How to Make a Karaoke Version of Any Song With Lyrics

The Missing Half of a Karaoke Track

Most guides to karaoke stop at the instrumental. But when you stand up to sing, the music is the easy part. What you need is the words, in the right order, with the repeats in the right places, on something you can read at a glance.

This guide is about that second half: getting the lyrics, cleaning them up, building a sheet you can sing from and practicing with it. If you want the details of how the vocal gets taken out of a finished mix and what affects how clean it sounds, read how to turn any song into a karaoke track first.

Get the Instrumental and the Lyrics From One Upload

The Karaoke Maker does both jobs at once. Upload the song, press the button and in a few minutes you get:

• The instrumental, with the vocals removed, to play in your browser or download as an MP3.
• The lyrics, written down from the separated vocal, so it works even on demos, live recordings and songs with no published lyrics.

The button shows the price before you start. The lyrics come as plain text without timing, so they don't scroll along with the music. For singing along, that is often better: you can read ahead, mark the sheet up and print it.

Check the Lyrics Before You Trust Them

Any lyric transcript, by a person or an AI, can get a word wrong. Fast lines, heavy effects and mumbled ad libs are the usual suspects. Before you rely on the sheet:

1. Play the original song and read along once, start to finish.

2. Fix any misheard word right there.

3. Check the repeats. Choruses are often sung slightly differently each time, and the last chorus may be doubled.

4. Decide what to do with ad libs. For karaoke, most people drop them or put them in brackets.

Turn the Words Into a Lyric Sheet You Can Sing From

A wall of text is hard to follow under pressure. A few minutes of formatting makes a big difference:

• Label the sections. Put VERSE 1, CHORUS, BRIDGE above each block, so you always know where you are.
• Write repeats out in full instead of "chorus x2." When you are mid song, you don't want to do math.
• Mark the breaths. A slash where you breathe stops you running out of air halfway through a long line.
• Note the gaps. Write "(8 bars)" where the instrumental plays alone, so you don't come in early.
• Use big text. Big enough to read from arm's length, or from a music stand.

You can copy the lyrics straight from the karaoke kit into any document to do this. If you'd rather have it ready to print, download the lyrics as a PDF lyric sheet with the song name at the top (again, the button shows the price).

Singing a Song in Another Language

Karaoke is a great way to learn a song in a language you don't speak, but it helps to know what you are singing. From the karaoke kit, the Translate button sends the lyrics to the Lyric Translator, which gives you a faithful line by line translation to understand the song, plus a singable version if you want to try it in your own language. Keep the original words on the sheet for singing and the translation next to it for meaning.

If you want to go further and perform it in your language, our guide on how to translate a song for a cover walks through making a version that fits the melody.

Pick Songs That Suit Your Voice

The best karaoke song is one that sits where your voice is comfortable. Before you spend time on a lyric sheet, sing the chorus along with the original once. If the highest note is a strain, pick something else or save it for later, because the instrumental will be in the original key. Songs with a lot of words in a short space are harder than they sound, so start with something slower if you are new to it. And choose songs you actually love: you will practice them more, and it shows when you perform.

A Simple Practice Routine

1. Listen with the sheet. Play the original twice while reading. Don't sing yet.

2. Sing along with the original. Let the singer carry you while you learn the phrasing.

3. Switch to the instrumental. Now you are on your own. Expect a few rough spots.

4. Record yourself. A phone is fine. Listen back with the sheet and mark the places you rushed or lost the words.

5. Repeat the hard parts only. Loop the tricky section instead of the whole song.

By the third or fourth day, you will look at the sheet less and less, which is the goal.

Hosting a Karaoke Night

If you are putting together a playlist for a party, make the karaoke versions a day or two before, not on the night. For each song, keep the instrumental and the lyric sheet together with the same name, so you can find them quickly. Print the sheets, or keep them open on a tablet next to the screen. And listen through each instrumental once, since a song with big backing vocal hooks can feel empty without them.

Keep It Personal

Singing along at home, practicing or a private party is the whole point of a karaoke version. Removing the vocals doesn't change who owns the song or its lyrics, so posting a karaoke version of someone else's song online, streaming it or selling it needs permission from the people who own it. This is general information, not legal advice.