From Neil Young to Taylor Swift, 2024’s music enthusiasts have a wide range of singer-songwriters to enjoy. If you’re looking for some new music to stream on Spotify or buy online, you likely will want to find songs by those who know how to evoke a strong reaction.
Here, we’re going to discuss some traits that the greatest singer-songwriters have in common. Read on to learn what makes them stand apart from other musicians.
Cohesive Storytelling
Some musicians are exclusively songwriters. They write poetry and set it to music. While this is important since lyrics speak to us, they rely on someone else to sing their songs.
Singers are another type of musician who understands vocals. Their talents include finding and hitting the notes songwriters want them to. They also need to establish vocal range and master multiple registers.
While both of these types of musicians are important, singer-songwriters give you the best of both worlds.
Because they write the song and bring it to life, the piece comes out exactly as they wanted it to. This lets a singer-songwriter create something cohesive that perfectly matches their vision.
They do all of the hard work and bring their own poetry to life with a musical performance that encapsulates the desired emotion. They don’t need to rely on someone else’s interpretation of the lyrics to invoke a reaction, and this lets them create exactly the tone and feel that they want to bring to their music.
Relatable Lyrics
One of the best emerging singer-songwriters in the 2020s is Olivia Rodrigo. The new punk-pop icon has only been around since 2021, but she already has been nominated for Grammys and seen widespread commercial success.
The main reason for this success is reliability. Take her Grammy-nominated Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl, for example. This song is about navigating social awkwardness in daily life and contending with the feelings that everything you do is wrong (or, as she says, ‘tragic.’)
Pretty much everyone can relate to saying the wrong thing in a social setting. It’s not a good feeling, and setting it to a rock-like screamo song with jarring vocals is the perfect way to relate to listeners and ensure that they feel the strong emotions that the lyrics invoke.
Relatability is one of the most important aspects of being a singer-songwriter, and it sets new emerging artists out as those to watch out for.
Easy to Sing Along To
Everyone wants to scream-sing relatable bops like The Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather or Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule the World while driving. That’s why the best types of songwriters are those who can sing their own catchy lyrics in a relatable and easy-to-sing way.
Relatable tunes with catchy melodies tend to stick in people’s heads. Think about pop songs like Lorde’s The Louvre or We the Kings’ That Feeling. Rap songs like Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda and punk songs like Fall Out Boy’s Hold Me Tight or Don’t all have lyrics and relatable beats that are easy to remember.
This makes for a great musical performance that keeps people coming back for more.
Passionate Songwriting Skills
‘Passion’ is defined in art as having a strong emotion for the creative output you’re putting out. The emotions that go into creating something passionately are strong and barely able to be controlled.
Passion isn’t something that you can measure with metrics or numbers, but it’s one of the single most important aspects of being a successful singer-songwriter.
If you’re looking to understand passion better, emerging artist Anabella Paige discusses how she balances singing and songwriting with school and other parts of life. Music is a priority for her, and singles like This I Miss and A Prayer make it obvious that singing goes beyond a simple hobby for her.
Because in the end, that’s what passion is. It’s making what you love a priority, pouring your heart and soul into it, and sharing it with others who you hope will have the same strong emotional reaction to your work as you do.
Range and Experimentation
Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a global success. Her most recent tour has brought in over a billion dollars, she tops the charts dozens of times with every new release, and has won more Grammys than any other female singer-songwriter in history.
One big reason for this is her range. Fearless, a country album, won Album of the Year in 2010, but she won the same award for her pop album 1989 as well. It’s hard to shake that off!
In 2021, she won the award again for her calming indie-inspired Folklore before winning it for another pop album, Midnights, in 2024. All of these totally deserved wins happened in part because her wide range of genres kept people’s attention, and a little experimentation went a long way with her 2020 Folklore and Evermore albums.
She’s undoubtedly one of the most successful female lyricists ever because she can write songs like Love Story, Better That Revenge, How You Get the Girl, Tolerate It, Midnight Rain, and I Hate It Here with equal ease… and none of them feature even remotely similar sounds.
Trendy Beats
While being experimental is important, the best singer-songwriters also know how to be trendy. Some nostalgic, old-fashioned songs will be big hits with those who already feel strongly about that type of music, but relating to a younger audience means getting in on top music trends.
These are the kinds of tunes that the bulk of listeners tend to remember. When finding new music and enjoying different styles, make note of some trends you notice across the board. Incorporating modern motifs shows adaptability and passion for living in the moment.
Fall in Love With One of the Greatest Singer-Songwriters Out There
Now that you know what makes the greatest singer-songwriters thrive, it’s time to enjoy an emerging artist that knows how to set herself apart.
Anabella Paige’s music features complex vocals, precise piano notes, and layered string patterns that are both catchy and deep. If you want to listen to a new artist with tons of range, she’s your girl. Reach out to her and her team to learn more about where to stream her music or how to best enjoy her songs.