Are you looking for a challenge for your next karaoke song? Well, here is a list of the 20 hardest karaoke songs. Try them if you dare!
Hardest Female Songs
- My Heart Will Go On
- I Will Always Love You
- Chandelier
- Wuthering Heights
- Bleeding Love
- Hello
- My All
- Listen
- Stay
- Because of You
Hardest Male Songs
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- I Believe in a Thing Called Love
- Take on Me
- Under Pressure
- Can you Feel the Love Tonight
- White Wedding
- Fix You
- Use Somebody
- If You’re Not the One
- Apologise
Looking for more songs? Check out this list of the 250 best karaoke songs for even more ideas.
1. My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
This huge ballad is best known as the theme song for Titanic and is really difficult to sing for a number of reasons. It’s a song that has a lot of emotion attached to it, you can’t help picturing the heartbreaking scenes whenever you hear it. So it’s hard for a singer to put the kind of emotion necessary to give this song justice, whilst it still appearing genuine.
And let’s not even get into the vocal challenge this song produces. There isn’t a section of this song that doesn’t require exceptional skill.
From the delicate controlled vocals in the first verse, the frequent vocal runs that Celine makes sound so effortless, and the powerful elongated notes in the chorus. There really aren’t many singers that are up to this challenge.
2. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
There are very few people who will even attempt a Freddie Mercury song, and even fewer who manage to come anywhere close to matching his vocal ability, Especially in Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s well-renowned as one of the hardest songs to sing that has ever been sung.
For one, few people can imitate Freddie’s stage-presence and emotion. But the real challenge of this song is it’s complexity. You’ll need an incredible range and control of your voice.
You’ll also need to have flawless falsetto and vibrato techniques, plus a naturally husky rock voice to be able to pull off the later parts of the song. Still want to give it a try? Then check out our post on how to sing like Freddie Mercury.
3. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
There’s no doubt about it, Whitney Houston was one of the best singers of all times. She had an exceptional range, and control of her voice making her performances seem effortless. I Will Always Love You, was one of, if not the most difficult songs she sung.
You’ll need to be incredibly skilled at vocal runs and riffs to be able to have a go at this one. And if you’re not an exceptional singer, then the acapella intro will definitely highlight it.
Plus, you’ll likely struggle to match Whitney’s falsetto technique in the chorus. It’s probably best if you leave Whitney’s songs well alone for karaoke.
4. I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness
This is a brilliant song for karaoke, but only if you’re a pro singer. If you’ve got a good husky rock voice, then the intro might not seem too bad. But get into the bridge, and you’ll start to see why this is one of the hardest karaoke songs.
The falsetto technique is enough to make most people shy away from singing this song. You’ll need a huge vocal range to be able to cope with this song, but even more, you’ll need to be able to move around it incredibly well.
It’s also a pretty quick song that’ll leave slower singers in the dust. There’s no denying though, that this is one of the best karaoke songs out there. So if you’ve got the skills and want to show off, this is definitely one of your best bets.
5. Chandelier by Sia
Sia is one of the best singers of this era, and Chandelier is one of her most difficult songs. Again, you’ll need an incredible range to be able to go from the low verses to the super high chorus. The most challenging part of this song, of course, is the transition between the verse and chorus.
The first “I’m”, when the chorus kicked in requires you to go from low to high super quickly. And really hard to hit the highest notes of the chorus using exception falsetto technique, so your voice doesn’t sound strained or like it’s cracking. Sia also has quite an accent when she sings which can be hard to imitate as well.
6. Take on Me by A-Ha
Again, this is a great song to sing at karaoke. It’s catchy, well-known and get’s all the audience up and dancing. But unfortunately, it’s almost always sung badly.
You’ll need to have great range to be able to produce powerful notes in both the verses and chorus. And that high note at the end of the chorus is pretty much impossible to reach.
You’ll also need incredibly vocal endurance to be able to hold the note for as long as you need to, particularly at the end of the song. It’s a super fun hit that’s sure to go down well at parties and bars, but only attempt this one if you’re a very confident singer.
7. Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
This is another great song for karaoke, but it’s also one of the hardest songs ever sung. The entire song requires you to sing at super high pitch. And almost all of it requires you to use the falsetto technique, which is a really hard skill to master. You’ll also need to do some pretty trick vocal runs and riffs to mirror the original. Plus, you also get absolutely no help from the backing.
There’s no denying that this is a brilliant song though, and will get a great reaction if you actually manage to sing it in the original key. Bonus points if you do the dance routine too!
8. Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie
Under Pressure isn’t usually one of the songs that springs to mind when people think of the hardest karaoke songs. But have you ever tried to sing it?
If you’ve had a go, then you’ll know that trying to imitate these two legendary singers is pretty much impossible. Unless you are performing it in a duet, then you’ll need to be able to switch styles of singing very quickly.
You’ll also need to be able to have a vast range to be able to tackle the lower first verses and the super high pitched notes near the end. It’s probably best if you just stick to Ice Ice Baby.
9. Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis is one of the best singers to come out of the X Factor, and she really impressed the world with this classic from her debut album. Leona Lewis is best known for her vocal range which spans 4 octaves. And with this song, you’ll hear her move through it effortlessly. She also shows off her ability to flawlessly execute vocal riffs and runs that are matched only by singing legends like Whitney Houston.
When singing the lower notes in this song, it’s also really hard not to sound flat. It’s hard as well with some of the higher notes too. Leona is able to sing the lyrics “keep bleeding, I keep, keep, bleeding in love using the falsetto technique to be able to maintain the high pitch. Again, a very difficult skill to master properly.
10. Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John
Everyone knows this song from the Lion King, but did you know that it’s actually one of the songs to sing? Elton John has a pretty low voice and powerful, which can be very hard to imitate.
The range isn’t the most challenging on this list, but most singers cannot sing low notes with as much power as Elton, which is what makes this a very hard song to sing. The tempo is also very slow, which highlight a poor vocal performance a lot more easily than a faster song.
11. Hello by Adele
Everyone recognises that Adele is one of the best singers of this era. There are so many songs we could’ve chosen to put on this list, but we’ve settled on Hello. The verse starts off very low, which for most female singers, it too low. It can actually be harder for a lot of people to sing low notes with power, than higher notes.
Adele is also best known for her ability to belt. Her voice is very powerful, and this is highlighted particularly when she sings the lyric “hello from the other side”. She also has an impressive range, and is able to reach higher notes using the tricky falsetto technique when she sings “to tell you”, a line later.
12. White Wedding by Billy Idol
This is another song on the list that you probably didn’t expect to see, but any song by Billy Idol deserved a place on this list. He’s a pretty underrated singer, even though everyone has heard of him, most people don’t properly appreciate the difficulty of his songs.
White Wedding is a particularly difficult song to sing because it requires you to sing low notes with a lot of power. You’ll also need a raspy, rock style voice to be able to do the song justice.
Billy also added a lot of character to the song when his sings “yeah” at the end of “it’s a nice day to start again” in the later choruses. He was able to produce sounds that are very difficult to replicate by singers that don’t get properly into the song and let their hair down.
13. My All by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey’s voice is definitely iconic and very hard to imitate, and she has plenty of super difficult songs, but My All is the hardest. It’s difficult from start to finish so you there’s no time to relax. It’s full of difficult key changes and very high notes that highlight amateur singers immediately.
Plus it’s got a slow tempo, which again makes it more difficult to sing and puts the singer under a magnifying glass. There’s no room to slip up with this song, so it’s probably best to steer clear.
14. Fix You by Coldplay
Chris Martin has a brilliant and unique voice, and pretty much all of his songs are impossible to imitate properly, but Fix You is definitely the most difficult. You’ll need a huge range to be able to pull off this song properly, from the very low verses to the super high chorus.
You’ll also need to be very good at using falsetto in the chorus to be able to sound like Chris Martin. It’s also a very slow song, which will again, make a weak singer stick out like a sore thumb.
15. Listen by Beyonce
This list wouldn’t be complete without a Beyonce song, and Listen is definitely her most challenging. There’s basically no one that can cover this song properly. Even when other professional singers have had a go, they just can’t match the power in her voice to give this song the kind of impact it deserves.
There are many complex techniques going on, like falsetto and vocal runs and riffs, that only Beyonce can pull off properly with this song. And the way that Beyonce belts is almost impossible to imitate with such power and control. It’s best to steer clear of pretty much every Beyonce song, unless you’re a karaoke pro.
16. Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
Caleb Followill is a very underrated singer, and this song is probably not one that you expected to see on here. But think about the song carefully. Every single word is such with a lot of power and emotion. And this is something that is both vocally challenging but is also very difficult to imitate with your performance style, whilst still coming across genuine and not cheesy.
Caleb’s natural rock voice has just the right amount of huskiness to give it a lot of character, but still has the clarity that only comes from a very skilled singer. The notes in this song are very elongated, so you’ll also need a lot of vocal endurance to be able to execute them properly and not cut them too short.
17. Stay by Shakespears Sister
This is another pretty underrated song, that’s definitely one of the hardest that you could ever try to attempt. The range in this song is incredible. The verses are very low, and too low for a lot of female singers to be able to perform with a lot of power.
But on the other end, you’ll also get incredibly high notes in the chorus, that unless you have impeccable falsetto technique, will make your voice crack almost instantly.
The switch in characters after the second chorus is also very difficult to imitate properly and requires a lot of versatility in your voice. It’s also incredibly difficult to match the emotion of the original song properly.
18. If You're Not the One by Daniel Bedingfield
If you’ve ever had a go at this song then you’ll know exactly why it deserves a place on the list. Daniel Bedingfield might not immediately spring to mind when you think of the best male singers of all time. But this song really highlights his vocal ability. This classic noughties song really does separate the men from the boys.
The verses may not sound too hard, but it’s actually really difficult to be able to sing them without sounding flat, especially if you’re an amateur. But it’s the high notes in the chorus that are almost impossible to match.
If you want a challenge, then try singing the line “is there a way that I could stay in your arms”, and try to hit the final note.
19. Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson is another singer that doesn’t get as much credit as she probably deserves. Yeah, she’s got some popular songs, but her vocal ability is never given that much recognition. But if you have a go at this song, then you’ll understand why she’s actually a brilliant singer.
There’s a lot of power in her voice, and you’ll need it too if you want to be able to hold the notes in this song for as long as she does. She’s also good at the delicate high notes towards the end of the chorus on the final “because of you”. There’s a lot going on in this song, so don’t underestimate it and make sure you leave it to the pros.
20. Apologise by OneRepublic
Ryan Tedder, the lead singer of OneRepublic is another very underrated singer. There are a few things that make this song very hard to sing. One, you’ll need great vocal range to be able to handle both the verse and the chorus. The verse might not be too difficult for some male singers who have a low vocal type.
But the chorus will definitely present a challenge. The elongated high notes sang using falsetto are very very hard to imitate. And when most people try it, it usually ends up sounding like someone just stood on a cat’s tail.
It’s also a slow song, which as we’ve said before, highlights a poor singer a lot faster than a song with a higher tempo that masks bad notes.
So that’s it! Those are the 20 hardest songs to sing at karaoke. Thanks for reading. Here are some other posts that you might find interesting: