Gotta Sing Brings the ’80s Back to Columbus

After filling the room with Broadway favorites earlier this summer, Gotta Sing Events returns to The Loft for a night of big songs, shared memories and absolutely no pressure to sing them well.

By Monica Jones

When Gotta Sing Events made its Columbus debut earlier this summer, no one in the room had to be persuaded to join in.

The first song began, the lyrics appeared on the screen, and the audience was off. People sang from their seats, danced when the mood struck and belted out Broadway favorites alongside friends and strangers alike. By the end of the night, Hildee Isaacs and Lisa Reich were already hearing the same question again and again:

“When are you coming back?”

The answer, thankfully, is soon.

Gotta Sing returns to The Loft on Friday, August 14, and this time, the evening belongs entirely to the 1980s. The decade that gave us some of pop music’s biggest personalities, most dramatic choruses and least defensible fashion decisions will provide the soundtrack for 90 minutes of singing, dancing and unapologetic nostalgia.

Its is not karaoke. In fact, Isaacs and Reich describe Gotta Sing as almost the exact opposite.

Instead of watching one brave soul stand beneath a spotlight gripping a microphone, everyone in the audience sings together. Lyrics are projected onto a large screen, and the original, best-known recordings fill the room.

“This is the entire audience singing out loud together,” Reich explained. “You may not even be able to hear yourself sing, but you will feel the energy in the room.”

Those who prefer to stay seated are perfectly welcome to do so. Those who suddenly find themselves dancing halfway through a song will not be alone. There are no auditions, no solos and no anxious wait for someone to call your name.

For anyone worried about the quality of their voice, Reich offers a wonderfully practical reassurance.

“Great, because we can’t hear you,” she said. “You can’t hear yourself. You’re just in a room of loud music with everyone singing out loud together.”

Or, as they sometimes describe it, Gotta Sing is a little like singing in the shower with a whole group of people, minus the shower and, one assumes, significantly more clothing.

The idea grew from Isaacs and Reich’s longtime friendship and their different but complementary backgrounds. The two met in Atlanta during the 1990s, when Isaacs owned a restaurant. Reich came from the world of theater, television, film and arts production, while Isaacs brought experience in sales, promotion and entrepreneurship.

Together, they began developing an event unlike the traditional concerts and karaoke nights audiences already knew.

Gotta Sing held a friends-and-family soft launch in November 2025, using the experience and feedback to refine the concept before beginning public ticket sales in February. Since then, the events have been moving into venues across the East Coast and beyond, with Reich based in New York and Isaacs in Atlanta.

Columbus entered the picture through a familiar face.

Comedian and longtime local favorite Jerry Farber discovered Gotta Sing in Atlanta and immediately thought of The Loft. Farber connected Isaacs and Reich with Loft owner Buddy Nelms, believing Columbus would embrace the idea.

As usual, Jerry knew his audience.

“We were so impressed by Columbus,” Reich said. “People were really open and welcoming to us. We felt that people really loved the event and had so much fun.”

The response was strong enough that the upcoming ’80s edition is moving into The Loft’s larger Green Room. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, have dinner, order a drink and make an entire evening of it.

That relaxed atmosphere also helps explain why the events have become especially popular for birthdays, girls’ nights and groups of longtime friends. People arrive carrying years of shared memories tied to the music, then leave having added another one.

“They are reliving their childhood memories and making new ones,” Reich said.

The decade itself gives them plenty to work with.

When Isaacs and Reich began building the playlist for Gotta Sing ’80s, they started with approximately 400 songs. Then came the slightly cruel business of whittling down an entire decade of pop, rock, dance music, power ballads and gloriously oversized choruses into one evening.

They are keeping most of the final selections a surprise, although fans of artists such as Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper should feel reasonably confident that they have wandered into friendly territory.

The playlist itself is only part of the work. Each song’s lyrics must be carefully prepared and formatted for the screen, with close attention paid to the fonts, colors, timing and readability. Isaacs and Reich said preparing the visual presentation for a single song can take an entire day.

That preparation allows the audience to stop worrying about remembering every verse and simply join the room.

Some people begin singing with the first line. Others may need a song, a chorus or perhaps a drink before they surrender. Either approach is perfectly acceptable. The real transformation happens when the audience stops thinking about participating and simply does it.

For Isaacs, there’s a clear sign for when a Gotta Sing crowd is fully present.

“Everybody’s singing together,” Isaacs said. “No one has their phone out.”

It is a small observation, but perhaps the best explanation of why the experience has connected so quickly. For 90 minutes, people are not scrolling, performing for a camera or worrying about the troubles waiting outside. They are listening to songs they have known for decades and hearing an entire room sing them back.

Isaacs describes it as “a new way of building community organically.”

That sense of community brought Gotta Sing to Columbus, filled the room during its first visit and convinced its founders to return just a few months later. It also appears that the relationship may be getting serious.

“We are addicted to Georgia,” Reich said, adding that another decade-themed singalong is already being developed.

For now, however, the ’70s will have to wait their turn.

The ’80s are calling, Columbus. You already know the words.

Gotta Sing ’80s takes place Friday, August 14, at The Loft, located at 1032 Broadway in Columbus. The event begins at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy dinner and drinks before the music begins. Tickets are available through GottaSingEvents.com.