For those confident in their singing ability: Challenging songs to try at karaoke!
How do people practice songs that are hard to sing at karaoke? Not being able to hit the high notes, running out of breath, not keeping the rhythm… Even with those worries, don’t you ever think, “It would be so cool if I could nail that difficult song perfectly!”? The truth is, the tougher the song, the more likely it is that you can sing it surprisingly well once you get the hang of a few tricks.
In this article, we’ll introduce the traits of challenging songs you’ll want to try at karaoke, along with techniques to help you sing them well.
Let’s master that song you admire—together!
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For those confident in their vocal skills: Difficult karaoke songs to challenge yourself with! (121–130)
NEO UNIVERSEL’Arc〜en〜Ciel
It was released in 2000 as L’Arc~en~Ciel’s 19th single.
The song was used in a commercial for Shiseido’s lipstick brand “PN,” and it reached No.
1 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.
It’s a very difficult song, featuring a chorus that requires high notes in mixed voice along with a clean, beautiful vibrato.
Thunderous applauseLiSA
Issai no Kassai was pre-released and included on LiSA’s album LANDER, which came out in November 2022.
It was chosen as the official theme song for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on ABEMA and TV Asahi.
The song has a driving feel and a high word count, so you won’t be able to sing it unless you precisely understand which syllables are matched to the finer notes.
You’ll also need falsetto for the parts in the chorus that shoot up in pitch.
There’s a key change right before the final, extended chorus as well, so make sure to listen closely to the band’s playing to catch your notes.
Crimson Bow and ArrowLinked Horizon
It was the first opening theme of Attack on Titan.
It was even performed at the Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Up to the first verse it isn’t too difficult, but after that the melody changes suddenly and it switches mostly to German, so it’s hard to keep up with the abrupt shifts.
Also, it’s a tough song to sing in karaoke because the on-screen display makes the lyrics hard to read.
Whale SongMrs. GREEN APPLE
The lead track from Mrs.
GREEN APPLE’s second album, released in January 2017.
Vocalist Mr.
Omori is renowned for his beautiful high-tone voice, and in this song he once again showcases a remarkably versatile and stunning upper register.
For many male singers, performing this song exactly as the original is likely to be extremely difficult.
Of course, you could opt to switch to falsetto for all the high notes or lower the key, but even then, the melody itself moves intricately up and down, so singing it well will require a fairly advanced level of vocal technique and control.
[For those confident in their vocal skills] Difficult songs to tackle at karaoke! (131–140)
Keep IT RealONE OK ROCK
This is the title track from an album released in 2006.
Don’t get thrown off by the tempo changes between fast and slow—sing it through with confidence.
If you try singing the Japanese lyrics as if you were pronouncing English, it might bring out that ONE OK ROCK vibe.
Cry BabyOfficial HIGE DANDism
It’s a digital-download-only single by Official HIGE DANDism, released on May 7, 2021.
It was selected as the opening theme for the TV anime Tokyo Revengers.
As a vocal-centric track, its difficulty level is quite high; the song modulates multiple times, and the arrangement varies dynamically to match.
The vocals by Satoshi Fujihara are particularly striking—his high notes are powerful and sustain beautifully.
Recreating this in karaoke would require considerable singing ability (vocal production, pitch accuracy, expressiveness, etc.
).
Precisely because of that, being able to sing it well would bring an exceptional sense of accomplishment.
Give it a try and aim to master it!
apoptosisOfficial HIGE DANDism
A piano-pop band from Japan, Official HIGE DANDism released this song as the lead track of their August 18, 2021 album, Editorial, with an advance digital release on streaming services on August 11, 2021.
The song is also currently featured in an Apple Music commercial.
It’s a very beautiful track with a flowing melody.
Precisely because of that, the most important thing to keep in mind when singing it is to deliver it gently so the voice never turns harsh, even in the high notes.
That said, there are parts like the chorus where a gentle yet powerful delivery is required, which I feel raises the song’s level of vocal difficulty.
Focus on the vocal expression, study and understand the original thoroughly, and then give it a try.