50 Best Songs for Vocal Auditions with 16 and 32 Bar Audition Cuts
Choosing the perfect audition piece can be pretty overwhelming. We're here to help!
Choosing the perfect audition piece can be pretty overwhelming. Not only do you have one chance to prove your singing chops, but you more than likely have less than 5 minutes to do it! Judging panels usually ask for 16 – 32 Bar excerpts and they want to hear all you can do in that short amount of time. We want to help you choose the perfect audition piece for you, so we’re going to give you some Audition Cuts that have been arranged to show off your voice in either 16 Bars or 32 Bars. And of course, if you are allowed the opportunity to sing an entire piece, you can grab the full versions of these songs too!
Before choosing your song, remember that your song should:
- Be in the style of the show/performance you are auditioning for. If you’re not auditioning for a show, choose a song that best represents your style.
- Be age/character appropriate. In other words, don’t sing a song from Annie if you’re trying to star in Rent.
- Show off your entire range. Don’t forget to check for transpositions and experiment with playback to find your perfect key!
For more audition tips, check out our article: 7 Ways NOT to Choose Your Vocal Audition Piece. And now, without further ado, we’re going to give you some perfect selections for female voice, some selections for male voice, and some selections that work for either.
For Female Voice
- “She Used To Be Mine” from Waitress
- “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
- “And All That Jazz” from Chicago
- “Watch What Happens“ from Newsies
- “On My Own” from Les Misérables
- “Before It’s Over” from Dogfight
- “Almost There” from Princess and the Frog
- “Someone Like You” from Jekyll & Hyde
- “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls
- “Astonishing” from Little Women
- “One Perfect Moment” from Bring It On: The Musical
- “The Life I Never Led” from Sister Act (The Musical)
- “Thank You for the Music” from Mamma Mia!
- “Everything Else” from Next to Normal
- “Pretty Funny” from Dogfight
- “As Long as He Needs Me” from Oliver!
- “Daydreamer” by Adele
- “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” from Songs for a New World
- “Let Me Be Your Star” from Smash
- “With You” from Ghost: The Musical
For Male Voice
- “Waving Through A Window” from Dear Evan Hansen
- “Giant In The Sky” from Into The Woods
- “I Believe” from The Book of Mormon
- “Be Our Guest” from Beauty And The Beast
- “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis
- “Feeling Good” from The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd
- “Lilac Wine” by Jeff Buckley
- “My Prayer” by The Platters
- “Alone in the Universe” from Seussical the Musical
- “Stars” from Les Misérables
- “For Forever” from Dear Evan Hansen
- “Michael in the Bathroom” from Be More Chill
- “Lost Boy” from Darling
- “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady
- “Run Away With Me” from The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown
- “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin
- “This Is the Moment” from Jekyll & Hyde
- “Hallelujah I Love Her So” by Ray Charles
For Male OR Female Voice
- “Suddenly Seymore” from Little Shop of Horrors
- “If I Loved You” from Carousel
- “Barton Hollow” by The Civil Wars
- “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
- “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister
- “Freeway of Love” by Aretha Franklin
- “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand
- “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion
- “All Through the Night” by Cyndi Lauper
- “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees
- “Somewhere” from West Side Story
- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John
We hope that these songs have inspired a few ideas for your next audition! Don’t forget to check out our article: Vocal Audition Etiquette: 6 Things to Keep in Mind to refresh on how to compose yourself within the audition space. And we can’t leave you without saying GOOD LUCK on your next audition! We know you’re going to crush it.
