As the date for your audition draws ever closer, you will no doubt be thinking about what songs to choose. I say songs because it is always best to have two, preferably three, prepared.
Why? What if the person who goes before you sings what you have prepared? Or if at the end they ask you to do another song. Better to be safe than sorry.
But choosing the songs is very important. The good news is there are plenty of audition-friendly pop songs for sopranos around.
Contents
Making An Impression
Before you go for your audition, you may be aware of why you are going. What those conducting the audition are looking for. If it is for a musical or a musical play, then there may be other skills they may want you to demonstrate.
Most songs from musicals have a semblance of acting involved. They may also want you to demonstrate emotion where necessary.
If I am honest about this, the majority of the ‘pop’ songs around today are just puerile commercialism. They are not written to create emotion or to fill the role in a musical. They are written to make money.
Choosing The Songs Is Important
There is nothing wrong with that, of course. But, it does make a good proportion of them unsuitable for an audition. Those judging will need to see more than what they offer. So, choosing audition friendly pop songs is very important. That doesn’t apply to all ‘pop’ songs, of course.
What I am saying is just because you like a ‘pop’ singer doesn’t mean their work is suitable to perform at an audition. Those conducting the audition will want to see what you can do. How you sing and how you put the song across.
Factors in an Audition
Even if the audition is not for a musical, being able to act the part of the song is still important. When I have conducted auditions in the past, there were four things I looked for:
- What can they do? Is their singing voice what I needed?
- Can they generate emotion from the lyrics?
- Are they believable when they sing the lyrics?
- Was the choice of song for the audition appropriate?
The last of those things is what we are looking at here. A bad song choice would harm that, in my opinion. The choice they made was an indication of what they thought they could do. Sometimes they just couldn’t do it and had bitten off more than they could chew.
Top 64 Audition-Friendly Pop Songs for Sopranos
So, let’s get on with looking at some of the best soprano pop songs for auditions.
1
Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys
A 2012 release and a track that is well-known and very popular. This is an interesting song in that it is inspired by a happy home life. That isn’t something you come across very often in the music world; it’s usually the other way round.
But, that is what makes this a powerful and recognizable song with a good subject matter. This song will need to be delivered well as Alicia Keys is well known for her strong soprano voice.
2
Something Wonderful from the King and I
This is one of those songs from a musical that is a popular song for sopranos to perform at auditions.
It is delivered by one of the King’s wives who tries to explain to Anna, the school teacher, how the King thinks. He is torn between what he wants, his apparent love for Anna, and what he can have.
The Chance For An Impressive Performance
It is a song from the finale and gives you the chance to put on a big performance. The song is powerful and with plenty of meaning. And it demands a relationship between lyrical meaning, delivery, and performance.
Singing like this and acting the part at the same time is never easy. You can very easily overdo it. But get it right, and you have a winner.
Just to make you aware, this musical is still banned in Thailand as they claim it shows the Thai royalty in a bad light. Their loss, I suppose. So make sure there isn’t a Thai on your judging panel.
3
My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
This is one of those questions about what made what. Did the film make the song, or did the song create the mystique of the film? Whichever it was doesn’t matter for an audition.
A powerful song that allows you to generate good emotion and will demonstrate the qualities of your voice. Celine Dion did a remarkable job, and there is no need to stray too far from how she interprets the song.
4
Hopelessly Devoted To You from Grease by Olivia Newton-John
In the opinion of a lot of people, this is still one of the best stage musicals performed. Very true among musicals that represent the time in which it was set. The show and the music that came from it are still popular today.
There is something special about the period that saw the onslaught of the beginning of the rock n roll era. And this musical captured it perfectly. Hot Rod cars, leather jackets, rebellious school students. Everything was included.
This song was one of the highlights and, in some ways, a little out of context with the rest of the music. Nevertheless, it is a great song. It needs delicate handling, but it has two advantages. Firstly, everyone will know it. Secondly, not many will consider using it for an audition.
5
Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah
This is a song that goes back in time a bit to 1998. It was originally written and recorded for the soundtrack of “Dr. Doolittle.” This is a song that allows her to use her breathy type of tone to good effect.
If you have that similar “breathy’’ sound, then this song might be worth considering. The nice upbeat but comfortable tempo means it has got plenty of positivity about it. As a result, it’s one of the most unique audition-friendly pop songs for sopranos.
6
My Immortal by Evanescence
This is a song by this American heavy metal band that features the unique Amy Lee on vocals. It was from their first album, Fallen, from 2003 and was a big feature of their stage shows for many years.
A different type of audition song…
Even though it is a heavy rock song, the vocals are at the center. Often it is the backing that takes over in Heavy Metal, but not with this.
The guitars and drums are powerful and very present in the mix. But, it is her voice that stands out. If you are going to consider a song like this, it will take a powerful, full-on vocal performance.
A big advantage with a song like this is that it is unlikely those auditioning will hear it performed very often. That might be a breath of fresh air for them.
7
The Winner Takes It All by Abba
One of the great pop bands of the 70s and 80s, Abba continued to produce great music throughout the time they were working together. This is a classic example of a great Abba song written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.
It is an interesting composition. Although it is a sad story, it has a very upbeat tempo. You don’t often get songs about the tragedy of couples breaking up that are also great dance tracks.
The song itself tells of how there is always a winner and a loser when people go their separate ways. A good audition pop song for sopranos with powerful vocals and a song they will all know well.
8
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
Celine Dion seems to be very good at these soundtrack songs. We have already looked at the song from “Titanic,” and here is another from the film “Up Close and Personal.”
This is a very emotional song that was a big success for her and received a cluster of TV and film awards. It is, it must be said, typically the sort of song she would sing well. So, it needs to be sung with great emotion, but the element of control is also required.
It is a great pop song for an audition, but there is a bit of a downside. As a popular song for an audition, there are two potential problems.
Firstly, someone might perform it before you. Secondly, if those auditioning have heard it too many times, they might be thinking, “Oh no, not again.” Hypotheticals, of course, but worth considering.
9
Courage by Celine Dion
This is a track that was taken from the album of the same name. It was released in 2019. In terms of the UK, it was her first album release in six years. The song is a traditional love song, talking about the need for courage in a relationship.
It is an album full of songs like this one that are basically ballads. That is very much the forte of Celine Dion. It makes a good audition track for sopranos.
10
Torn by Natalie Imbruglia
Released in 1997, this became a hugely popular song for Natalie Imbruglia. It has just about everything you need from a modern pop song. Interesting lyric with a laid-back verse and a great chorus hook.
A love song that does not have happy lyrics. It is about a failed relationship and a partner who let her down. This is actually a cover version. The song was written by Scott Cutler, Phil Thornalley, and Anne Preven and was first recorded in Danish.
It is a very good song made impressive by the chorus I mentioned. And an ideal candidate for an audition song. However, the soprano tones need to be a little bit ‘breathy’ if you want to sound like this version.
11
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by Phil Collins
For most men, a divorce can be a financially disastrous time. But, Phil Collins found a way of making money from it. He went through a period where all his songs were about the painful divorce he had endured. This track is one of them.
It came from the film “Against All Odds” and is a powerful ballad talking about the pain felt in a breakup. The song was from 1981 but was released in 1984 along with the film. A powerful pop song for a soprano audition, providing you don’t overdo the emotional angle.
12
Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Let’s finish this look at songs that are audition-friendly pop songs for sopranos with a bit of a rocker. Kelly Clarkson was the winner of the first-ever series of a certain TV program that usually makes me cringe. However, she was excellent and proved to be so after.
This was the first single she released from an excellent first album that showed her vocal and songwriting skills. For a soprano, it is quite high, but then you do need to belt this one out a bit. If you can, then reaching the notes won’t be a problem for most.
So, if you feel like you want to let rip, then this is a great song to do it with. And it is a song that others are unlikely to choose, which is another positive.
13
Something Wonderful from the King and I
14
Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys
15
Hopelessly Devoted To You from Grease by Olivia Newton-John
16
My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
17
Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah
18
My Immortal by Evanescence
19
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
20
The Winner Takes It All by Abba
21
Courage by Celine Dion
22
Torn by Natalie Imbruglia
23
Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
24
Royals by Lorde
25
Halo by Beyoncé
26
Someone Like You by Adele
27
Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
28
Gravity by Sara Bareilles
29
Chandelier by Sia
30
When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars
31
If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
32
Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia
33
What About Us by Pink
34
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
35
Rolling Stone by The Weeknd
36
Fight Song by Rachel Platten
37
Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
38
Grenade by Bruno Mars
39
Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
40
Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin
41
True Colors by Cyndi Lauper
42
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston
43
Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
44
Turning Tables by Adele
45
I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston
46
Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus
47
Fields of Gold by Sting
48
Royals by Pentatonix (Lorde cover)
49
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
More 15 Audition-Friendly Pop Songs for Sopranos
-
- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
- Make You Feel My Love by Adele
- On My Own from Les Misérables
- Defying Gravity from Wicked
- Let It Go from Frozen
- I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables
- Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid
- Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas
- Reflection from Mulan
- Home from Beauty and the Beast
- Journey to the Past from Anastasia
- For Good from Wicked
- I Can Hear the Bells from Hairspray
- Memory from Cats
- Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl
Need A Song for An Audition?
We can help. Take a look at our detailed articles on the Best Audition Songs for Mezzo-Sopranos, the Best Audition Songs for Basses, the Best Audition Songs for Altos, the Top Audition-Friendly Pop Songs for Baritones, and the Best Audition Songs for Kids for more great song ideas.
You’ll want to listen to these songs before you audition. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $100, the Best Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, the Best Headphones Under $200, and the Best Headphones for Music you can buy in 2023.
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Audition-Friendly Pop Songs for Sopranos – Conclusion
So there we are. A dozen songs that, if you can get to grips with them, will do you nothing but good at an audition. I have tried to give you a broad scope. And have chosen pop songs other than the most recent. After all, ‘pop’ is short for ‘popular,’ and all of these songs were certainly that.
Practice hard, be prepared, and trust in yourself. You’ll be fine.
Until next time, make yourself heard.
