Top 10 Best Songwriters of the 21st Century

The Top Ten
1 Marina & the Diamonds Marina Lambrini Diamandis, better known by her stage name "Marina and The Diamonds", is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Born in Bryn Mawr and raised in nearby Pandy, she moved to London as a teenager in order to achieve her dream of being a singer. She's known for her unique style of writing, and impersonating characters in creating her songs and forming her albums.

Queen of my life

2 Amy Lee Amy Lynn Hartzler, known professionally as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter, classically trained pianist and composer. She is also the lead singer to the Arkansas band Evanescence.
3 Yasmine Hamdan Yasmine Hamdan is a Lebanese singer, songwriter and actress, now based in Paris. She became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan while she was still living in Beirut.
4 Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, referred to mononymously as Sia, is an Australian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album in 1997 but mainly gained mainstrem attention in the 2010s. In 2021, she released the highly controversial film "Music". The film has received negative reviews online.

I think Sia is the best singer because her songs really have so much emotion connected to them. Her songs also helped me to push through depression and my life really is so much brighter. Her voice may not be the most smooth but there is nothing more beautiful than her occasional voice cracks in her elastic heart and bird set free. She is my role model for life.

She have to be in that high spot so much!

The queen of music

5 Lana del Rey Lana Del Rey is a California based singer, songwriter, and model who currently resides in Malibu, California. She was born under the name Elizabeth Woolridge Grant to entrepreneur Robert England Jr. and Patricia Ann Hill in rural Lake Placid, New York on June 21, 1985. She has two siblings, Chuck and Charlie. She attended a catholic elementary school and was sent to a boarding school at age 15 to deal with her alcohol abuse. After high school she lived with her aunt and uncle in New Jersey for a year where her uncle taught her how to play guitar and performed in various nightclubs under the pseudonyms Lizzy Grant, Sparkle Jumprope Queen, and May Jailer. She later attended Fordham University ...read more.

Her dark themes, beautiful imagery and endless references to music culture make her one of the best.

She is a poetry!

6 Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.

On the start of her career, she performed at an event called the Lollapalooza Festival during 2007 whereby a record label company Interscope found her due to her performance being “amusing” to watch. Since Interscope found her, she was a mastermind behind her songs with a team of producers namely Rob Fusari and RedOne. Most of her songs were deep unreleased cuts, due to her having more than 30 songs and 17 were picked. ...read more.
7 Alex Turner Alexander David "Alex" Turner is an English musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys.

His lyrics are powerful and inventive in ways you wouldn't even think of. However, I was surprised to see him on this list, since he's not as well-known as the other artists, but it made me so happy. I'm not the only one who appreciates his insane talent! Half the artists on here only write parts of their songs, but Alex writes so much, with such quality... how is he not number one? "Just 'cause we're having a say-so, not lining up to be playdough, in five years time, will it be, who the f***'s Arctic Monkeys? " One of the best lyrics ever, so reflective and honest. PLEASE VOTE!

Unbelievably underrated. It blows my mind that this man and his band are still so unknown. In my opinion, he has already earned the title of one of the best songwriters of all time and definitely the best in this century. Whether it's tongue-in-cheek or painfully earnest, he never misses. No other songwriter has been able to elicit this much emotion from me with a few simple words. He's a genius and I count myself so lucky to have been able to experience his art.

He has been really productive, working on 5 albums with Arctic Monkeys, with Miles Kane as The Last Shadow Puppets and done a movie soundtrack. Yet the quality of his works remains excellent. Clever metaphors, rhymes, references and beautiful imagery make him one of the most versatile song writers of the 21st century, even though he's usually writing about similar topics.

With lyrics that rival those from Morrissey, Alex Turner is probably one of the most important songwriters of this generation, and maybe eventually of all time. His music is not just catchy like an usual pop song, it all sounds extremely thought out and natural for the genius that he is.

8 Halsey Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known by her stage name Halsey, is an American singer and songwriter. She was born on September 29, 1994 in New Jersey. She started her career by releasing songs on SoundCloud, and now she is a well-known pop singer with hits like Bad at Love, and Now or Never. She had originated ...read more.
9 Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish, better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical Whistle Down the Wind.

She has that 'wild' look and sound to her. Best singles: Domino, Party In The U.S. A (which she sold to Miley) and Price Tag. She has others that I love and like.

10 Tyler Joseph Tyler Robert Joseph is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and rapper. He is best known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist for American musical duo Twenty One Pilots.

In my opinion, he is the greatest songwriter and lyricist of all time. Everything he writes is incredibly clever, deep, vulnerable, honest, and brilliant. The lyrics are intensely passionate and sometimes written with anguish but also hope. There is nothing he writes that is simple. Most lyrics take on multiple meanings and can be interpreted differently by different people. He has had a profound impact on his fans with lyrics that are able to bridge the gap between the listener and the song. He has saved lives and gained the most passionate and loyal following of any current bands fanbase that will always last for people like me.

Tyler Joseph, where do I start with Tyler Joseph? He writes amazing songs, simply amazing. I don't understand why Taylor swift is at the top of this list when we have tyler. Taylor writes about boyfriends and breakups, when Tyler writes amazing songs about REAL issues. He can make tears flow from your eyes.

Tyler Robert Joseph is an American musician, singer/songwriter, and rapper. He is the lead vocalist and keyboardist for American musical duo Twenty One Pilots.

Tyler Joseph writes about personal things, stuff no one is willing to talk about, and he is actually one songwriter/singer that doesn't talk about drugs and sex. TYLER JOSEPH RULES!

The Contenders
11 Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania. She is best known for writing personal songs and for having won 11 Grammys. She became interested in country music when she was around 9 years old, and after watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt that she should go to Nashville to begin a country music career. She then signed a contract with RCA Records and began to write songs.

Her music inspired me to write my own songs. She is giving us not just the quality of good music but also the lyrics that transpire and inspire people about what she had been through. Every era of her music makes it unique from each other which makes her my best music writer of all time.

To begin with, she has an entire album written by herself, without even co-writers (speak now by the way). She rhymed "cardigan" with "car again" and "oohhh aahhh" with "Cruel summer", if that doesn't show her skills I don't what will. She has written break up songs, love songs, sad ones, dance songs, she created an entire ficcional world with folklore and evermore. And she doesn't write only for her, but also for Rihanna (this is what you came for) and others! Have you ever written an single, and also a hit under 10min? Well, she did it, more than two times actually! Taylor Swift has won 3 album of the year at grammys and has an unique award: artist of the decade! She is THE BEST songwriter we have nowadays and will be remembered forever!

She should totally be at the top. Most people say she only writes about her exes but that is not true. She also writes about true love, Kanye, being 15, turning 22, haters, her reputation, a friend with an eating disorder, a little boy who died of cancer, and many other things.

With albums like speak now, folklore, and evermore, no one can deny she's one of the best songwriters, if not the best. She deserves to be on the top spot, she's one of the most versatile artists ever.

12 Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He sang songs such as The A team and Shape of You. He was born in Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk.

He has some of the greatest hits of all time! Who here has never listened to shape of you, perfect, bad habits, thinking out loud or photograph at least once? Well, be aware that all those songs were written by a single talent: Ed Sheeran

He is (in my personal opinion) the best singer song writer of out generation. When he performs live is like he's in the studio. There is no magic involved just Ed, his paw print guitar, loop pedal and heavenly voice. Fame hasn't changed him in the slightest. He still sofa surfs. Be that from his family or friends houses or his own. Every lyric has meaning and isn't about sex drugs and RockNRoll or bigging himself up. Even his album cover for X is simply that. An X. He doesn't need to brag about his fame and fortune and celebrity status. He is a role model to every teenager, young adult and adult out there. I'm sorry if I'm blabbing. He even went to Afghanistan to do a private gig for the lads on tour (my brother was amongst the crowd) he is what we need in a generation of drugs, violence and hate. Just to prove you can still be mellow and be loved. So much respect for this man.

He makes great music. I love his songs like Photograph and Thinking out loud. I think he is the best songwriter overall.

The a team and Lego house are such great songs. Not to mention that he wrote some songs for one direction.

13 Louis Tomlinson Louis Tomlinson is an English singer-songwriter, known as a member of the boy band One Direction. He was born on 24 December 1991 in Doncaster.
14 Eminem Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, is an American rapper, actor and music producer born on October 17, 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Eminem has sold over 300 million records making him the bestselling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of D12 and (with Royce da 5'9") half of the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil. Rolling Stone ranked him 83rd on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, calling him the King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has had ten number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and 5 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and 13 worldwide.

What is wrong with everyone for not vote for one of the best if not the greatest hip-hop artists of all time? His lyrics span from funny, inspirational to depressing

Bet rapper of all time

15 Sam Fender
16 Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. Graduating from the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in 2006, Adele was given a recording contract by XL Recordings after a friend posted her demo on Myspace the same year. She is best known with her international hit singles like Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, Hello, Easy On Me and the success of her second, third and fourth studio album which is 21, 25 and 30.

Without any doubt she is one of the best singers there is nowadays, and her songwrite skills are marvelous as well. Being able to write skyfall, winner of Oscar, isn't an easy thing to do, especially under 30min!

Writes from her broken heart and the genuine raw hurt and anguish in her songwriting is what makes her one of the most successful artists today. Everyone can relate to heartbreak and Adele does it better than any today.

She is truly incomparable, I've seen many try to match her voice but it is impossible. Best singles: They are all amazing, my personal favourites are Someone like you and Chasing Pavements.

She's simply amazing and her music, lyris, and awards talk for her.

17 Bebe Rexha
18 Ryan Ross Ryan Ross used to be the guitarist, backup vocalist, and main songwriter for the band Panic! at the Disco. ...read more.
19 Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde, is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand. She released her first EP "The Love Club" in 2012 and gained worldwide popularity with her song "Royals" at the age of 16. ...read more.
20 Ryan Tedder Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is well known for being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic

He has written so many songs that have lyrical meaning. Sure, many people can create a catchy tune that rhymes, but not many can create a catchy tune that rhymes that really has meaning. He's written hits for Beyonce, Adele, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, OneRepublic, and many more. He's a genius.

Multi dimensional song writing. Just think about lyrics and music of "Counting stars".

Genius behind so many hits we hear today.

21 Patrick Stump Patrick Martin Stumph, known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor and music critic, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist and composer of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois.
22 Mariah Carey Mariah Carey, born March 27, 1970, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is one of the biggest best-selling women in the music industry, with 18 number 1 records to her name. She is regarded as a sex symbol through her songs and music videos, and she is "well known" for her over-the-top ...read more.
23 Matty Healy
24 Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995 and again from 2009 to 2012. He has also had commercial success as a solo artist.

His songs are still the best I've ever heard and he is one amazing guy.

25 Yungblud
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