Singer submits request slip, and in place of a song name or selection number, instead enters the word "Suicide". KJ then selects a song from the catalog, and singer must perform song with no knowledge beforehand.

A performer may opt for karaoke suicide for numerous reasons. The most common are as a cheap substitute for self-affirmation, the feeling of accomplishing the unexpected, and as a condition of a dare that may or may not include collecting on a bet.

In turn, the KJ's mission is to choose a song that is either extremely difficult for ordinary people to perform, or will invoke laughter from the audience in attendance when they consider the juxtaposition of singer's on-stage image and the connotative qualities of the song they are forced to perform; for example, a burly, tattooed biker singing "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, or Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You," which requires a high-end vocal range of several octaves in order to attract the attention of local dogs.