What Does a Lyricist Do? How to Become a Lyricist

A lyricist or lyric writer comes up with the words (song lyrics) that accompany a piece of music. Professional lyricists combine skills like creative writing, music theory, and music production to compose words that elevate a piece of music.

Lyricists work in many areas, including the music industry, advertising, theater, and TV. In other words, it’s a wide-ranging career that encompasses everything from contributing to commercial jingles to collaborating with some of the world’s most prominent recording artists.

A lyricist’s work depends mainly on the industry in which they’re involved. In the music business, a lyricist might work with music producers to ghost-write rhymes for a rapper or hip-hop artist. Often, a lyricist is also a performer or a band member, working to craft the words that a vocalist will use to accompany a guitarist or pianist. Lyricists can also go the route of working on the music publishing side of the business, either working as a staff writer in-house to add words to a track or working freelance across music genres to pitch songs to publishers.

Lyricists can also work in the theater. They might serve as the librettist for an opera, working with a composer and an arranger to guide the plot along with the music. In advertising, lyricists take cues from producers and copywriters to create words for jingles that will please the client.

Songwriters take a more holistic approach to create a piece of music, often tackling both the melody and the lyrics of a song. Writing lyrics is often a part of songwriting, but writing melody is outside the purview of a lyricist’s responsibilities.

As with many creative jobs, there’s no one career path to become a lyricist. Sometimes, people who are already well-known songwriters will help write the lyrics for another artist. Here are some strategies for aspiring lyricists:

• Combine lyric writing with another skill. Since lyric-writing work can be hard to come by, one way to make it part of your profession is to do other related tasks. For example, try to book gigs performing your own songs as an indie artist or singer-songwriter; this would allow you to build a portfolio and gain valuable skills you could package with your lyric writing.
• Create a relationship with music publishing companies. Music publishers often need lyricists to work on music in progress. By pitching work as a freelance lyricist, you can build a rapport that could eventually lead to a job as a staff writer.
• Network with other people in the music industry. Often, people will give work to people they know. If you become a known quantity in a particular scene and tell people you’re looking for work as a lyricist, they may refer you to friends or colleagues who can help you build your portfolio.

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