A karaoke bar with private singing rooms is coming to NuLu this summer

• NoraeBar should open this summer at 717 E. Market St.
• The karaoke bar will have both an open stage and private singing rooms.
• Private rooms will run $50-$90 per hour.

Visitors to Louisville's NuLu district will be greeted by some sweet — and maybe a few slurred — tunes this summer when a karaoke bar opens at 717 E. Market St.

NoraeBar comes from two of the partners behind Flying Axes, the city's first ax-throwing venue. And like their initial venture, the karaoke joint will offer a shift from the typical entertainment outing for some Louisvillians.

NoraeBar — whose name is a nod to the Korean word for "song" — will feature both the open stage that many are used to as well as private karaoke rooms that groups can rent by the hour.

Like karaoke itself, the private-room concept originated in Asian countries, and it's already become popular in some of America's largest metros.

But while nearby cities like Cincinnati and Nashville have jumped on the trend, Louisville is still a step behind, said co-owner Zack Pennington, who's opening NoraeBar with contractor Louis Adamson and local attorney Joe Miller.

"This is going to be a karaoke bar for both hardcore enthusiasts and first-timers or people who historically haven't liked karaoke," said Pennington, who works full time at EdjAnalytics. "I think we're going to make a lot of believers."

See also:Margaritaville is coming to Louisville with this Jimmy Buffett-inspired hotel

Louisville, of course, has great open karaoke at bars such as Akiko's, Kaiju and Highlands Tap Room. But NoraeBar's private rooms will add a new option for people who aren't that into belting a song before strangers — or who want to sing more than the public stage allows.

NoraeBar will feature two sizes of private rooms: an eight-person room that costs $50 per hour or a 16-person room that costs $90 per hour.

An open stage that will be large enough for live band karaoke will be at the front of the bar, and Pennington said performing there will likely cost guests $2 per song.

The small fee should help ensure that everyone gets a chance to sing on a first-come, first-serve basis, Pennington said. And software for the stage will display a queue with the next three singers in line.

As a joke, Pennington said, NoraeBar's owners have discussed letting their staff charge $50 for one song that they're absolutely tired of hearing, like "Wagon Wheel" or "Sweet Caroline."

"We'd take that money, put it in a pool and take our staff out every month," Pennington said. "It'd be money they've earned for having to listen to that."

New restaurants:These Louisville area spots have opened in 2019

Pennington said he believes the timing was right to open a karaoke-focused bar in NuLu, where a new mixed-use development and an entertainment complex are also in the works.

"NuLu's kind of like Fourth Street Live for locals," Pennington said. "It's the only neighborhood I can think of that has a good mixture of locals and tourists at any given time. ... It's the only spot where we all kind of blend together, but in a good way."

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/baileyl.