How to Choose a Song to Sing at a Talent Show

Impressing the Judges and Audience

Pick your song based on the scoring system. Most talent show judges incorporate audience response, stage presence, and overall performance in their scoring. Other criteria might not be so obvious to you. Ask the people running the talent show if you can have a copy of the scorecard or judging criteria to help you practice. If points are earned for originality, put some unique flair on the song you choose or change up the tempo. For example, sing an upbeat rock song like, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey as an acoustic rendition and slow down the verses and chorus. If one of the criteria is stage presence, try a song that helps you move around the stage and engage the crowd, like “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper or “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band.

Choose a song that fits the audience. If you’re performing at a school, church, or other family-friendly location, pick a song without sexually explicit lyrics or violence. Remember the holiday talent show scene in the movie Mean Girls? The outfits and dance moves got the girls expelled...but at least they had charisma! This is especially important if your score is based on audience response. Help the audience clap and cheer for you by picking a song that will leave them feeling pumped or nostalgic! Try “Happy” by Pharrell Williams or “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.

Stick to the theme of the show. Some competitions require you to pick from a pre-approved list of songs, or songs from a certain genre or decade. If the show doesn’t have a theme, you’re in luck! That just means you have more songs to choose from. If it does have a theme and you’re struggling with it, don’t worry. You can find a song you’ll sound good singing, you just need more ideas.

Watch the clock. Some talent shows limit performances to a set number of minutes. Selecting a song that’s too long could get you disqualified, and the audience could lose focus. For a new performer, a shorter song may be easier for memorization and for nerves. “Dancing in the Street” by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, “Can’t Buy Me Love” by the Beatles, and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen all clock in under 3 minutes. If you become attached to a longer song, you could shorten it by leaving out a verse or two.

Experimenting with Your Voice and Abilities

Judge your own strengths. If you have a powerful voice, a rock song or ballad that lets you show off your range is a great decision. Try, “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars or “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. If your voice is soft, try a song that doesn’t require you to “belt it out,” like “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones. If you don’t know your strengths yet, ask for feedback from friends or any musicians or singers you know. Alternatively, try recording yourself. Even though you already listen to yourself when you sing, listening to a recording is a little different because you’re not busy singing and you can really pay attention. Remember that you are your worst critic, so try and go easy on yourself while still being honest about whether you’re straining to hit notes or having trouble breathing.

Try the song out with your group. If you are performing as part of a band, duet, or ensemble, it is equally important that the band and other singers perform the song well. If one of you is out of tune or doesn’t play the music correctly, the audience and judges will probably notice. Popular duet songs include, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. You can also turn a song into a duet or ensemble piece by having different people sing different verses or parts of the chorus. Be creative and have fun! You might also want to practice singing with a microphone, so you can get used to what your voice will sound like when amplified.

Pick a song you’re comfortable with. Singing in front of people can be tough and your song choice can make it tougher. No matter what anyone else says, if you don’t feel comfortable, cannot hit the notes, or just don’t like the song, it will show through to the judges and the audience. Pick something you feel great performing and chances are - you’ll look and sound great, too! If you're afraid you're going to somehow mess up the song, take your worst fear of how something might sound and do it intentionally on your own. For instance, if you're afraid your voice is going to be too quiet, then sing a version of your song that's embarrassingly quiet. By giving literal voice to those fears, they'll become a source of play and imagination rather than real obstacles in the way of your ideal performance.

Gathering Ideas

Browse a music store. Anywhere that sells CDs, especially karaoke discs, will give you lots of ideas for songs. You’ll probably need to purchase your song and have the CD or MP3 track ready for the audio engineers at the talent show, anyway. Make sure you practice to the exact version you’ll be using at the show.

Look online for song options. You can find plenty of forums and websites dedicated to listing songs for different occasions. You might try using very specific terms, like “songs for low voices,” or, “songs for females with raspy voices.” Just remember to take everything you read on forums with a grain of salt.

Keep a backup option ready. If you end up with a song that you don’t know very well, keeping a song that you’re more comfortable with on the backburner is like a safety net. That way, if you find that you aren’t making enough progress on the new one, you have something else ready to go.