Breakup songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke. Heart-healing songs about parting ways.

forget-me-notAwesome City Club

Awesome City Club / Wasurena (MUSIC VIDEO)

This is a signature ballad by Awesome City Club, created under the inspiration of the world of the film We Made a Beautiful Bouquet.

It portrays unforgettable memories of love in a way that’s both beautiful and heartrending, while conveying a strong will to move forward into the future.

The twin-vocal arrangement, sung from both a woman’s and a man’s perspective, adds depth to the story and really strikes a chord.

Included on the album Grower, released in February 2021, this song captured many hearts alongside the film’s success.

When you’re grieving a breakup or spending a night haunted by someone you can’t forget, why not try singing it at karaoke? Letting your overflowing emotions ride the melody might help lighten your heart, little by little.

NAOHY

HY – NAO (Official Music Video)

This work, which vividly portrays the pain of unrequited and unattainable love, is a ballad that brings listeners to tears.

The lyrics are based on the real-life experience of vocalist Izumi Nakasone’s close friend, and the aching feeling of not being noticed by the one you love comes through painfully clearly.

Included on the album “Confidence,” released in April 2006, it’s a timeless classic that has long been cherished by many fans.

It is also featured on the best-of album “STORY ~HY BEST~,” and has become established as a signature heartbreak song by HY.

Set to a piano accompaniment that lets you sing your heart out, it’s perfect for those times when you want a good cry to feel refreshed.

If there’s someone you just can’t forget, why not sing this song at karaoke and let all your feelings out?

nape (of the neck)aiko

aiko - “Eriashi” music video

Opening with the sound of a beautiful piano, this is a supreme ballad from aiko.

The lyrics delicately trace lingering feelings for a past lover and memories that don’t fade even as the seasons turn, gently comforting hearts fresh from heartbreak.

While accepting the breakup, the earnest wish to meet again in a few years with a smile is a message that’s sure to tug at anyone’s heart.

Released in November 2003, this song was a lead single from the acclaimed album “Akatsuki no Love Letter” and was also performed at the 54th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

It’s a piece that suits the quiet winter air—on nights when you want to cleanse your sadness, try singing it out and letting your overflowing emotions flow with it.

Because I fell in loveaimyon

Aimyon “Because I Fell in Love” Studio Recording Scene

A work filled with a gentle warmth that simply stays by your side on nights steeped in the sorrow of heartbreak.

The delicate tones of the acoustic guitar and the unadorned vocals naturally bring tears to your eyes.

It’s a ballad included on Aimyon’s second album, “Shunkanteki Sixth Sense,” released in February 2019, and its raw, one-take recording breath—so immediate and intimate—strikes straight to the heart.

There’s a warmth that seems to transform even the emptiness after a breakup into a sense of meaning in having met at all.

Rather than forcing yourself to perk up, when you want to embrace your sadness and sing it at karaoke, this will surely become a cherished song that gently wraps your heart.

First LoveUtada Hikaru

Hikaru Utada – First Love

First love takes many forms depending on the person, but I imagine more people experienced a love that didn’t come true.

However it ended, the way a romance concludes is unique to each individual.

This is a ballad that makes you want to listen while reminiscing about your first love.

rendezvousshaitoopu

rendezvous

Dreaming of an impossible reunion with a lost lover, they break into a run through the rain.

It’s a song by Shytoop that evokes a bittersweet yet romantic scene.

Listening to it, the protagonist’s pain comes through so vividly that it’s hard to imagine anyone not having their own restless memories of love stirred up.

The lyrics, which capture everyday feelings of loss through distinctive metaphors, pair perfectly with vocalist So Sasaki’s sweet, languid voice.

Released in April 2023, the track resonated widely on social media and has surpassed 300 million total streams.

It was later included on the album “Hors d’oeuvre.” If you sing it with feeling at karaoke while nursing the pain of a broken heart, your friends will likely be drawn into its poignant world before they know it.

catDISH//

DISH// – Cat [Official Live Video 2019]

A poignant, ephemeral farewell captured in DISH//’s gem of a medium-tempo ballad.

It overlays the unexpected loss of a lover with the image of a “cat,” expressing lingering attachment to a love that’s gone and a wish to meet again.

The yearning for a lover who vanished as suddenly as a whimsical, free-spirited cat, and the heartfelt desire to reunite in any form, strikes a chord.

In March 2020, vocalist Takumi Kitamura’s one-take acoustic performance sparked major buzz, and the song was later chosen as a TV drama theme the same year.

Crafted by singer-songwriter Aimyon, the melodic track gently supports those facing the pain of parting while trying to look ahead, delivering a warm light to the heart.