Are you a good singer -or not ? How to know:

Do you think you have what it takes to be the next American Idol ? The next X Factor ? You'll find out by reading this.

To know if you are a good singer or not, there are a few steps you need to follow:

Feedback:

• If the feedback you get from your family or friends isn't very positive, you are most likely not a good singer. For example: If you are in the kitchen or cleaning the house whilst singing at the same time, and someone tells you to be quiet, you are probably not a very good singer. Or else they are on the phone. Chances are, it's option 1.
• On karaoke nights with your family or friends (or both), everybody wants you to sing. You may think this is because seen as you're a good singer, they want to hear you sing and hit those notes. Unfortunately, the truth hurts, and most of the time, they only want you to sing so they can have a good laugh.
• If you have the guts to perform in front of crowds of people you are not familiar with and get booed, you are a bad singer. Or maybe you chose a bad song. But it's no point to lie to yourself: you are simply not popstar material.

Record yourself:

If you are not brave enough to perform in front of you family but still want to know how good a singer you are, simply record yourself on your phone or computer. When you do this, you must be very harsh with yourself, and put on your Simon Cowell jacket. Pretend this is not you singing and criticise at every opportunity. If you deem yourself good, read further.

Post a video of yourself singing on Youtube:

For this step you will need a Youtube account, a webcam with a microphone, and guts.

Yes, I know. It takes a lot of courage to post yourself on the internet. And even more when it's a video. But it's nothing compared to performing on stage, so this is just practicing for the future. What you need to do:

• Pick a good song, either a classic that everybody knows and likes, or a recent song. Try not to choose one with a lot of pitch correction (a.k.a. auto-tune). A recent song is also a nice choice because people search for those songs and will maybe find your video.
• Lights, camera, action ! Turn on that camera and get singing ! When you're done, watch the video. If you didn't "nail" the song or made weird faces during the video, maybe you should consider redoing it.
• After finally making the "perfect" video, post it to Youtube. Maybe promote on Twitter. Just a tip: do not post on Facebook because people will make fun of you, even if you are good.
• Wait for the comments on your video. You may get haters. But if most of the comments aren't negativ, it's a good sign. Maybe some will say that you should improve your vocals or sing in a different pitch, etc... Take into account what people say so ou can do better next time.

Singing lessons are always a plus !

After going through all this pain and overcoming embarrassment, you will know whether you are good, or not. If you believe you have a seed of talent that just needs to grow, take up singing lessons to improve. If you end up thinking you are not the next Lady Gaga, stick to kitchen singing or bedroom karaoke.

After this you should just about know whether you are talent show worthy or not.