Some podcast episodes stay on the rails. This one showed up with chips, background construction, karaoke stories, and enough side quests to fill a whole night downtown.

On Snackin’ & Yakkin’, BIG Ben Kennedy sat down with Alicia Red for a funny, loose, surprisingly honest conversation about local fame, bad relationships, singing gigs, and why Charleston always feels one degree away from total chaos. The chips were open before the intro finished, and that set the tone perfectly.

Alicia Red is building a name all over Charleston

Red is in the running for Best Female Vocalist in the Best of Charleston voting, and that recognition matters to her. Last year, she finished as first runner-up to Lauren Hall. This year, she wants the full win, not for bragging rights alone, but for the kind of validation that comes from being seen for what you do well.

She has been singing since she was 5, and her voice is one of those you remember fast. People around the local karaoke scene know the rasp before they know the face. Red explained that she loves big songs, plays to the room, and changes her picks depending on the crowd. A biker bar gets one energy. A country-heavy room gets another.

She also wears a lot of hats. Red does modeling, photography, DJ work, karaoke hosting, and band appearances, and she works at the Epic Game Show Experience on Market Street. That mix helps explain why so many people in Charleston already know her name.

Ben and Red also bonded over the weird charm of local recognition. He is up for best local podcast, she voted for him, and he returned the favor. It felt less like competition and more like Charleston doing Charleston things.

From trivia nights to Bangkok Lounge lines

Red did not start in karaoke. She started in trivia in 2019 after a friend moved to Hawaii and needed someone to step in quickly. For three years, she ran trivia, bingo, and music bingo. Then, in 2022, she bought her own equipment and went out on her own.

That move opened the door to more interactive shows, including Family Feud-style games, which she says people often enjoy more than straight trivia. It also led her deeper into karaoke, where she now hosts at Bangkok Lounge, the downtown spot she describes as Charleston’s karaoke headquarters.

The numbers are wild. On busy nights, her list can hit 53 singers by 11 p.m., which means a three-and-a-half-hour wait. People do not wander in and discover karaoke by accident there. They walk in already ready to sing.

What makes Red stand out is the hosting. She does not sit behind the booth like a bored hall monitor. She plays tambourine, jumps in with a kazoo during guitar solos, dances, claps, and turns each singer’s moment into a tiny concert.

One of the best stories from the episode came from a man who heard her sing Alicia Keys and walked up to say, “All right, white girl, I see you,” before greeting her as “my ginger.” That may be the most Charleston compliment ever recorded.

Comedy came first, then life got loud

Before the karaoke following, Red was already part of the comedy scene. She started stand-up in 2016 while seven months pregnant. Her first set went well enough that several comics immediately told her to come back. She met names that longtime Charleston comedy fans know well, including Rossy Brown, Stan Shelby, Joseph Coker, Hagen Raglin, and Shauna Jarrett.

Her style leans toward storytelling, which makes sense because this whole conversation proved she can turn almost anything into a bit. She still pops into Wit’s End Comedy Lounge when time allows, often near the end of open mic nights, when she can squeeze in a quick set and wake up a tired room.

Life, of course, got heavier than stage time. Red talked openly about a 10-year abusive marriage, another relationship shaped by gaslighting, and a later relationship that ended because she knew her worth and knew she was not getting the same respect back. In total, she described 17 years of serial monogamy before reaching a point where being single finally felt strong instead of scary.

“If you can’t tolerate me as me, don’t even bother.”

That same self-acceptance also comes from earlier pain. She grew up in a broken home, got bullied for being a bigger kid, wore off-brand clothes, and took heat for her freckles and red hair. Now she is the exact opposite of hidden. She hugs people, makes friends fast, and refuses to shrink herself to make anyone else comfortable.

Anthem auditions, blind comics, and a guy named Henry

The episode never stays in one lane for long, and that is a good thing. Red said her nomination has already opened doors, including chances to sing the national anthem for the RiverDogs and possible opportunities tied to the Charlotte Hornets or Carolina Panthers after Rossy Brown connected her with the right person.

Then came the stories that sounded made up, but were not. There was Noah Brockett, a blind comedian and karaoke regular, joking that he was “having trouble seeing the screen” before crushing “Toxicity.” There was also Henry, an audience member at Wit’s End who fell asleep so hard that Red had to take the mic, wake him up, and ask if the blue Mercedes with the lights on was his. The room finally came alive.

That mix is what made the episode work. Red can talk about pain without getting stuck there. She can tell a ridiculous bar story two minutes later and still make both parts feel true.

Charleston has plenty of talented people. Red feels memorable because she sounds like herself, onstage and off. That matters more than any magic chip at the bottom of the bag.

Always more episodes to be found on the SnackYakk Almanac!