The Karaoke World Championships crowned its champions in America for the first time since the contest was founded in Finland in 2003, with the 2026 finals unfolding at the Silverton's Veil Pavilion in Las Vegas. Competition began Monday and built toward a Thursday finale, drawing more than 60 national champions from 25 countries who had each won singing competitions back home to earn their spot on the Las Vegas stage.
A Global Field Narrows to Vegas Finalists
As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the field was narrowed down to 12 duet acts and 20 solo performers by the time finals night arrived. The organization's own event page confirms the broader scope of the gathering, noting that KWC's official site scheduled the event for the Veil Pavilion inside Silverton Casino between Oct. 25 and Oct. 29, calling it the 24th annual KWC World Finals.
The 2026 edition also represented an expanded format. Per Banderas News, this year's World Finals brought together national champions from two recent qualifying cycles across both the solo and duet divisions, swelling the roster beyond a typical single-year field.
American Hopefuls and a Canceled Bangkok Finale
The previous championship was canceled.
From Kazakhstan to Chile, Singers Chase the Spotlight
One of the most striking storylines belonged to Mira Khojashova, a 63-year-old competitor from Kazakhstan who traveled nearly 7,000 miles to compete in Las Vegas. Khojashova performed Eminem's “Lose Yourself” during the competition, per the same account.
Chile's representative, Óscar Eduardo Aliaga Meneses — a singer from Llay-Llay who performs artistically as Edu Meneses — was among the competitors. Separately, Aconcagua News reported that Meneses qualified for the international competition after placing second in Chile's national contest. Indonesia sent Derry Rulita Panjaitan, who performed “Man Upon the Hill” by Stars and Rabbit during the second round, according to Kaset.id. That outlet noted the second round asked every contestant to present a song tied to the nature and culture of their home country. Indonesia has a recent winning pedigree in the solo category, with Shabrina Leonita taking the 2021 world title followed by Keke Adiba in 2022, per Kaset.id's reporting.
Champions, Runners-Up and a Vegas First
Maria Teresa Puri and Gio Miller both competed for best solo performance at the Veil at the Silverton, while Losanna Diaz and Demian Marquez competed for best duet, the Review-Journal reported. Losanna Diaz and Demian Marquez won first place in the duet competition. The event marked the Karaoke World Championships' U.S. debut at the Silverton's Veil Pavilion after more than two decades of competitions held elsewhere around the globe.
At the 2023 championships in Panama City, Puerto Vallarta's Luis Villanueva and Monterrey's Diego Mendoza Martínez won the duet category, according to Banderas News.
