Singing together is a very good idea and can be really enjoyable. Duet songs are a different kind of performance but it doesn’t make it any less fun and can really help you if you are a budding singer. Make the most of having someone else singing alongside you. In this article, we’ll take a look at the advantages of singing duet songs and go through some of the best duet songs including male-female duets, famous duets, duet karaoke songs and many more! So, keep reading…
Duet songs are great fun and also really good practice for aspiring singers. So if you are planning on performing together, it’s important that you find the right song that suits both of your voices. There are lots of options out there, so sit down together and have a chat about what you think will work for you both.
Collaborating with other artists can be a great experience and you never know where duetting with somebody could take you. If it goes well, you could find that you want to pair up and write music together or collaborate again in some other way.
Why should I sing duet songs?
You may well have become used to singing and performing on your own, but getting the chance to do so with another singer is a great opportunity to enhance your skills and to learn more from each other. Practising together and listening to each other’s performance is a really good way to improve all the different aspects of both your voice and your performance.
Make sure that you are partnered up with someone whose voice works well with your own and that the chemistry is there. One of the worst things about watching people duet together is seeing that they just don’t blend well and aren’t a good match. So make sure you’ve got lots of practice together and you know that you work well before you take on a performance in front of an audience. Maybe test it out on your family and friends first!
Duetting is a great skill because it’s all about working as a team and knowing what role you play in the song and why. So give it your best shot and see what happens!
17 of the best duets
Now that you know more about why duetting is so important, let’s take a look at the best songs to sing together. Some of the biggest musicians in the world have teamed up to release a song together and they are proof alone that duets do work. So which ones are some of the best?
List of duet songs
So, here’s our list of duet songs to sing. These are some of the most famous duet songs. There’s a good mix of duet love songs, popular duet songs for karaoke, pop duet songs and more. We’ll cover male-female duets first, but keep reading to see other duet types too!
#1 Me by Taylor Swift featuring Brandon Urie
This is a very recent and therefore modern duet featuring two artists with voices that aren’t too dissimilar. Brandon Urie has a tenor voice that spans four octaves so this is great for male singers that can hit this range. It’s a good, fun song to sing and a good one to perform together.
#2 Somethin’ Stupid by Nancy & Frank Sinatra
Also covered more recently by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman back in 2001, this is a really enjoyable and beautiful song to sing which works for all different singers with different styles. It’s also a classic track which means it’s ideal if you are looking for something alternative that steps outside the traditional rock and pop songs.
#3 Empire State Of Mind by Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Taken from Jay-Z’s 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, this is a great, uplifting song to duet. This track gives aspiring rappers out there a good chance to practice singing and performing with a female vocalist. It’s got a really catchy beat and is one of those songs that stays with you for a long time so makes a perfect song to perform together as a pair.
#4 Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
A former number one single and a great chance to showcase your vocal range, especially performing the Christina Aguilera part.
#5 Perfect by Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé
A modern hit, Ed Sheeran has become well known now for his duets and singing alongside one of the best female singers in the industry made it an even bigger hit. It works really well as a male and female duet because the singing parts are very different but also works well for both male and female vocals. It’s a very slow-tempo song but that just means you have more time to concentrate on and perfect those vocals.
#6 Just Give Me A Reason by Pink & Nate Rues
Pink remains one of those powerful female singers that consistently delivers and this is no exception. Partnering with the lead singer of Fun, this song is a beautifully harmonised duet which works very well when it comes to performing. Both have strong vocals so it will emphasise the power of your vocals incredibly well.
#7 I Knew You Were Waiting by George Michael & Aretha Franklin
Another classic by one of this country’s greatest singers and one of the USA’s greatest singers, this is a really fun, up-tempo pop song which remains a popular duet to perform. Both vocals are quite different but work really well when performed together. This is also a song that you can experiment with and you can make it your own.
#8 Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Later covered by Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross, this is a beautiful ballad, a duet love song. It’s another one that’s good for practising and performing with someone else as it’s got a slow tempo. It also works well for females that want to practice hitting those high notes like Mariah can!
#9 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
A Motown classic, this is a great duet song as it tests both the male and female vocals and there’s a real explosion in the chorus. It will give you both a chance to show the audience how powerful your voice really is.
#10 Broken Strings by James Morrison & Nelly Furtado
Often a forgotten song, this is a really beautiful ballad and another great duet for a male and a female singer to enjoy performing. Both singers have versatile voices so it should work well for you no matter what sort of voice you have.
#11 Secret Love Song by Little Mix & Jason Derulo
One of the world’s favourite girl bands whose voices harmonise so perfectly, this song is perfect for performing a duet as there is a really nice balance between male and female vocals. It’s also got a lot of power in it which gives you the chance to really belt it out.
#12 Señorita by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
A recent hit, this is another really good fun duet. Both artists have voices that reach a wide range and this is a brilliant song to perform as a duet.
#13 Nobody Wants To Be Lonely by Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera
A fun latino-pop song which works very well as a duet, this is an ideal song to practice singing together as a pair and is perfect for performing as a duo.
#14 Up by Olly Murs & Demi Lovato
Both are great pop singers, and this works well for anyone as this is an easy song to sing along to. It’s a really nice opportunity for you to practice harmonising together as well.
#15 I Don’t Know What Love Is by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
One of a few duets the pair have sung together on the soundtrack to A Star Is Born, this is one of the lesser known ones but is worth singing together. It’s a beautiful ballad and works well for singers with different voices.
#16 You’re the One That I Want by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
It might be an old song but as it’s from a classic musical that is still hugely successful in 2019, it’s a song that we are all familiar with. It’s a great one to duet because you can create a really good camaraderie with each other while you’re singing!
#17 Could I Have This Kiss Forever by Enrique Iglesias & Whitney Houston
This is a beautiful ballad by two artists with very different voices so it’s a great song to practice with and to experiment with your voices together. It’s also a very enjoyable song to sing and the tempo of it gives you a chance to work on your performance together
How to sing a duet
There are extra challenges you are faced with when it comes to singing a duet because it’s not just your voice you are focusing on. You need to make sure you are both coming in at the right moment, that you are in the same key, and that you harmonize well together. It will require that extra bit of practice.
It’s important you both know your style and your key. You wouldn’t want to find that one of you is unable to hit the high notes while the other can so, if necessary, change the key so that it suits both of you.
Make sure you both give yourselves lots of time to rehearse and really practice the song. Come prepared having practised singing at home so you are both ready to go. Make sure you have warmed up your voice and have some water before you begin.
Singing with a partner
The next key point is you need to know when it is your turn to sing. You don’t want to miss your cue or end up singing the wrong parts which are reserved for your partner. Make sure you are familiar with the song before you start. It’s also a good idea to know your partner’s parts as well so that it means you are aware of when it’s your turn to sing.
Make sure you have that chemistry and that you are taking time to interact with each other. The audience isn’t looking at you as individuals, they are going to be looking at you as a duo, so they want to see that you have that relationship and that you are both taking that enjoyment from the song.
Look at each other when you are performing and ensure you have positive body language – although be careful not to take it too far the other way. You want the audience to feel involved and if you two are in your own little bubble then the audience will feel excluded from the performance.
Duet karaoke songs
Now that we’ve seen some of the best male and female duet songs to sing together, it’s also interesting to take a look at them individually. So, below are some other popular duets to perform as a pair.
#1 Telephone by Lady Gaga & Beyonce
This is one of those classic pop songs that get people dancing instantly and the fact that it is sung by two of the world’s most powerful and most popular singers is even better. This is a great duet to perform together, especially if you are two very strong singers who want to show off your talent.
#2 Shame by Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow
Ultimately, this is a song about two friends who fell out and made up again but that doesn’t deter from the enjoyment of singing the song together. It’s a fair balance for both singers so works well as a duet.
#3 When You Believe by Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston
A killer song by two pop divas, this works well for singers with big, powerful voices. It’s an emotional song, so will probably require a bit of practice to ensure you are getting the best out of the song.
#4 Me Against the Music by Britney Spears & Madonna
When this song was first released, people were obsessed with it. It’s a great pop song but it’s also a fun song to perform as a duet.
#5 I Don’t Care by Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
Fans of both artists were beyond excited when this track was released and for male singers, it’s a great opportunity to pair up and duet together, giving you the opportunity to test out those vocals alongside another male singer.
#6 Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya & Lil Kim
Ok, so it’s a bit more than a duet but this remains one of the greatest pop collaborations and is a very fun song to perform with someone else. Get ready to belt out those high notes!
Ready for that duet?
By now you should have lots of tips about how to duet with some good duet song suggestions. Share your advice and any suggestions in the comments section below.
Have you performed a duet before? How did it go and what did you learn from it? Want to one your skills? Try our artist development programme.
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