They set out to elevate karaoke in Los Angeles and opened a glamorous lounge that pulls out all the stops.

Brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer visited karaoke bars around the world and almost always had the same impression.

“The drinks weren't always great, the aesthetics weren't always as glamorous, the sound wasn't always amazing, and the lights were often generic,” says Leo, former bassist for the band Third Eye Blind.

As devoted karaoke fans, they wanted to enhance the experience. So they came up with Mic Drop, an upscale karaoke lounge in West Hollywood that opens Thursday. It is located within the original Larrabee Studios, a historic 1920s building previously owned by Carole King and her ex-husband, Gerry Goffin, and the location where King recorded some of his biggest hits. Third Eye Blind band members Stephan Jenkins and Brad Hargreaves are investors in the new venue.

Inside the two-story, 6,300-square-foot venue with 13 private karaoke rooms and an electrifying main stage, you can feel like a rock star in front of a cheering audience. Do you want to check it? Here are six things you should know.

1. Choose between a private karaoke experience or the main stage.

A unique element of Mic Drop is that it offers private karaoke rooms and a main stage experience for those who wish to sing in front of a crowd. The 13 private rooms sleep between six and 45 people. Each of the karaoke rooms is named after a famous recording studio such as Electric Lady, Abbey Road, Shangri La and of course Larrabee Studios. There is a two-hour minimum on all rentals and hourly rates depend on room size and day of the week.

But if you're ready to take center stage, singing is free, at least technically. All you have to do is pay a $10 fee at the door, which is essentially a token that goes toward your first drink. Then you can put your name on the list with KJ (karaoke jockey) who keeps the crowd energized all night and even takes the stage on occasion.

Harrison Baum, left, of Santa Monica, and Amanda Stagner, 27, of Los Angeles, sing in one of 13 private karaoke rooms.

2. The top priority was high sound quality

As someone who toured the world playing bass for Third Eye Blind, top-notch sound was non-negotiable for Leo. “Normally in karaoke, the sound is a little small, there isn't much bass and the voice is super hot and stays too high,” he says. To combat this, he and his brother partnered with Pineapple Audio, a Chicago-based audio-visual company, to design their crystal-clear sound system. They also installed custom concert speakers and subwoofers from a European audio equipment manufacturer called Celto, and purchased gold-plated Sennheiser wireless microphones, which they liked so much they had an 8-foot-tall replica made for their main room. Designed by artist Shawn HibmaCronan, the “macrophone,” as they call it, has approximately 30,000 mirror mosaics. “It spins and throws amazing disco light everywhere,” Leo says.

Karaoke jockeys Sophie St. John, 27, second from left, and Cameron Armstrong, 30, right, engage the crowd with their song selections on Mic Drop.

3. A concert-level performance is not complete without good stage lighting and a fog machine.

Each karaoke room features a disco ball and dynamic lighting that syncs with whatever song you're singing, making you feel like you're a professional performer. There's also a fog machine hidden under the leather seats. Meanwhile, the main stage is ready for the concert with dancing lasers and additional spotlights.

Brett Adams, left, of Sherman Oaks, and Patrick Riley of Studio City sing karaoke together inside a private room at Mic Drop.

4. The song selection is wide and offers classics and new hits.

One of the worst things that can happen to you when you go to karaoke is not being able to find the song you want to sing. In Mic Drop, the chances of this happening are slim to none. The venue uses a popular karaoke service called KaraFun, which has a catalog of more than 600,000 songs (and adds 400 new tracks each month), according to its website. Choose from country, R&B, jazz, rap, pop, love duets and more. (Two new selections I saw were “Where Is my Husband” by Raye and “Man I Need” by Olivia Dean, both released late last year.) In private karaoke rooms, there is also a fun feature in Karafun called “battle mode,” which allows you and your team of up to 20 people to compete in real time. KaraFun also has an entertaining music trivia game, which I tested with the founders and came in second place.

The inspiration for Mic Drop's design was the music halls of the 1920s and the disco culture of the 1970s, says designer Amy Morris.

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

A disco ball hangs from the ceiling.

If you take the sophisticated aesthetic of 1920s music halls and mix it with the vibrant and fun era of 1970s disco culture, you'll find Mic Drop.

When you walk into the salon, the first thing you'll see is a bright red check-in counter that resembles an artist's dressing room with vanity lights, several mirrors, and an assortment of wigs. “A big part of karaoke is getting into character and letting the day go, so we had the idea of ​​selling the wigs,” says Oliver. As you move into the living room, the focal point is the stage, which is adorned with a zebra-print rug and dramatic red velvet curtains. To sit, slide onto the red velvet banquettes or plop down on a gold velvet stool. Upstairs, you'll find the intimate karaoke studios, which are decorated with red velvet walls and curved brass doors that echo the building's decorative arches, says Mic Drop interior designer Amy Morris of the Morris Project.

Sarah Rothman, center, from Oakland, and her friend Rachel Bernstein, left, from Los Angeles, wait at the bar.

6. You can order non-traditional karaoke bites while you wait for your turn to sing.

While Mic Drop offers some of the food you'd typically find at a karaoke lounge, like tater tots, truffle popcorn, and pizza, the venue also has some surprising options. For example, a 57-gram caviar service (served with French fries, fresh cream and chives) and shrimp cocktail from Santa Monica Seafood. For their pizza program, the Kremer brothers partnered with Avalou's Italian Pizza Company, run by Louis Lombardi, who starred in “The Sopranos.” He is the creation of my favorite dish, Fuhgeddaboudit pizza, which is made with pastrami, pickles, and mustard. It may sound repulsive, but believe me.

As for the bold cocktails, they're all named after famous musicians and songs like Pink Pony Club (a cherry and pomegranate vodka sour named after Chappell Roan), Green Eyes (a kiwi and melon sake sour named after Green Day), and Megroni Thee Stallion (a lofty negroni named after Megan Thee Stallion).