Note to parents: Even though the microphone has its own volume control, you can still turn the music and the singing down (or off) with the car audio controls.

Singing Machine sells a line of karaoke systems, but this is the company’s first in-car product.

“Carpool Karaoke is a global, viral phenomenon that is all about the joy of music and singing,” said Bernardo Melo, Singing Machine vice president of global sales and marketing. “We believe Carpool Karaoke, the Mic is the perfect complement to our Singing Machine brand, and we can’t wait to bring a unique twist to the Carpool Karaoke universe.”

Scheduled for availability in summer 2019, with no specified date, Carpool Karaoke, the Mic will have a $50 retail price.

Editors' Recommendations

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
The Apple Car was reportedly dubbed ‘the Bread Loaf’
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal.

A 2020 prototype of the so-called "Apple Car" was dubbed "the Bread Loaf" for its looks, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday.

In a deep dive into the costly project, which Apple canceled last month, the report described the vehicle as “a white minivan with rounded sides, an all-glass roof, sliding doors, and whitewall tires [that] was designed to comfortably seat four people and inspired by the classic flower-power Volkswagen microbus.”

Read more
The Rivian R2 SUV is up for preorder for only $45,000
Rivian R2

You can now get a Rivian without spending more than $70,000. After months of rumors and leaks, Rivian has finally taken the wraps off of the Rivian R2, its newest SUV, and the first to be built on the new Rivian R2 platform. The R2 is built to be Rivian's "Model 3 moment," or its attempt to build a car that's more accessible to the general public and thus could be sold at a much higher volume than the R1S or R1T ever were.

The R2 certainly cuts some corners to achieve the lower price point, but it actually still has a lot going for it -- especially as an electric SUV in this price range. It goes up against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach-E, and Kia EV6, but it's much more of an SUV than a crossover-sized car and should appeal to those who want something larger and with Rivian's design sensibility.

Read more
The R3 is Rivian’s surprise electric crossover
Rivian R3

Rivian didn't just announce the R2 platform at its latest launch event -- in a surprise twist, it also announced the R3 crossover. The R3 is Rivian's smallest car yet, offering a size much closer to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 than the SUVs that came before it.

Of course, not only is the Rivian R3 smaller, but presumably, it's also cheaper. Rivian didn't reveal actual pricing for the car, but it did say that it would be less than the R2's $45,000 price. Also, it may be some time before we start seeing the R3 on the road -- the car will follow the R2, which isn't set to be available until the first half of 2026.

Read more