They set out to elevate karaoke in L.A. — and opened a glamorous lounge that pulls out all the stops

Leo and Oliver Kremer, two brothers, traveled the world trying out karaoke bars and consistently found themselves with similar thoughts.

According to Leo, a former bassist for Third Eye Blind, the bars they played early on weren’t always the best. The drinks weren’t always good, the venues weren’t fancy, the sound quality was often poor, and the lighting was usually basic.

Passionate about karaoke, the creators wanted to create a more sophisticated experience, leading to the opening of Mic Drop, a new karaoke lounge in West Hollywood on Thursday. The lounge is located within the historic Larrabee Studios, a building from the 1920s once owned by music legends Carole King and Gerry Goffin—and where King famously recorded many of her hit songs. Investors in the new venue include Stephan Jenkins and Brad Hargreaves from the band Third Eye Blind.

This 6,300-square-foot space has everything you need for a night of karaoke, including 13 private rooms and a vibrant main stage where you can feel like a star! Here’s what you should know before you visit.

1. Take your pick between a private karaoke experience or the main stage

Mic Drop offers a fun karaoke experience with options for everyone. You can rent a private room – they have 13, ranging in size from small gatherings of six people to larger parties of up to 45. Each room is named after a famous recording studio, like Electric Lady and Abbey Road. For those who want a bigger audience, there’s also a main stage. Private room rentals have a two-hour minimum, and the cost per hour varies depending on the room size and what day of the week you book.

If you’re feeling confident and want to sing, it’s free to join in – though there’s a small cover charge. It’s just $10 at the door, which gets you a voucher for your first drink. After that, you can sign up with the KJ – the person who runs the karaoke and keeps the energy up all night – and take your turn on stage.

2. Thumping, high sound quality was a top priority

Leo, a former touring bassist for Third Eye Blind, always demanded high-quality sound. He found most karaoke systems lacking, describing them as thin on bass and with vocals that were too loud and harsh. To fix this, he and his brother partnered with Chicago-based audio-visual company Pineapple Audio to create a superior sound system. They installed professional-level speakers and custom subwoofers from Celto, a European audio company, and chose gold-plated Sennheiser wireless microphones. They loved the microphones so much they commissioned artist Shawn HibmaCronan to create an 8-foot-tall replica covered in around 30,000 mirror tiles – a ‘macrophone’ that spins and projects dazzling disco lights.

3. A concert-level performance isn’t complete without good stage lighting and a haze machine

Our karaoke rooms are designed to make you feel like a star, with disco balls, lights that move with the music, and even a hidden haze machine under the seats. For those who want a truly grand performance, the main stage boasts concert-quality lasers and spotlights.

4. The song selection is vast, offering classics and new hits

There’s nothing worse than wanting to sing a specific song at karaoke and not being able to find it! But at Mic Drop, that’s unlikely to happen. They use KaraFun, a karaoke service with a huge library of over 600,000 songs – and they add 400 more every month. You can choose from all kinds of genres like country, R&B, pop, and even sing duets. They even have newer hits like Raye’s “Where Is my Husband” and Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need.” If you’re in a private room, KaraFun has a “battle mode” where up to 20 people can compete against each other. Plus, there’s a fun music trivia game – I tried it out with the owners and almost won!

5. The interiors are inspired by 1920s music lounges mixed with ‘70s disco vibes

Mic Drop blends the elegant style of 1920s jazz clubs with the energetic fun of 1970s disco.

As you enter the lounge, a vibrant red check-in desk immediately catches your eye—it’s designed like a dressing room, complete with lights, mirrors, and even wigs for sale. Oliver explains that the wigs are meant to encourage guests to embrace the fun and transform for their karaoke performance. Further inside, the stage takes center stage, featuring a bold zebra-print carpet and luxurious red velvet curtains. You can choose to relax on the red velvet banquettes or grab a seat on one of the gold tiger velvet stools. Upstairs, you’ll find private karaoke studios with cozy red velvet walls and uniquely curved brass doorways that complement the building’s art deco style, according to interior designer Amy Morris of the Morris Project.

6. You can order nontraditional karaoke bites as you wait for your turn to sing

Mic Drop serves up classic karaoke lounge fare like tater tots, truffle popcorn, and pizza, but they also have some unexpected choices. You can find things like a caviar service with chips and crème fraîche, or shrimp cocktail from Santa Monica Seafood. The pizza is especially interesting – the owners partnered with Avalou’s Italian Pizza Company, run by Louis Lombardi, who you might recognize from “The Sopranos.” He created my personal favorite, the Fuhgeddaboudit pizza, which features pastrami, pickles, and mustard. It sounds strange, but it’s surprisingly delicious!

The bar’s playful cocktails are inspired by music icons and their hits. For example, the Pink Pony Club is a tart cherry and pomegranate vodka drink named after Chappell Roan, while Green Eyes is a kiwi and melon sake sour referencing Green Day. They also have a sophisticated take on a negroni called Megroni Thee Stallion, a nod to Megan Thee Stallion.

2026-04-23 13:33