Great Songs for Karaoke Duets with Friends
Find new love duets to make your next karaoke night stand out. While old hits are good, these new picks offer cool ways to sing together and have fun. https://getwakefield.com/
Indie and Other Cool Songs
The xx’s “Islands” gives a simple, light feel that’s great for two singers. With not much music in the back, you can hear the voices mix well. Another fun one is Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” with its soft tunes that mix in a neat way.
Less Known Broadway Songs
“Say It Somehow” from Light in the Piazza is a good pick for a drama duet that mixes a nice challenge with strong feelings. It has deep tones and big moments but is good for anyone who knows their stuff.
Not Usual Pop Songs
Peter Cetera and Amy Grant’s “Next Time I Fall” is a hidden gem with matched voice parts and a real feel. This lost pop song gives both singers a chance to shine with a neat story.
Key Sound Tips
Work on a good sound setup and find the main harmony parts in each song. Aim to practice parts where your voices meet, like in the chorus or bridge. These sound tips turn okay singing into great music.
Tips to Nail Your Performance
- Pick songs with parts that go well together
- Know when to join in for harmonies
- Work on how you change between parts
- Keep looking at each other to connect better
- Choose songs that suit both your voice ranges
These unique songs bring something new to your classic hits, making karaoke with mates really fun.
What Makes a Duet Perfect
How to Pick and Sing the Best Duets
The Key to Singing Together
A great love duet needs voice parts that work well and good connection between the singers.
The best duets have even singing from both sides. They keep their own sounds but also sound good together.
Matching voice ranges is key, often mixing different types of voices to create a rich sound.
Must-Haves in a Duet
The best duets have even back-and-forth parts and smart harmonies that build a neat story.
Plan the song well to give both singers a moment to lead.
- Dynamic singing together
- Mixing voices well
- Even sharing of lines
- Deep feel in the music
Mastering the Song and Show
Timing your parts and keeping the flow set the base for top duets. Key parts include:
- Knowing when to begin
- Smooth changes
- Voice parts that meet
- Growing the feel together
Top song setups give each singer their own moment that meets in big group parts.
Songs should help natural voice mix, using echoing words or tied tunes to boost the feel through the song.
Indie Rock Love Songs
How Indie Rock Changed Love Songs
Indie Rock’s New Love Songs
Indie rock has made love songs deeper, mixing real feelings with cool sounds and deep words.
The xx and Bon Iver lead in making airy love songs that go past the old love stories, setting new high points for song depth.
Top Indie Love Songs and Moves
“Islands” by The xx and “Blood Bank” by Bon Iver show how indie music tells love stories fresh.
The nice mix of male-female voices open true talks, while tracks like Beach House’s “Space Song” and Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” show how cool sound work lifts up love songs.
Indie Rock Duets to Try
The Postal Service and Stars make indie love songs easy to jump into, especially on stage.
These artists create songs with clear voice lines and steady beats while keeping the deep indie feel.
Their songs are great for showing raw sides in indie rock duets without needing hard vocal skills.
What Stands Out in Indie Love Songs:
- Deep music work
- New song styles
- Giving words that make you think
- Male-female voice talks
- Unusual love stories
- True feels
- Cool sound parts
Broadway’s Hidden Love
Deep Into Broadway’s Hidden Love Songs
Close Duets Off the Main Show
Broadway shows share their deepest love parts not only in big songs but in close duets off the main stage.
These hidden gems give true deep feels that often beat their more popular mates.
Simple but deep plays like “Married” from Cabaret show how love’s big truths can be seen in songs with neat words and close tunes. Your Karaoke Performances
Finding Less Known Love Songs
“Ten Minutes Ago” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella is great for catching that spark without too much show.
The song’s neat form and right words show the first feels of love just right.
Also, “Say It Somehow” from Light in the Piazza” shows how love gets past hard talks, giving singers a rich duet that looks real over the showy side.
True Love in Classic Shows
In Broadway, real heart often shows best in soft songs.
“I’ve Never Been in Love Before” from Guys and Dolls and “All the Wasted Time” from Parade show how soft duets digs deep into true feels while keeping far from old show tricks.
These well-made songs give singers a chance to dive into smart looks at love, making them great picks for true skill and feel in song shows.
Not Known Pop Songs
Bringing Back Lost Pop Duets
Old Love in Pop Songs
Old love duets from way back are still cool music art, often missed by those today.
Peter Cetera and Amy Grant’s “Next Time I Fall” (1986) is top in voice mix, while Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton’s “We’ve Got Tonight” hits hard in feels that go past usual radio songs.
Top Voice Mixes
James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt on “If You Asked Me To” share top voice work, making a deep song talk about love.
Bryan Adams and Barbra Streisand’s “I Finally Found Someone” puts rock and pop voices together, showing how 90s pop duets can do more.
R&B Top Duets
All-4-One and Coko’s “I Can Love You Like That” is the best of R&B duet skill, with deep harmonies and true feels.
This work shows how smart voice work can make love songs last as big music wins for all to hear now.
Pop Duets to Remember
- “Next Time I Fall” – Peter Cetera & Amy Grant (1986)
- “We’ve Got Tonight” – Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
- “If You Asked Me To” – James Ingram & Linda Ronstadt
- “I Finally Found Someone” – Bryan Adams & Barbra Streisand
- “I Can Love You Like That” – All-4-One & Coko
Today’s New Duets
Now’s Cool Duets for Today’s Singers
Songs Close Up in Indie
The XX changes the duet game with their song “Stars,” where the deep voice mix of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim makes a perfect stage duet.
The light setup lets singers show their voice mix while keeping the song’s deep feel.
Folk-Pop New Songs
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ “Home” is a great new duet with a natural talk feel and back-and-forth style.
The song moves in an easy way with a tune to remember, easy for all singers while keeping a deep feel. Karaoke Makeovers: Revamping
Rock Pairs Today
Arcade Fire’s mix of “Sprawl II” and “We Used to Wait” gives a hard duet challenge, with fast music changes and deep voice work.
This odd mix asks singers to get the timing and harmony just right.
Voice Work Today
The National’s team-up with Lisa Hannigan on “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” shows new ways to match voices in duets.
Also, Beach House’s “Space Song” works well as a dream-pop duet, letting singers try airy harmonies over a synth sound.
Old Duets Worth a Try
Classic Duets to Try: Great Old Voice Matches
Top 1960s-1980s Karaoke Songs
The best years for song duets cover three big decades, giving us a cool list of old voice pairings great for today’s singing.
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee is a lesson in even voice work, with parts that match and fun energy.
Motown’s Top Pairings
Motown duets show the top of soul harmony teams, with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell at the front.
These classic R&B duets have perfect voice work that still pulls in folks after many years.
Country-Pop Great Songs
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s team-ups set the mark for country duets, with “Islands in the Stream” as their top song.
This big hit shows the power of clear voice parts and big chorus bits that stay with us over time.
Love Ballads of the 1980s
The 1980s gave us great love duet songs, like “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross.
These love hits have simple voice parts but deep feels and smart music work.
Why Pick These Duets
Classic duet picks often do better than new ones by having:
- Set voice parts
- Clear singer roles
- Easy music forms
- Old melody ways
- Real voice talks
Set Up Your Show
All You Need for a Great Duet Show
Get Ready to Sing
Working voices together is key for a top duet show. Start by really looking at the song form and picking parts for each singer.
Each must know their parts well and find key harmony spots in the song.
Plan Your Practice
Set up practice times to work on exact timing and smooth part changes.
Video checks help see where to get better and lets you work on those parts.
Learn the right way to use the mic by keeping the right space and sound level as you sing.
Make the Place Ready
Come early to set the sound gear and check the monitors. Creating the Perfect Karaoke
Stand right to keep looking at each other and pull in the crowd.
Do a full gear check, looking at:
- How the mics work
- Sound levels
- Monitor mixes
- Music back tracks
- How clear each voice is
Working close with the place sound folks makes sure the sound is just right and the monitors are set to help you give a strong show.