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Johannesburg - Pop stars and music legends singing their own songs while driving around town. It shouldn’t be entertaining. But it really, really is.
This is the concept behind the extremely popular ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment of the The Late Late Show with James Corden. British actor, singer and comedian James Corden has been hosting The Late Late Show for just over a year and his YouTube channel is so popular that it just hit the billion view mark.
Each Carpool Karaoke sketch starts out with James being lost or running late for work. To help him navigate the concrete jungle, he casually picks up mega celebrities like Justin Bieber, Adele or Stevie Wonder. Cheeky banter ensues as James and his celebrity guests get cozy. He then plays their hit songs for them to sing along to. And it’s awesome.
Here’s our list of the eight best Carpool Karaoke skits for you to get down to.
1. Adele
In the video Adele spills the beans about how she acts when she’s drunk – it involves buying strangers meals and concert tickets. She also asks James whether she should wear a wig or get extensions. Adele is pretty cool.
Watch it here:
2. Justin Bieber
Beliebers rejoice! At one point in the video your boy Justin divulges that he never wears the same pair of underwear twice. It might have something to do with the fact that he modelled for Calvin Klein and probably has a lifetime supply of tighty-whities. Success? Check.
Watch it here:
3. Stevie Wonder
The sketch starts out with a very nervous looking James Corden in the passenger seat. At first you don’t see who the star guest is. Just James saying: “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”. It then cuts to Stevie Wonder in the driver’s seat. James quickly takes over.
Watch it here:
4. Mariah Carey
The notorious diva who wanted Table Mountain to change colour during her recent Cape Town performance comes across surprisingly chilled in this sketch. There’s even a little flirt action going down. And James does a pretty good job of hitting those high notes that Mariah is so famous for.
Watch it here:
5. Elton John
Speaking of divas, Elton John is another artist whose reputation for making ridiculous requests precedes him. In the video he tells James how he once called an agent to demand that “it’s too windy here, can you do something about it?”. Unless his agent was Storm from X-Men, there’s not much he could’ve done about the weather.
The highlight of this video is definitely the part when James is wearing the cheapest lion outfit imaginable while singing The Circle of Life with Elton in tow.
Watch it here:
6. Iggy Azalea
At one point Iggy and James get out the car to try on wedding dresses. Iggy rocks it. James, not so much. Things get a little weird in this one and it seems that James is a fan of cross-dressing. Definitely worth a watch.
Watch it here:
7. One Direction
One D fans can see the whole group again before Harry Styles split the boy band sensation. James makes a good addition though as they jam to the group’s biggest hits with a few dance moves thrown in for good measure.
Watch it here:
8. Gwen Stefani
In the latest instalment popstar Gwen joins James on the ride to work but the celebfest doesn't end here. While driving James ends up driving in the lane that needs four passengers in the carpool.
He then picks up George Clooney but they're still one person short. George then calls Julia Roberts.
Watch it here:
For those looking for more, you can watch every episode of the Late Late Show with James Corden exclusively on ShowMax with new episodes added within 24 hours of the US screening.
