Karaoke duets are the most underrated format in karaoke. A solo puts one person in a spotlight for three minutes. A duet halves the singing, halves the nerves, and gives you someone to look at instead of the audience. For anyone who is nervous about karaoke, the duet is the way in.
The catch is choosing well. A good duet karaoke song gives both singers a real part, swaps lines often enough that nobody stands around waiting, and has at least one moment where you sing together. These all pass that test.
Classic karaoke duets
The songs every karaoke bar has queued at least once tonight. Safe, loved, and the room will help.
1. Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John and Kiki Dee. The perfect duet: short lines, constant back and forth, impossible to be gloomy.
2. You're the One That I Want, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Big energy, and the room will do the "ooh ooh ooh" for you.
3. Islands in the Stream, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Comfortable range for both voices and a chorus everybody knows.
4. I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher. Slow, simple, and very forgiving.
5. Summer Nights, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Bring friends: the backing chorus is half the fun.
6. (I've Had) The Time of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Starts low and gentle, then builds. Lift optional.
7. Endless Love, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. Pure drama. Play it straight and it becomes comedy anyway.
8. Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Upbeat, joyful, and the call and response does the work.
Duet karaoke songs for friends
Not every pair on stage is a couple. These work for two friends, two colleagues, or two people who met ten minutes ago.
9. Under Pressure, Queen and David Bowie. Everyone knows the bassline, and the vocal trade-offs are made for two.
10. Dancing in the Street, David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Ridiculous, energetic, and the dancing matters more than the singing.
11. Ebony and Ivory, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Gentle, short and easy to harmonise on.
12. The Boy Is Mine, Brandy and Monica. A mock argument set to music. Glare at each other for full effect.
13. Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. One rapper, one belter. Divides the labour perfectly.
14. Kids, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue. Swagger first, accuracy second.
Romantic karaoke duets for couples
For anniversaries, weddings, or proving something on a date night. Choose with care: these are sung looking at each other.
15. Shallow, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The quiet verses are easy. The big "ahh" is a dare. Take it.
16. Lucky, Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Soft, sweet, and very forgiving for two nervous voices.
17. Up Where We Belong, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Big chorus, comfortable verses.
18. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), Aretha Franklin and George Michael. Upbeat and celebratory rather than soppy.
19. A Whole New World, from Aladdin. Everyone over twenty-five knows every word.
20. Need You Now, Lady A. A slow-burn duet with clear parts and a shared chorus.
Funny karaoke duets
When the goal is the loudest laugh in the room rather than the best vocal.
21. Something Stupid, Frank and Nancy Sinatra. A sweet love song, famously recorded by a father and his daughter. Tell the room before you start.
22. Don't You Want Me, The Human League. A full-blown argument in four minutes. Point at each other.
23. Love Shack, The B-52's. Barely sung at all, mostly shouted, which is ideal.
24. Suddenly Seymour, from Little Shop of Horrors. Musical theatre at its most overblown. Commit completely.
25. Love Is an Open Door, from Frozen. Finishing each other's sandwiches is a joke that never stops working.
How to split a duet so both people shine
Agree who takes which voice before the music starts, not during the intro. Stand angled towards each other rather than side by side facing the crowd: it looks better and it is far less frightening, because you are performing for one person, not forty. If one of you is the stronger singer, give the other the low part and the comedy lines. And on the shared chorus, sing louder than feels comfortable. Two voices at full volume cover a lot of wrong notes.
Karaoke duets with no song list
If picking from a catalogue stalls the night, try the word version instead. In word karaoke a word appears, whoever grabs the phone sings any song containing it for fifteen seconds, and the room votes. With two players it becomes a fast duel: one sings, one judges, then you swap. That is the game Grab The Phone Karaoke runs on one phone, and it works as well on a sofa for two as it does at a party. For more ideas for two, see our games for couples.
Looking for solo picks instead? Our list of the best karaoke songs has 40, sorted by voice and by room.
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