It was a rare for us all to get a free evening at Aston Villa, normally we're either training in the evening, having a team bonding session or going for a run... so I suppose more training. What can I say, as footballers we breathe exercise and training. But now, now we've got a break and we're ready to let loose for an evening, thats where the idea of karaoke came in.
It began as a joke during lunch on Monday but then the idea began spreading and soon enough everyone got on board, by the time it got the weekend it was all everyone could talk about. It's safe to say we was all excited when the night finally came, and we went to a little pub that wasn't well known, it has become one of our favourite spots as when we got its practically empty and we aren't really recognised other than the off occasion.
However, we get rather lucky because when we go here on our off days the pub had a private room set up for us, allowing us to enjoy our time there while they can still take our money. The little room was enough for the whole team and has a small stage, a big screen for the lyrics, and a sound system that looked like it could handle anything we threw at it. I suppose thats what people will do to keep famous customers going to their pub.
Maz, of course, was front and center. Always the life of the party, she was the first to grab the microphone. She had been talking a big game all week, claiming she was going to "set the standard" for the night, and we were all eager to see if she could live up to the hype. She walked up to the stage painfully slow with a confident grin, turning back to shoot us a playful wink before scanning through the song choices on the screen.
"Alright, let's kick this off with a classic," she announced, selecting one of her all-time favourites, '7 years' by Lukas Graham. The moment the familiar intro started playing, everyone in the room cheered. We all love this song, theres just something about it that drags you into it.
Maz launched into the song with all the enthusiasm of someone who believed they were born to be on stage, despite being a little bit tone death but even though her voice was more 'enthusiastic' than technically skilled, she absolutely owned it. The rest of us couldn't help but join in, singing along at the top of our lungs and dancing in our seats. By the time she hit the chorus, the whole room was a sea of arms waving in the air, everyone shouting,
"Once I was seven years old
My mama told me go.
Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely.
Once I was seven years old!"
Once Maz finished with a dramatic flourish, throwing her arms out wide as the final note played. The room erupted in applause and laughter, and she took an exaggerated bow before passing the mic to the next person. "Top that, if you can!" she challenged, her grin widening as she plopped back down into her seat.
I couldn't resist the challenge, part of being an athlete I suppose, we always want to one up each other. I'd been eyeing the mic ever since we got here, and with Maz hyping everyone up, I knew it was my turn to give it a go. I jumped up, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, but mostly just eager to have some fun.
"Alright, (Y/n), what have you got for us?" Maz called out, still riding high from her own performance.
"Something a bit more... soulful," I replied with a wink, scrolling through the song list until I landed on 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. The team let out a collective cheer, and I knew I'd picked the right one. This was a song everyone could get into.
The opening notes played, and I took a deep breath before launching into the duet. The verses were smooth, and as I sang, I could feel the energy in the room shift. The team was swaying along, some of them closing their eyes and mouthing the words, others still laughing and joking, but everyone was into it. When the chorus hit, I let loose, belting out the lyrics with everything I had.
Maz jumped up to join me, grabbing an imaginary mic and singing along. Soon, it turned into a full-blown group performance, with half the team on their feet, arms around each other's shoulders, singing as loudly as they could. It didn't matter if anyone was off-key or if we missed a beat, what mattered was that we were having a blast.
When the song ended, I handed the mic to Rachel, who was already lined up and ready to go with her pick. 'Sweet Caroline' by Neil Diamond. As soon as the first notes played, the entire room exploded with excitement. This was a song everyone knew, and by the time we reached the chorus, the whole pub could probably hear us chanting, "So good! So good! So good!"
The night continued like this, with each player stepping up to take their turn in the spotlight. We had a mix of genres: pop, rock, even a little bit of country which definitely isn't one of my favourites, I don't know why country has just never sounded right to me.
Some of us took it seriously, trying our best to hit every note, while others played it up for laughs, putting on exaggerated performances that had everyone in stitches. But no matter who was singing.
As the night went on, the energy in the room only grew. People started getting more adventurous with their song choices. Alisha decided to tackle 'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi, and even though she struggled with the high notes, she gave it her all, and we backed her up with some pretty terrible air guitar solos.
Kenza surprised everyone by picking 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls, and by the time she got to the "zig-a-zig-ah" part, nearly the entire team was on stage with her, dancing like we were in a 90s music video.
But the real highlight came when Maz and I teamed up for a duet. We chose 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John and Kiki Dee, and as soon as the song started, we got into character, pointing at each other and acting out the lyrics. It was ridiculous, over-the-top, and absolutely perfect. The team was laughing so hard they could barely sing along, but when we hit the final chorus, everyone joined in, and the room filled with voices, all singing together.
After our duet, the night continued to roll on with more laughter, more singing, and more memories being made. By the time the clock neared midnight, we had gone through nearly every classic karaoke hit in the book. Even those who had been hesitant at first eventually grabbed the mic and sang their hearts out. It was one of those nights that reminded us all why we loved being part of this team because even off the pitch, we were a family, even if any of us move teams thats not going to change. Once a family always a family.
As the evening wound down, we all gathered for one final song, a team anthem of sorts. We chose 'We Are the Champions' by Queen, and as we stood together, arms around each other, swaying to the music, it was a moment of pure camaraderie. We may have been at karaoke, but in that moment, we felt like we could take on anything, as long as we did it together.
When the song ended, we stood there for a moment, letting the final notes hang in the air. Then the room erupted in cheers, applause, and a few playful shoves. It was the perfect end to a perfect night.
As we started to gather our things and head out, Maz slung an arm around my shoulders. "Not bad, (Y/n). Not bad at all."
I grinned, bumping her with my hip. "You weren't too shabby yourself.. talk about team bonding ey."
She laughed, and as we walked out of the pub together. Nights like this were what made all the hard work worth it. We were more than just teammates, we are friends, we are a family. I suppose thats what makes football so amazing, the family you get out of it. After all, a team that can survive karaoke together can survive anything.
