Cancer Survivor Makes Karaoke Choice 'On a Whim'—What She Does Stuns Crowd

Newsweek

14-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A cancer survivor who finished her final round of chemotherapy decided to celebrate with a night of karaoke, and had a night she was not going to forget.
Maya, 30, is a PhD student living in Germany, and describes herself as a "karaoke booth-hopping regular" for the past two years.
"Nobody's ever accused me of being a great musical talent, but I was big on public performances as a kid and never lost the love for it since," she told Newsweek. "So I took to karaoke really quickly!"
In September last year, Maya was diagnosed with lymphoma, and had to complete six rounds of chemotherapy, causing her to "put a pause on my social life and work."
"I still had great people in my corner so I wasn't alone, but I really missed being out in the world," she said. "I was really looking forward to going to karaoke again and when my oncologist cleared me I was more than ready."
On May 5, Maya took to Reddit under the username u/WhileNo5370, where shared a feel-good story of what happened on that night at karaoke on the CasualConversation sub, which has racked up more than 12,000 upvotes.
She explained she hit the karaoke bar with friends for the first time since finishing her final round of chemotherapy, and immediately began hitting it off with fellow customers, singing with friends and strangers alike.
"It's been a long time, so I had a lot of fun," she wrote.
And she decided, "on a whim," to put her name down to sing on the main stage, with everyone's eyes on her—and went for the expletive-ridden 2014 hit track "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj, which famously references "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot.
"I am blonde with blue eyes and glasses, for context. It always catches people a bit off guard when the music starts, which is very entertaining to me," she wrote.
And when she got on stage, she announced that it was "my first time back since finishing chemo"—and then proceeded to, as she described it, "absolutely CRUSH the song," performing it perfectly.
"I could feel the audience getting hyped along with me. I finished to HUGE applause and whoops," she shared, adding that a random girl gave her a high five, and the DJ came on the mic and praised her, which he didn't do for "anybody else."
As she told Newsweek: "I expected a big reaction to my performance because this isn't my first time on the main stage doing rap or hip hop.. I think me looking kind of unassuming but still managing to keep up is entertaining, especially since it's not something most people there would attempt on stage.
"But it was still special that time, because it felt more symbolic post-chemo. So I fully committed to the bit, evil laughter and all. I think that did shine through because the hype in the audience was very noticeable, even though I could barely see them over the lights!"
Recovery from chemotherapy takes time, and survivors are advised that it is a gradual process with ups and downs, and they will need time to recover their physical strength, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Emotional recovery, too, is a process and can take longer than physical recovery in some cases, but can be achieved with time and support.
She described the moment as "a great high"—and Reddit users were quick to join in the conversation on her mood-lifting post.
Pictured: Stock image of a microphone on an empty stage with spotlights for karaoke.
Pictured: Stock image of a microphone on an empty stage with spotlights for karaoke."That is incredibly awesome. Congrats on eating and leaving no crumbs AND for your last chemo," one user commented.
Another praised her: "Congrats on your triumph on your treatment! That is just amazing," adding: "I could never sing in public. Bravo you brave person!"
Others shared their own stories, one recalling: "I once had the whole balcony of the bar invested in my parallel parking. I did it in exactly three moves, everyone clapped when I got out. (It was a tight spot too.) What a high."
Maya told Newsweek that she posted her story to Reddit while on the train home from her night out, "and my notifications exploded shortly after."
"I'm a PhD candidate studying digital culture, which makes this mini virality kind of an interesting moment for me," she added. "It was actually really sweet to hear people's stories of their own spotlight moments in the comments."
"I'm actually still in immunotherapy for another two years, but I plan to live my life as fully as possible regardless. Being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 30 puts things in perspective, as cliché as it sounds," she said.
"To me, [karaoke is] about not taking yourself too seriously, bonding with people in the moment and just enjoying music. It has nothing to do with my career or my creative interests, so it's a really nice low stakes hobby. Being bad at a song is just as fun as killing it!"
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