Top 10 Songs For Singing Competition

Trust me, when I tell you that choosing the right song to sing in a competition is very important. You need to show your vocal range, unique styles and your versatility to connect with the judges. Here are the some of the top choices of solo songs competition. With the mix of both English, Tamil and Hindi songs.

The Bohemian Rhapsody By Queens

This is one of the most iconic songs ever written in the Rock genre. There are about 4 sections, each in different music styles and this makes it one of the best song for singing competition in english.

The introduction has rich vocal harmonies with a soft piano accompaniment. It then transitions into a slow ballad with Freddy Mercury’s emotive vocals. The third section is written in an Operatic style with lush harmonies and expressive Dynamics. Now we’re back to Rock ballads with a reflective tone using a coda.

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Shallow By Lady Gaga And Bradley Cooper

Needless to say, it is one of the hardest songs to perform and do justice to its emotional depth! Set in the pop/country genre, ‘Shallow’ has a gentle yet poignant feel throughout the song. It has a memorable chorus line with built up intensity and powerful vocals compared to the verses.

Did You Know?

Shallow created history for receiving the most number of Awards!

The bridge serves as a climax and features Bradley Cooper’s vocals. One must be careful with the raw delivery of the feel of vulnerability that the song is about. Being one of the best songs to sing for a competition, a successful delivery lies on the ability to reciprocate the raw emotional expressions and exceptional dynamical changes.

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All Of Me By John Legend

Let me begin with ‘All of Me’ is a beautifully crafted love ballad with deep and touching lyrics! The key element that makes you sing this song perfectly is your ability to connect with the audience(saying it from my experience). Since the accompaniment is soft and gentle the vocals have the spotlight. The more expressive your vocals are the more it helps you build an emotional narrative. 

Combination of soft vocals with subtle articulation makes your performance 10x better. With that being said, ‘All Of Me’ is one of the finest songs for singing competition in english.

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I Will Always Love You By Whitney Houston

Originally written by Dolly Parton is a timeless classic most famous for its powerful vocal delivery. The subtle piano accompaniment allows the vocals to shine in the limelight. The minimal accompaniment makes this one of the best songs to sing for a competition. The standout component of this entire piece is the rise in dynamics in the chorus. ‘I Will Always Love You’ is apt for soprano voices. The interplay among the soft, intimate verses and the powerful vocal delivery along with climactic choruses is quite difficult to perform.

But hey! Proper understanding of Articulation and Vocal Dynamics will help you give an impactful performance.

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Halo By Beyonce

Have a pretty wide vocal range? Well, this one’s for you! . Breath control is a must as it has long phrases and accented notes. Proper breathing technique, Diaphragmatic Breathing allows you to have the long phrases and the dynamical shifts under control. What better songs for singing competition can there be, more than ‘Halo’! There are soft passages as well as commanding ones like the choruses. The entirety of the song has tons of crescendos and diminuendos. One must look into that for an expressive performance. Halo is the perfect song for singing competition in english.

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Hot Tip!

Practice controlled vibrato, do not over use it! Wanna know how to use vibrato properly? Check this ‘Vibrato In Singing’ article out!

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Below are some of the best songs to sing for a competition in tamil for you! Let me remind you that the songs you choose needn’t have a complex melody or riffs! It just needs to bring out the best in you!

Oru Dheivam Thantha Poove From Kannathil Muthamittal

One of the most memorable songs composed by A.R.Rahman is also one of the good songs for singing competition. One must be able to highlight the emotive and tender tonality of Singers Chinmayi and Jeyachandran who performed in the female and male versions respectively. It is set in a moderate tempo which allows a reflective and immersing listening experience. This would help you connect with the judges emotionally. Flowing dynamics and longer phrases would require strong breath control.

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Kaatrin Mozhi From Mozhi

Such a beautiful creation by Vidyasagar and yet another one of best songs to sing for a competition. It is praised for its soothing melody and its somber yet reflective tone. The moderate tempo allows a singer to narrate the lyrical expression of love and longing. The riffs and runs also help to connect with the listeners emotionally. It is pivotal to articulate the words clearly to get a perfect resonance. Moreover, pay attention to minute details in the notes sung.

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Adiye From Kadal

Yet another one of excellent songs for singing competition. It’s an end result of blending traditional and contemporary elements of music. Interestingly, the interplay between the melody and rhythm creates a sense of fluidity carrying across an ethereal tone. There is a lot of room for improvisation and any singer can show the judges what you are made of.

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Kangal Etho From Chiththa

This is a recent favorite for so many of us and is also one of the best songs to sing for a competition. The rich arrangements of harmonies and instrumentals creates a sense of both intimacy and grandeur. The subtle runs on a few notes allows an immersive musical experience. The lyrics and the vocals take the center stage to enable deeper connection with the listener. It is important to remember to keep the vocal delivery tender and expressive to capture the authenticity of the emotional narrative.

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Isaiyil Thodanguthamma From Hey Ram

One of the masterpieces of the Maestro Ilayaraja is one of the excellent choices of songs for singing competition. With classical instruments like violin, veena, flute accompanying, this song has a rich and melodic texture. The lush orchestrations also compliments the vocal performance. Isaiyil Thodanguthamma has a subtle rhythm allowing the vocals to shine bright. It has the flavors of ragas hamsadhwani and sudh sarang.

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More Songs For Singing Competition

Shape Of You By Ed Sheeran

Singing ‘Shape Of You’ needs a little bit of Voice Control, Rhythmic accuracy and engaging delivery. I agree, the melody is straightforward and is easy to follow, its distinctive rhythmic patterns can be tricky for a few. Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’ topped charts and was a global hit. 

Focus on warming up your voice before taking up a song like this. Evidently, syncopated grooves can be challenging to follow. Try clapping or tapping the beats to stay on track. Sheers’ smooth vocals is one of the best features of this song. So make sure to keep your tone light and breezy. The Song Structure is pretty much the same as any pop songs with two verses refrain and a bridge. It’s safe to say,  ‘Shape Of You’ has an infectious groove and that makes this one of the best english songs to sing for competition.

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Another You By The Seekers

Oh, this is such a beautiful pop ballad released in 1964 by The Seekers. Set in a moderate tempo, this melancholy has smooth flowing rhythms. This makes listeners connect well with the emotive lyrics. Durham, the lead vocalist of the band has a light, kind of folk-like tone which sounds distinctive and crystal clear.  This is one of the best english songs for singing competition for female. The challenge lies at the vocal delivery with a sense of yearning and reflection.  The song is set in a major key despite the sadness of the lyrics. I would 100% recommend ‘Another You’ as one of the best english songs to sing for competition.

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Below are some of the best songs to sing for a competition in Hindi for you. It’s very beautifully composed, yet it sounds nice to listen to when performed.

Lag Ja Gale From Woh Kaun Thi

Hands down! One of the most iconic songs sung by the Nightingale of India.  ‘Lag Ja Gale’ features in a movie called ‘Woh Kaun Thi’ this song is best known for its haunting melody and Mangeshkar’s impeccable vocal delivery and is one of the finest songs for singing competition in hindi.

The melody is lush and flowing with constant rising and falling of notes with intricate katkas. The sounds of Sitar, Flute, Tabla accompanying the melody complements Mangahskar’s voice adding a sense of yearning and longing. One should have extensive practice on Voice Control and understanding of Breathing Control. The subtle changes in Vocal Dynamics in verses makes it sound tender yet emotional.

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Bare Naina From Ra One

Bare Naina is a heartfelt number from the movie Ra One. Singer Nandhini Srikar has done a fine job capturing the emotional depth and the sense of loss. This melancholy is one of the excellent choices for songs for singing competition bollywood. 

Set in a slow tempo and in a minor key owing to the somber nature of the song. Bare Naina roye, translates to ‘naked eyes’ weep’ conveys that there is no veil or anything that can hide the sadness of a broken heart. It’s best to avoid vocal force while performing. Instead focus on keeping the tone soft. One needs to have good breath control to deliver without breaking the phrases.

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Piyu Bole From Parineeta

The melody and lyrics completely reflect the emotional depth of the characters’ sprouting romance in the film Parineeta. This song was performed by singers Sonu Nigam and Shreya Goshal and is one of the best songs for singing competition in hindi male and female. 

Set in raag Jaijaiwanti, ‘Piyu Bole’ evokes a sense of serenity and joy. It has gentle flowing rhythms played by tabla with minimalistic instruments accompanying the soft vocals. The voices flow in tandem, intertwining throughout the song. 

One should keep a soft and a tender tone. So while performing one needs to be careful with notes in the lower register. Pay attention to the Articulation of each word to bring out the clarity and elegance of the lyrics. 

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Saibo From Shor In The City

Beautifully composed by Sachin Jigar, ‘Saibo’ is a evocant track sung by Tochi Raina, Shreya Goshal and Sachin Jigar. It is set in the Indian Classical Genre with light modern elements.

It has a moderate tempo with swaying rhythms allowing the melody to unfold soothingly and emotionally compelling. The lyrics revolve around unspoken love and longing for someone who isn’t physically present but only in heart and mind.

‘Saibo’, is simply one of the best songs for singing competition in Hindi, female. It is very important to deliver an emotional connection while performing this piece. Focus on gentle phrasing of the lyrics and use of Dynamics as much as possible. 

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Barso Re From Guru

Here is another one of the finest songs for singing competition in hindi female.  Such an electrifying and energetic song released in 2007. ‘Barso Re’ captures the essence, the beauty of the monsoon and the free-spiritedness of a woman. It has been beautifully sung by Shreya Goshal blending traditional and contemporary vocal elements giving it an exhilarating feel.

It is absolutely important to have a light airy tone in some sections and bold, open voices in a few sections of the song to deliver the intended dynamics and spontaneity. It has a bouncy upbeat rhythm which brings out the celebratory tone of the song. Vocal embellishments and ornaments can be used as it has a lot of room for improvisation. 

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FAQs

This include My Heart Will Go On, I Will Always Love You, Livin ‘in a Prayer, and Talking to the Moon.

Some of the easy songs to sing for a competition include Lemon Tree, Blue Night in english and En Vaanile, Enga Pona Raasa, etc.

Perfect, Shallow, Anjali, Vennilave Vennilave are some of the good duet songs for a competition.

Rolling in the Deep, Shape of You, Bad Guy, Hallelujah are some of the popular English songs for a singing competition.

Kannalane, Munbe Vaa, Ninaithu Ninaithu Paarthal

Aaromale, Mandram Vantha Thendraluku, Maya Nadhi are some of the good male songs for singing competitions.

Can’t Help falling in love with you, I will Survive, What a wonderful world are some of the classic songs that are suitable for singing competitions.

Related Blog: Top 10 easy english song to sing


Annie Jennifer

Annie Jennifer

Annie has a rich background in music holding a Diploma(ATCL) in Western Classical and Jazz music, a degree in Hindustani Classical Music and a Diploma in Carnatic Music.

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