A private karaoke room is the perfect place for a duet. In a public karaoke bar you’d need to coordinate two people, two mics, and an audience. In a private room you can plan it in advance, rehearse the harmonies, and deliver the whole thing to your own group — who will absolutely be filming it.
These are the duets that work best. Every one is in the catalogue at The Old School Yard, London Bridge.
The Essential Karaoke Duets
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John — Summer Nights / You’re the One That I Want
The two greatest karaoke duets ever written, from the same film. Summer Nights is the gentler opener — the call-and-response structure makes it easy to split the vocals. You’re the One That I Want for the more dynamic performance with the famous ending.
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper — Shallow
Shallow from A Star Is Born is the duet that everyone wants to do but only the brave actually attempt. The shift from the quiet verse to the full-belt chorus is the moment the whole room is waiting for. Worth every second of commitment.
Sonny & Cher — I Got You Babe
The original karaoke duet. Simple, iconic, completely charming. You don’t need to be able to sing to deliver I Got You Babe — you just need to mean it.
Elton John & Kiki Dee — Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Playful, light, and one of the most fun two-person performances in karaoke. The back-and-forth dynamic is perfectly balanced — neither voice dominates.
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers — Islands in the Stream
Slow, smooth, and one of the most comfortable duets in terms of vocal range. Perfect if you want a song that sounds great regardless of the voices involved.
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John — Grease medley
If Summer Nights and You’re the One That I Want aren’t enough — which they often aren’t — Hopelessly Devoted to You and Sandy give the session another gear.
Film Duets
Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes — Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing — someone always wants to attempt the lift)
Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman — Come What May (Moulin Rouge)
Aladdin — A Whole New World (Disney’s most reliable karaoke duet)
Grease — All of the Above — see above
Anne-Marie & James Arthur — Rewrite the Stars (The Greatest Showman)
Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé — Perfect Duet
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello — Señorita
Classic Duets
Lionel Richie & Diana Ross — Endless Love
Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman — Somethin’ Stupid
Elton John & George Michael — Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell — Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney — Ebony and Ivory
The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale of New York (the Christmas duet that works year-round in a karaoke room)
Bryan Adams & Mel C — When You’re Gone
David Bowie & Queen — Under Pressure (technically a duet if you assign Bowie and Mercury)
Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes — Up Where We Belong
Modern Duets
Sam Smith & Kim Petras — Unholy
Elton John & Dua Lipa — Cold Heart
Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber — 10,000 Hours
P!nk & Nate Ruess — Just Give Me a Reason
Gotye — Somebody That I Used to Know (the Kimbra section is the whole point)
Calvin Harris & Rihanna — We Found Love
Calvin Harris & Sam Smith — Promises
Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa — One Kiss
Eminem & Rihanna — Love the Way You Lie
Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj — Bang Bang (technically a trio but always works as a duet)
Group Duets
Songs with multiple parts that work as group performances:
Spice Girls — Wannnabe (five parts, every group fights over who’s who)
Destinys Child — Say My Name (two-part harmonies throughout)
Boyz II Men — End of the Road / I’ll Make Love to You (the harmonies are the point)
Backstreet Boys — I Want It That Way (split the group for the harmonies)
Fugees — Killing Me Softly (Lauryn Hill’s verse plus the group chorus)
Duet Karaoke Tips
Decide who’s who before the song starts. Summer Nights and You’re the One That I Want require a Danny and a Sandy. Spend 30 seconds on casting and the performance is 90% there.
Shallow: the shift is everything. The quiet section before the belt is the setup. Don’t rush it. The payoff is the full-voice entry — and the room will react accordingly.
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is about the back-and-forth. The comedy is in the timing. Play it like a conversation.
Somebody That I Used to Know. The dynamic between Gotye and Kimbra is built into the song structure — the second voice comes in cold and assertive. Own that contrast.
Fairytale of New York year-round. You don’t need Christmas. The song is about two people with history — that reads in any month of the year.
Book Your Room
All duet songs are fully loaded in our private karaoke rooms at London Bridge. Separate mics in every room, groups of 6 to 20.
See also: Musical Theatre Karaoke → | Most Popular Songs → | Hen Party Songs → | Full Song List →
The Old School Yard | 111 Long Lane, London Bridge, SE1 4PH