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: Challenging karaoke songs! (141–150)
Fight for your heartHaruma Miura
Haruma Miura, who rose to prominence as an actor.
This song he sings is a number that emphasizes coolness.
Because it’s neither particularly high nor low, controlling the voice is tricky.
There’s also the risk that if you don’t lean fully into the cool, it can end up feeling awkward.
The song itself is very appealing, so the key is figuring out how to perform it well.
Goodbyes are my catchphraseRie Yoshizawa
This is Rie Yoshizawa’s fourth single, released on July 16, 1998.
The lyrics and composition were done by Toshiki Kadomatsu, who also served as the producer.
When singing this song at karaoke, the first major challenge is likely how well you can recreate its slightly buoyant 16-beat groove.
Yoshizawa herself debuted through Toshiki Kadomatsu’s female vocal production project, VOCALAND.
Known in the industry for his exacting standards toward vocal performance, Kadomatsu chose her as a singer who met his high bar; her vocal ability and radiant timbre are highly commendable, and she delivers Kadomatsu’s notoriously difficult songs with great skill.
It’s a track I’d strongly recommend to anyone confident in their singing to take on as a challenge.
KING BITCHqueen bee
A single by the Japanese alternative rock band Queen Bee, released on November 12, 2021.
From rapid-fire, rap-style verses to sections where soaring high notes come one after another—this is a song that will be quite difficult to sing at karaoke.
The most crucial point when performing it is whether you can firmly feel and keep the off-beat rhythm while singing.
Make sure you lock into the rhythm, and pay attention to smoothly switching your vocal placement for the high parts as you tackle the song!
One Last KissHikaru Utada
Released as a single by Hikaru Utada in March 2021.
This song was written for the film Evangelion: 3.
0+1.
0 Thrice Upon a Time.
As you’d expect from Utada, who is renowned for exceptional vocal ability, this track is quite challenging for the average person to sing at karaoke.
From the very beginning, it showcases impressive singing with a mixed voice, and in the A section of the second repeat, the same melody is performed in chest voice.
The contrasting vocal techniques used in the subsequent chorus demand a very high level of expressive control.
To make this song sound good at karaoke, it’s not enough to simply trace the melody accurately—you’ll need vocal expressiveness on par with the original.
If you’re confident in your vocal expression, definitely give it a try!
promiseKohmi Hirose
It was released in 1997 as Kohmi Hirose’s 11th single.
It became her second best-selling song and was used in an Alpen commercial.
The chorus is extremely high-pitched and the tempo is fast, making it very difficult to sing well.
It’s a song that makes you want to sing with a touch of heartbreak.
My sweet darlin’Hitomi Yaida
It was released in 2000 as Hitomi Yaida’s second single.
The song was used in a commercial for the NICON digital camera COOLPIX 880, became her first top-10 hit, and served as the track that brought Yaida to public attention.
It features a mix of English and Japanese lyrics, and its falsetto-based vocal style makes it a very challenging song to sing.
afterimageMotohiro Hata
This is Motohiro Hata’s fifth digital single, released in July 2022.
It was used as an insert song for TV Asahi’s Thursday drama “Roppongi Class.” While the song is a ballad that conveys a gently melancholic mood throughout, what becomes crucial when singing it at karaoke ultimately comes down to vocal expressiveness.
It’s important to avoid rough or careless delivery even in the high notes, and I feel it’s also essential to fully understand the lyrics’ content before singing.