In 2006, 80,000 Finns simultaneously sang Lordi’s “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in a Helsinki square to thank the musicians for their Eurovision victory. To this day, this record for simultaneous singing has not been broken.
What else do people sing in karaoke? Today we will figure out which songs are preferred around the globe and which track is the most popular on the planet.
And how are things in the birthplace of karaoke—Japan?
For the Japanese, there is practically no question of where to go to relax in the evening. In all likelihood, it will be karaoke. The choice will rather be about which club to pick: the one closer to the office, or the new one in the next block.
In Japan, people prefer to rehearse songs in advance in solo karaoke boxes to perfect their performance as much as possible before singing in front of everyone. You could say they come prepared with homework.
The top three of recent decades are particularly indicative in terms of repertoire diversity. In first place is the melodic song “Hanamizuki” by singer Hitoto Yo, in second is energetic pop-punk, and in third is the soundtrack to the cult anime Evangelion.
The Japanese Top 5 looks like this:
- Hanamizuki – Hitoto Yo
- Chiisana Koi no Uta – MONGOL800
- Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis (Evangelion OP) – Takahashi Yoko
- Amagi-goe – Sayuri Ishikawa
- Cherry – Spitz
The Japanese also love overseas pop hits. The following English-language tracks are most often chosen in karaoke:
- What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
- Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
- My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift
- Let It Go – Idina Menzel
A somewhat similar situation exists in South Korea, where the charts are mixed with tracks by Korean idols (K-pop). It is worth noting that karaoke in Korea is no less popular than in Japan. Koreans even hold a unique record for continuous singing: a young woman sang for 76 hours, managing to perform 1,283 songs before her relatives finally took the microphone away from her.
The Whole World
Talking about what is popular all over the world requires a small disclaimer. Every country has its own national artists. However, the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia form a global English-speaking musical space, whose hits spread across the planet.
So what does the Top 5 of global karaoke hits look like? What is most often sung in karaoke clubs from New York to Sydney? Of course, the great Michael Jackson.
Number 1 in the world is Billie Jean.
And rounding out the top five most popular karaoke songs in the world are:
2. Perfect – Ed Sheeran
3. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
4. Despacito – Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
5. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond
Not in the Top 5, but consistently performed everywhere: Frank Sinatra with the immortal “My Way”, Prince’s “Purple Rain”, Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”, and the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”.
If you haven’t compiled your own top list yet, the entire Evolution song database is at your disposal in the EvoClub electronic catalogs. Tens of thousands of legal tracks in studio quality are waiting for you to sing them!
