Where to find private karaoke rooms in New Orleans

The big picture: New Orleans' karaoke scene has long been dominated by Bourbon Street clubs like the Cat's Meow and local favorite Kajun's, plus a few pop-up nights here and there.

• But Rockabye nixes the likely drunk and surely anonymous crowd in favor of three private rooms.
• The result, founder Ben Miller says, appeals to the timid ("it's a great way to try" karaoke) and for the mic hogs (who "can sing for two hours straight").

State of play: Miller wanted to create Rockabye in New Orleans for so long that when he started registering social media accounts for the new business last year, he found the name had already been claimed — by him, nearly a decade ago.

• "This just happened to be (the) right place, right time," he said.

What to expect: Rockabye is tucked into the back courtyard of the Lower Garden District development already home to Merchant House and St. Pizza.

• Its three rooms can hold 10, 15 and 25 guests, and each is equipped with high-quality sound systems and a DIY song catalog that doesn't require additional staff to use. Room use costs $15 per person per hour.
• The location means Rockabye has a speakeasy vibe, but the venue doesn't sell alcohol. Instead, guests are encouraged to BYOB and they'll find cups, ice, mixers and other nonalcoholic beverages on site.

What we're watching: Eventually, Miller (whose favorite karaoke song is Brooks & Dunne's "Neon Moon") would love to see Rockabye grow into a bigger space, and he's happy to already see the interest in its current iteration.

• "Most people that are coming through, it's for a celebration of some sort, a birthday, bachelor party, some reason to get together," he says. "I love being able to create a space for people to celebrate. There's so much need for joy in our world."