Pick out the challenging songs that will earn you respect if you can nail them at karaoke!
Have you ever thought, “I’d look so cool if I could get through this song at karaoke,” only to crash and burn halfway through?Songs that are hard to sing hide plenty of tough spots—wide vocal ranges, complex rhythms, and blisteringly fast phrases that barely leave room to breathe.But that’s exactly why the sense of accomplishment when you nail them is second to none.In this article, we introduce a wide variety of challenging songs that are worth taking on at karaoke.If you want to test your limits or are looking for a spark to help you level up your singing, let this guide you to your next song choice!
- [Taking on a song with a wide vocal range] An S-class challenge track
- Must-see for men: Songs that look cool if you can sing them at karaoke—numbers that women can’t help but be captivated by.
- [High-pitched warning!] Songs with high notes that are hard to sing
- [For Men] Tough Karaoke Songs: A collection of tracks that look cool if you can sing them!
- Cool If You Can Sing! Popular Karaoke Songs Recommended for Women
- Recommended for great singers! A collection of impressive songs if you can sing them
- [For Women] Sing challenging songs at karaoke and steal the spotlight!
- [For Men] Masterpiece Enka Songs with High Difficulty
- [Challenge] A compilation of Vocaloid songs that are difficult to sing
- [For Women] Masterpiece Enka Songs with a High Degree of Difficulty
- [Karaoke] Songs That Make It Easy to Score High | From Classics to the Newest Hits
- Even karaoke beginners can relax! Easy-to-sing songs for men
- Feel-Good Songs: Belt Them Out at Karaoke! A Roundup of Popular Numbers
Picking difficult songs that will earn you respect if you can pull them off at karaoke! (21–30)
chantAdo
It’s the official theme song of Universal Studios Japan’s Halloween event—the one that became famous for the zombie dance! It’s an extremely challenging song packed with high-pitched shouts, low, spoken parts, and rap-like sections.
I learned it together with my students during lessons, too! Of course, once you can sing it well, it’s incredibly fun and satisfying! Some of the lyrics use difficult words, so I recommend listening to the original and memorizing them carefully one by one.
The tempo is very fast and you have to keep singing one line after another, but if you push too hard, you can wreck your throat, and if you hold back too much, it loses impact.
If you use your breath well and project your falsetto strongly, you can sing with a cool, powerful tone! Also, since it’s a dance track, once you feel more comfortable, try moving your body or swaying as you sing—you’ll lock into the rhythm, your voice will come out more easily, and it’ll be easier to add accents!
Into The LightMISIA
People who excel at soaring high notes often choose to sing MISIA’s songs! Among them, I picked “INTO THE LIGHT” this time.
It was released the same year as her debut single “Tsutsumi Komu Yō ni…” and is extremely popular among fans.
The powerful vocals and those strikingly high tones that make you think “How high can she go?” are signature features.
The overall range spans from F#3 to F#5, reaching notes you don’t often use—truly impressive.
Because it’s so high throughout, you really need to focus on breath volume, explosiveness, and core engagement; delivering it like a piercing, chest-voice-like sound is quite challenging.
But the exhilaration after finishing is incredible, so sing it boldly and wow everyone around you!
A selection of difficult songs that will earn you respect if you can nail them at karaoke! (31–40)
BetelgeuseYuuri
Yuri’s “Betelgeuse” is a song that many of my students—regardless of gender—have practiced.
The more I taught it, the more I thought, “This song is tough,” so it’s perfect for those confident in their vocal skills! The overall range is D3–D5, so it’s on the higher side.
As expected, the challenging parts are the chorus and the C section.
Once you start singing, there’s no break, it’s hard to find places to breathe, and many people struggle with switching to falsetto like Yuri does.
Most of Yuri’s songs offer almost no rest once you begin, so managing the balance—like what percentage of your full volume you sing with—is crucial.
For breath placement, if you sustain every note to its full length you’ll definitely lose track of where to breathe, so try cutting off the phrase endings to create brief spaces.
Don’t forget to take your breath in those spots! If you want to switch into falsetto, relax and let the sound float upward lightly—doing so will naturally transition you into falsetto, so give it a try!
ApollodorusMrs. GREEN APPLE
Mrs.
GREEN APPLE is a band that enjoys overwhelming support from young people.
The vocalist, Motoki Ohmori, is known for his high-register voice, and he showcases challenging vocals that make full use of those highs in their songs.
Among Mrs.
GREEN APPLE’s tracks, the one I especially recommend is their new song, “Apollodorus.” Even compared to their other songs, it features many high notes—not just straightforward high pitches, but also rapid rises and falls in melody.
If you’re confident in your falsetto, be sure to check it out.
BibbidebaHoshimachi Suisei
Suisei Hoshimachi’s “Bibideba” became a hot topic on YouTube in 2024 as an “insanely difficult rap” and a “top-tier challenge” song—have you heard of it? Some of my students actually tried it, and when I taught it, I felt that on a first pass it’s quite hard and the melody is tough to anticipate.
Beyond rhythm and pitch, it includes rapid-fire sections and rap parts—there are lots of elements packed in.
If you can master it, it’s a super fun and satisfying song to sing! In the chorus, many phrase endings switch to head voice, so lift your facial muscles and keep centering your pitch between the eyebrows, imagining the sound traveling from the brow up through the head as you transition to head voice.
Raising your hand toward your head while singing can make the visualization easier and help the voice come out more freely.
For the word-heavy sections, don’t try to articulate every syllable crisply; instead, let the words flow so they ride the melody as you sing.
will-illTK from RIN TO SHITE SIGURE
An emotional rock ballad where despair and beauty intertwine.
It’s the ending theme for the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion 15th anniversary rebroadcast project.
If you can pull it off at karaoke, it’s a song that lets your expressive power shine as if you’ve lived in the world of Code Geass! I’ve written a lot about TK’s appeal in my karaoke articles, but I even find his death growls beautiful.
In particular, “will-ill” is tough to learn to begin with, and I’m really struggling with it myself.
There are multiple sections with death growls, and compared to other songs, the tone of the growls is different, making it quite difficult to sing well.
In any case, focus on your vocal cords and try not to use your throat as much when you sing!
Angel SeekAdo
This is the theme song for the Monday 9 p.m.
drama “Yandoku!” starring Kanna Hashimoto, released for streaming on January 26, 2026.
Written, composed, and arranged by Vocaloid producer Nirukajitsu, who also teamed up on “Motherland,” it’s a hopeful track that blends a straight-up rock sound with tricky lyrics and Ado’s direct vocals to depict a story of regaining one’s shine while still imperfect.
The chorus is distinctive, and if you sing it too evenly it can feel flat, so adding contrast is key.
Emphasize the downbeat on the first count, then let the following phrases ride the flow to create that dynamic feel.
Keep your eyebrows raised so the resonance in the low range doesn’t drop.