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!
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A curated selection of tough songs that will earn you respect if you can nail them at karaoke! (51–60)
Ephemeral yet eternal sorrowUVERworld
The first opening theme of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Season 2, which depicts the boundary between love and hatred.
UVERworld’s songs are generally tough to master, and this one is no exception, but if you can pull it off at karaoke, it’s a track that lets you become a true performer who can wield explosive emotion! The overall vocal range is fairly wide, from D#3 to C#5.
Since F4 is the most frequently used pitch on average, it’ll feel consistently high for male singers, but if you sing with solid resonance through your body, it becomes a bit easier.
Focus on resonating more in your chest than your head—this approach should suit the song well.
Breath support and explosive power are crucial, so sing with the image of projecting your voice firmly!
BOW AND ARROWYonezu Kenshi
Kenshi Yonezu’s song “BOW AND ARROW,” whose music video featuring Yuzuru Hanyu drew huge attention, also serves as the opening theme for the TV anime Medalist.
The drum’n’bass-inspired track, which creates a sleek, skating-like sense of speed, feels very contemporary, and Yonezu’s superb songwriting really stands out.
The melody line makes full use of Yonezu’s high vocals, spans a wide range, and features large interval jumps, making it fairly challenging.
On top of that, listeners unfamiliar with this kind of track may find the rhythm tricky to grasp.
Start by listening to the song repeatedly, and once you understand how the rhythm, melody, and lyrics are structured, give practicing a try.
50%Ofisharu Higedan Dism
Official HIGE DANDism is a band known for weaving elements of Black music—such as R&B and soul—as well as pop rock into J-pop.
They’re always dropping hit tunes, so many of you may already have some of their songs in your repertoire, but their new track “50%” is especially recommended.
This piece is characterized by a highly irregular rhythm, and the mood shifts dramatically in the middle.
In addition, true to Official HIGE DANDism’s style, it features many high notes and sudden pitch jumps, making it quite challenging.
DISCOTHEQUEMizuki Nana
This is the song used as the opening theme for the TV anime Rosario + Vampire CAPU2.
It features a Showa-era kayōkyoku-style arrangement with a dashing, playful disco sound, sung in Nana Mizuki’s adorable voice that only a voice actress can deliver.
The A and B sections sit in a relatively calm range, but the key challenge is how well you can sustain the high notes from the chorus onward.
It may be especially difficult if you try to imitate Nana Mizuki’s voice.
In that case, adopting a “going-out” voice becomes very important—if you consciously raise your energy and lift your pitch slightly, it might make singing easier! The higher the range, the more it helps to project your voice farther forward—that’s the trick!
Handpicked tough songs that will earn you respect if you can nail them at karaoke! (61–70)
NINE LIVESchōtokkyū
They’re releasing a TikTok-linked project called “Episode of NINE LIVES,” a series of short dramas starring each of the nine members.
The limited first-press Blu-ray reportedly includes a director’s cut and behind-the-scenes footage.
It’s a groovy dance tune themed around a nine-member group × “cats have nine lives”! If you can pull it off at karaoke, it’s a guaranteed attention-grabber! You can sing it solo, or split the parts and sing it as a duo—how you approach it makes it even more fun! Within a single track you’ll find ultra-high notes and rap sections; keeping pitch, managing breath control, and handling the relatively fast tempo will test your sense of rhythm.
If you firmly memorize the melody line and focus less on “pushing your voice out” and more on “resonance,” you’ll find it feels great to sing!
hundreds of millions of light-yearsOmoinotake
It’s the theme song for TBS’s Tuesday drama “Eye Love You,” and it really felt like a huge hit in 2024! There aren’t many songs that keep the high notes going like this one.
I had lots of students who tried “Ikuoku Kounen,” and even those good at high notes really struggled to sing the whole thing.
Compared to other Omoinotake songs, the higher range is indeed broader, with an overall range of D3 to F#5.
There’s a lot to focus on—core engagement, support, breath usage, quick responsiveness, resonance placement, and more—but if you push with chest voice from the start, you’ll definitely wreck your throat.
It might be better to first practice singing it in head voice.
In fact, head voice uses more air, so once you do it correctly, it can be quite tiring.
I also recommend humming so that you feel vibrations in your brow and head the whole time!
globeYonezu Kenshi
It’s the 14th single by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu, released in July 2023.
It was reportedly written as the theme song for the film “The Boy and the Heron,” a feature-length work directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
The song is a beautifully crafted slow-to-mid-tempo piece, with an arrangement centered on acoustic piano that pairs exquisitely with Yonezu’s vocals.
The vocal melody spans a notably wide range, and Yonezu masterfully expresses this challenging line—shifting seamlessly from a deeply resonant low register to powerful high notes in chest voice, and gentle high tones in falsetto—tailoring his delivery to each scene and phrase of the song.
It’s a track that demands a fairly high level of skill to sing at karaoke, but if you’re confident in your singing, definitely give it a try!
