Singing Coach AI
Karaoke songs for women: picks for altos, mezzos and sopranos
Female karaoke lists tend to be a pile of diva ballads that only sopranos with a big belt can sing. This one is sorted differently. Most of the picks sit in a mezzo range that the majority of women own, the alto-friendly songs are marked, and the soprano showpieces are labeled honestly so you know what you are signing up for.
The average female voice is a mezzo-soprano, comfortable from around A3 up to a D5 or E5 with a bit of push. A true alto sits lower and is happiest below C5; a soprano floats up to F5 and beyond without belting. The songs here were chosen so that every one of those voices has real options, not just the mezzos. Valerie, Landslide and Flowers suit altos; Adele, Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson songs want a mezzo who can belt; the Whitney Houston and Katy Perry picks are soprano territory in their original keys.
Read the range next to each song and compare it with your own from the vocal range test. The number to watch is the top note. If it sits more than two semitones above where your voice is comfortable at full volume, lower the key on the machine before you start. Lowering by two or three semitones keeps the character of the song; lowering by six turns Dancing Queen into a dirge.
A practical tip for the belters on this page: sing the verses at half the volume you think you need. Rolling in the Deep and Since U Been Gone are lost by women who arrive at the chorus with nothing left.
Every song links to its guide: range, key, where the hard notes are and how to practice it. Range and key are for the original recording.
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1
Dancing Queen ABBA
The chorus opens on a high E5 with no run-up. Warm up first, or lower it two steps and enjoy it.
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2
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
Mezzo-friendly and paced by the disco beat. The C#5 notes come in short bursts, so there is nothing to sustain.
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3
Girls Just Want to Have Fun Cyndi Lauper
Sits high, from C#4 up, but stays narrow. Altos drop it three semitones; sopranos sing it as written.
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4
Wannabe Spice Girls
Rap verses and a shouted chorus. Best with four friends and a plan for who says the zig-a-zig-ah.
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5
Valerie Amy Winehouse
A contralto favorite: the verse lounges around Eb3 and the chorus lifts a fifth. Keep it lazy and behind the beat.
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6
Rolling in the Deep Adele
A stomping low verse and a D5 belt that repeats. Mezzos who can belt love it; do not push the verse.
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7
Someone Like You Adele
The chorus leaps an octave to E5 straight from a quiet verse. Lower it two steps unless that leap is easy.
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8
Since U Been Gone Kelly Clarkson
The chorus sits on a repeated G5 belt with a scream on the bridge. Sopranos with a strong mix only.
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9
Before He Cheats Carrie Underwood
Growled low verses, then a C#5 chorus with country grit. Mezzos with attitude; keep the snarl in the words.
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10
Jolene Dolly Parton
Only an octave, C#4 to C#5, but it never drops lower. Sopranos sing it as is; altos take it down three steps.
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11
9 to 5 Dolly Parton
Quick, cheerful and mid-range. The challenge is spitting out the words in time, not any single note.
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12
Total Eclipse Of The Heart Bonnie Tyler
Sits in an alto-mezzo range but demands rasp and stamina. Seven minutes, so pace the turn-around section.
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13
I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston
The a cappella opening leaves nowhere to hide, and the key change lifts to F#5. Lower it, or skip the modulation.
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14
I Wanna Dance with Somebody Whitney Houston
The chorus sits high and bright, with ad-libs to C#6 you should ignore. Sopranos thrive; mezzos drop it three steps.
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15
Respect Aretha Franklin
Starts on C4 and belts to G5 on the sock-it-to-me section. Get the R-E-S-P-E-C-T spelling right and the room forgives anything.
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16
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Aretha Franklin
A slow gospel build in a mezzo range. The chorus wants a warm, open belt at E5, not a shout.
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17
Bad Romance Lady Gaga
Low, growling verses that suit a contralto, then a hard chest-voice chorus up to C5. Commit to the rah-rah-ah.
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18
Poker Face Lady Gaga
Mostly chanted in the middle of the voice. The mum-mum-mum hook flips up to G5 in head voice, so keep it light.
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19
Toxic Britney Spears
Breathy verses, then the chorus lifts into head voice near F5. Sopranos and light mezzos; do not belt it.
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20
...Baby One More Time Britney Spears
Sits low, Eb3 to C5, with a growl on the oh-baby-baby. An alto's Britney song, and the room sings the chorus.
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21
Umbrella Rihanna
A narrow mezzo melody around B3 to E5 with an easy, cool delivery. Keep the ella-ella loose and in rhythm.
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22
Halo Beyoncé
Chorus sits high and stays there around D5 to F#5, so a mezzo needs a solid mix; the verses are easy.
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23
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) Beyoncé
More rhythm than range until the bridge; the fast lyric and the D5 hook are the two things that trip people.
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24
Irreplaceable Beyoncé
Comfortable mid-range and a mid-tempo groove; the "to the left" hook carries the room, so relax and sing under it.
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25
Say So Doja Cat
Cool, half-spoken disco in a comfortable range. The rap bridge is the party trick; the sung parts are easy.
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26
Flowers Miley Cyrus
A low alto verse and a chorus that rises to E5. Strong and self-assured, no belting needed.
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27
Party in the U.S.A. Miley Cyrus
Mid-range, bouncy and repetitive. The nodding-my-head chorus sits around D#5 but is short, so nothing to hold.
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28
Wrecking Ball Miley Cyrus
Quiet verses, then a chorus that belts to D5 and holds it. Mezzos with a solid chest voice; breathe low before the chorus.
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29
Shake It Off Taylor Swift
Rhythm and words carry it; the melody barely moves. The G5 in the ad-libs is optional and best skipped.
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30
Love Story Taylor Swift
Rated Easy and it is: A3 to B4, stepwise, and a story everyone knows. Ideal for a first song on a nervous night.
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31
You Belong With Me Taylor Swift
A mezzo-friendly melody up to C#5 with a lot of words per bar. Learn the verses; the chorus looks after itself.
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32
Titanium David Guetta ft. Sia
The chorus belts a sustained Eb5 over and over. Sopranos and mezzos who can hold a belt; pace yourself on the verses.
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33
Firework Katy Perry
The chorus climbs to E5 and stays there for a full minute. Sopranos; mezzos drop it two steps and keep it bright.
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34
Roar Katy Perry
Sits in the comfortable middle of a soprano range with a chorus that repeats. The oh-oh-oh hook is the fun bit.
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35
Teenage Dream Katy Perry
Mezzo-friendly verses and a chorus that touches F5 briefly. Light and breathy works better than powerful here.
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36
Don’t Start Now Dua Lipa
A low disco verse for a mezzo, with a G5 flourish in the post-chorus you can hand to the crowd.
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37
Levitating Dua Lipa
Narrow, F#3 to B4, and driven entirely by rhythm. One of the easiest recent pop songs for any female voice.
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38
Bad Guy Billie Eilish
Whispered and low, F#3 to C#5. Altos sound perfect on it; the duh at the end is the only high-risk moment.
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39
Drivers License Olivia Rodrigo
Quiet verses, then a bridge that soars to F5. Sopranos sing it as written; mezzos should lower it two steps.
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40
Good 4 U Olivia Rodrigo
A pop-punk shout up to D5 with plenty of attitude. Mezzos; the challenge is breath in the fast pre-chorus.
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41
Zombie The Cranberries
Long, wailing vowels around C5 with a yodel-like flip. Mezzos who can keep the voice loose on the zom-bie-ay.
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42
Dreams Fleetwood Mac
Stevie's alto melody hardly moves and the groove is slow. Only the thunder-only-happens line climbs to F5.
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43
Landslide Fleetwood Mac
An alto or low-mezzo gem, Eb3 to C5, quiet and reflective. Keep it plain and the room will lean in.
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44
Black Velvet Alannah Myles
Low, bluesy verses, then a chorus that belts to F#5. Mezzos with a rock edge; the low notes need real weight.
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45
Alone Heart
A tender low verse and a chorus that explodes to E5 and stays there. Bring a full belt or drop the key.
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46
Man! I Feel Like a Woman! Shania Twain
Alto-friendly and driven by the beat. The let's-go-girls opener sets the whole tone, so say it like you mean it.
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47
That Don’t Impress Me Much Shania Twain
Narrow, mid-range and spoken in places. The okay-so-you're-Brad-Pitt lines are the whole performance.
Alto, mezzo or soprano: which songs belong to which voice
Voice type for karaoke is really a question of where your comfortable top note sits when you are singing with some volume. Altos and contraltos usually run out of comfortable chest voice around B4 or C5 and are richer below that. Mezzos push comfortably to D5 or E5. Sopranos have an easy E5 or F5 and often a light, floating quality above it. Most women who have never had a lesson are mezzos, whether or not they know it.
| Voice | Comfortable top note at volume | Sing these as written | Lower these by 2 to 4 semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alto / contralto | B4 to C5 | Valerie, Landslide, Bad Guy, Baby One More Time, Levitating, Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, Flowers | Jolene, Dancing Queen, Girls Just Want to Have Fun |
| Mezzo | D5 to E5 | Rolling in the Deep, Wrecking Ball, Umbrella, Irreplaceable, Zombie, Before He Cheats, Good 4 U | Since U Been Gone, Halo, Firework, I Wanna Dance with Somebody |
| Soprano | F5 and above | Since U Been Gone, Firework, Toxic, Drivers License, I Will Always Love You, Respect | Rarely needed; raise Bad Guy or Landslide by 2 or 3 instead |
To find which row you are in, sing up a scale on an open vowel and stop at the note where you have to either shout or flip into a lighter head voice. The vocal range chart maps that note to a voice type, and the alto, soprano and songs for my voice pages go deeper than this list can.
Belting the Adele and Clarkson picks without wrecking your voice
Rolling in the Deep, Since U Been Gone, Alone, Titanium, Wrecking Ball and Black Velvet all live on a sustained belt between D5 and G5. A belt is a loud chest-voice sound carried above where chest voice normally sits. Done well it is thrilling and completely safe. Done by pushing the throat, it lasts one chorus and leaves you hoarse the next morning.
Three checks separate the two. The chin stays level rather than lifting toward the ceiling. The volume comes from steady breath pressure, not from squeezing; if your neck veins are standing out, you are squeezing. And the vowel narrows on the way up: the ee in deep or the oh in alone becomes a slightly taller, more closed shape, which lets the note sit instead of spreading and going flat. Start the verses at half power. Almost every karaoke belt that fails does so because the singer had already spent the breath and the voice on a verse that did not need it. The guide on belting without tension has a five-minute drill, and the high notes page covers the vowel change in detail.
Lowering the key, and when to raise it
Most advice about the key-change button is aimed at men lowering tenor songs, but it works both ways for women. Sopranos often find the low verses of Valerie, Bad Guy or Baby One More Time sit under the voice and come out breathy and weak; raising the key by two or three semitones fixes that instantly and leaves the choruses well within reach. Altos going the other way should lower Dancing Queen, Jolene, Girls Just Want to Have Fun and any Whitney song by three or four so the choruses stop being a fight.
The mistake to avoid is treating the top note as the only number. Every song has a bottom too. Lower Rolling in the Deep by five semitones to make the D5 belt easy and the verse, already down at Bb3, drops to F3 and stops projecting. Choose the smallest shift that puts the highest note inside your comfortable range, then sing the lowest phrase to check it still has body. The find my singing key guide walks through this for any song, and recording the chorus in the app at two different keys makes the choice obvious in about a minute.
A breath plan for the long phrases
Halo, I Will Always Love You, Natural Woman and Titanium have phrases that run for eight or ten seconds on one breath. Running out is not a sign of a weak voice; it is a sign of an unplanned breath. Listen to the original once with the sole job of noticing where the singer breathes. Whitney breathes in exactly the same places every time, and they are not always at the end of the lyric line.
Mark two or three spots in each chorus where you will take a breath, and take it low: the belly moves out, the shoulders stay still. A quick, quiet breath at a planned spot is invisible to the audience. A gasp in the middle of a word is not. If the phrase is still too long after that, shorten the last note; nobody in a bar is counting beats. The breath control guide has the exercise for lengthening what you can do on one breath, which improves surprisingly fast, and the how to hold a note page covers keeping the final note of Halo steady once you reach it.