My name is Brandy Freeman and I’m a graphic designer and brand coordinator at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC.
I joined the organization in 2022. While my job provides a daily creative outlet, I have another passion in my downtime — performing in karaoke team competitions.
After college, I found myself without a singing outlet until I checked out a karaoke meetup. The organizer heard me sing and suggested I join District Karaoke, a social team-based league.
Much like sports leagues, there are weekly competitions against other teams. My team works our song selections around the theme, and we also create a story concept. We’re all very involved — we wear costumes and design props for performances.
Some recent performance themes included only songs written in the 1950s and ’60s. I sang “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ ” and it turned out to be a great number. Another recent theme was a jukebox challenge in which we were to select one artist and tell a story using three of their songs. We chose David Bowie.
Teams face off against one another in the league by performing three rounds — the first and second consist of either a solo, duet or trio and the third is a full group number where everyone on a team can participate.
I tell people who are interested in trying it out it’s not so much about singing the best; well-performed, unique song choices and concepts often win over tried-and-true karaoke tunes. For example, while “Sweet Caroline” is a popular go-to karaoke classic often performed to a crowd’s delight, District Karaoke teams have to be much more creative to snag the audience votes needed to win.
Being on a karaoke team has given me the ability to spread my wings and go with the flow musically. I love the energy of the crowd and the rush I get when performing these often zany concepts.
After finding the karaoke community, I have become more confident and secure in myself. Performing with my team has given me such joy. It’s a rush.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
