Easy-to-sing enka: A roundup of recommended enka songs for karaoke
Enka, a genre that represents Japanese music.
Its singing method uses a technique called kobushi, which is highly distinctive, and its unique sound—built on pentatonic scales and triads—has been loved for many years.
That said, because enka relies on kobushi, many people may feel it’s difficult to sing.
For those people, we’ve selected songs that minimize the use of kobushi and don’t require a wide vocal range.
We also cover the technical aspects in detail, so if you want to sing enka well, this is a must-read!
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Easy-to-sing enka: Recommended enka for karaoke (21–30)
Come back.Kazuko Matsumura
Kazuko Matsumura is an enka singer from Hokkaido.
While she also performs orthodox enka, her essence arguably lies in rock-influenced enka.
Many people have surely been moved by her performances, where she holds a shamisen and sings as if she were a rock musician doing an acoustic set.
“Kaette Koi yo” is one of her signature songs; it maintains the fundamentals of enka yet stands out with a rock-tinged power.
The range is somewhat high, from mid2 A# to hi D#, but since the overall span is narrow, it shouldn’t be difficult to sing if you adjust to a suitable key.
It also features fewer kobushi (ornamental turns) than typical enka, making it a recommended choice.
Casablanca GoodbyeIchiro Toba
Enka singer Ichiro Toba, popular for his wide-ranging musicality from male-voiced to female-voiced songs, has left many masterpieces.
Among them, Casablanca Goodbye is especially recommended as an easy song to sing.
While there are a few spots that feature kobushi (traditional enka vocal ornaments), overall the piece has a flavor closer to kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song).
It employs a very light mixed voice, but the high phrases aren’t very long, and it doesn’t demand much power overall, so the overall difficulty is on the lower side.
Its mood-rich melody is sure to get the crowd going!
Fleeting LoveKaori Kouzai
This is the third single by enka singer Kaori Kozai, who drew attention after winning many awards in folk song competitions from a young age and capturing various newcomer awards, including at the Japan Record Awards, with her debut single.
Known as Kozai’s biggest hit, the song won the Gold Disc Award at both the Japan Cable Awards and the 33rd Japan Record Awards.
Because the melody gradually rises in pitch as the song progresses, be careful: if you don’t set the overall key to one that suits your voice, it will become difficult to sing as you go.
The vocal range itself isn’t very wide, making it a relatively easy, standard enka song to sing at karaoke.
A Man’s HarborIchiro Toba
When it comes to enka singers with a masculine vocal style, many people probably think of Ichiro Toba first.
If we’re talking about the song that best showcases his manliness, it has to be “Otoko no Minato” (A Man’s Harbor).
While its power and masculinity are captivating, it’s actually one of the easier songs to sing within the enka genre.
Although the kobushi (melodic shakes) appear repeatedly, they’re relatively simple and reproducible for enka beginners, so the overall difficulty is low.
However, because you need to sing with strong vibrato, diaphragmatic strength and control are required.
Heart RainHiroshi Oe
Kokoro Ame, a masterpiece by Hiroshi Oe, is notable for his piercingly emotive singing voice.
While Oe is often associated with a powerful, dynamic singing style, he is actually skilled at female-voiced songs as well.
Among his female-voiced repertoire, this piece is particularly easy to sing.
The melody is pure enka, but the vocal line, somewhat unexpectedly, leans strongly toward kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song), and it doesn’t demand any complex rises and falls in pitch.
There aren’t many instances of kobushi (melismatic ornamentation), but dynamic contrast is crucial, so be mindful of that.
Woman of FateHiroshi Oe
Among Hiroshi Oe’s songs, the one I especially recommend to women is Sadame no Onna.
Although this piece falls into the so-called “onna-uta” (women’s song) category, it leans more toward kayōkyoku than straight enka, so you won’t find the delicate, ornamented vibrato runs—driven by dramatic dynamics—that are typical of many onna-uta.
In fact, there’s only one clear instance of kobushi (traditional enka ornamentation) in the chorus, making it a fairly easy song to sing.
The range is somewhat wide, so I recommend carefully determining the most suitable key before performing.
snow camelliaSachiko Kobayashi
Yukitsubaki is one of Sachiko Kobayashi’s signature songs and holds great significance in her career as it was her first single after becoming independent from her agency.
The lyrics were written by the master Tetsurō Hoshino—his first single with her since “Mō Ichido Dake”—at Kobayashi’s own request, and she delivers a stirring performance of a grand, classic enka.
It’s also extremely popular for karaoke, so many enka fans are likely to belt it out at karaoke.
As mentioned, it’s a quintessential enka number, so techniques like kobushi (melodic turns) and vibrato appear, but the overall range is average, with no standout high notes or extended long tones.
Therefore, anyone who has a grasp of enka fundamentals should be able to sing it without difficulty.