Famous Lyricists & Songwriters - List of Famous Lyricists & Songwriters

Lyricists and songwriters write the words to an original piece of music and collaborate with composers and music artists to produce the final songs. They have to be highly creative and have a way with words. When a song becomes a hit, a lot of credit is due to the lyricists and songwriters for writing the words that touch the listeners’ hearts and kindle their imagination. A lyricist should be able to use words that complement the music and capture the essence of what the song seeks to convey. Catchy lyrics help to attract the listeners’ attention while meaningful ones help to establish a rapport with the listener. A lyricist who also composes the music for the songs he writes is called a songwriter. Many famous musicians of our times like Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and David Crosby are songwriters who rose to mainstream fame. Lyricists who don’t write their own music work with composers who write the melodies for the songs. Irrespective of whether they write their own music or not, lyricists need to possess an in-depth knowledge of different music styles and genres. Read on to gain more knowledge about the life and works of famous lyricists and songwriters from around the world.

The Most Famous Lyricists & Songwriters

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Billie EilishDecember 18, 2001AmericanBillie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell is an American singer and songwriter
SaweetieJuly 2, 1993AmericanSaweetie (Diamonté Harper) is an American rapper and songwriter best known for her song ‘Icy Grl.’
RuelOctober 29, 2002BritishRuel van Dijk, better known by stage name Ruel, is a UK born Australian singer-songwriter
Emina JahovićJanuary 15, 1982SerbianEmina Jahović Sandal is a Serbian model, actress and singer-songwriter
Montana TuckerJanuary 18, 1993AmericanMontana Tucker is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer
SelenaApril 16, 1971AmericanSelena Quintanilla-Pérez, famously known as the ‘Queen of Tejano music’, was a Mexican-American singer, composer, actress, spokesperson and fashion designer
ASAP RockyOctober 3, 1988AmericanASAP Rocky is an American rapper and songwriter
Peter ToshOctober 19, 1944JamaicanPeter Tosh was a famous Jamaican Reggae musician and a promoter of Rastafari
Maher ZainJuly 16, 1981Lebanese, SwedishMaher Zain is a Swedish-Lebanese singer, songwriter, and musician
Ricky MartinDecember 24, 1971Puerto RicanRicky Martin is a prominent Puerto Rican pop singer, songwriter and actor, who was a singing sensation during the 1990s
Andy Lau

Andy Lau

Andy Lau is a singer and actor from Hong Kong

James Hetfield

James Alan Hetfield is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the heavy metal band, ‘Metallica.’

AmericanAugust 3, 1963383 views

Mel B

Mel B (Melanie Brown) is a famous British singer-songwriter and TV show host

BritishMay 29, 1975145 views

Bernie Taupin

Bernie Taupin is an English singer, lyricist, and poet

BritishMay 22, 1950539 views

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was one of the most iconic American musical icons of the 20th century

AmericanFebruary 21, 1933257 views

Ashanti

Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress

AmericanOctober 13, 1980199 views

Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams is one of the most popular singers of recent times, renowned for his songs Heaven and Everything I Do

Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige is a prolific American musician, singer-songwriter, actress, and model

AmericanJanuary 11, 1971160 views

Burt Bacharach

Burt Freeman Bacharach is a legendary American composer, songwriter, singer, pianist, and record producer

AmericanMay 12, 1928136 views

Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett is an American musician and songwriter

AmericanDecember 25, 1946221 views