Top 10 Best Songwriters of the 21st Century

The Top Ten

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. Turner is also known for his work with the side project The Last Shadow Puppets, and his lyrical style has received widespread acclaim.

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.
Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter, born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. She developed a strong interest in country music around the age of nine after watching a Faith Hill documentary. Swift moved to Nashville as a teenager and, after signing with RCA Records, began... read more

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 know what will.
She has written breakup songs, love songs, sad ones, dance songs - she created an entire fictional world with "folklore" and "evermore." And she doesn't write only for herself, but also for Rihanna ("This Is What You Came For") and others! Have you ever written a single, and also a hit under 10 minutes? Well, she did it, more than two times actually! Taylor Swift has won three Album of the Year awards at the Grammys and has a unique award: Artist of the Decade! She is the best songwriter we have nowadays and will be remembered forever!
Pete Doherty

Peter Daniell Doherty is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being the co-frontman of The Libertines, a band he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. Doherty has also fronted the band Babyshambles and released solo music.
Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and humanitarian. Known as "The Boss," he's the leader of the E Street Band.
He's celebrated for his poetic lyrics, working-class themes, political messages tied to his native New Jersey,... read more
Sufjan Stevens
Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter from Compton, California. He began his career under the stage name K-Dot, releasing mixtapes that gained local recognition and led to his signing with Top Dawg Entertainment. Lamar has become one of the most critically... read more
Sam Fender
Noel Gallagher

Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and principal songwriter of the rock band Oasis. After leaving Oasis in 2009, he formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, with whom he has released four studio... read more

Should be in the top ten. Even twenty years after his rise to fame with Oasis, he can still write an amazing, heart-wrenching song.
Tyler Joseph

Tyler Robert Joseph is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and rapper. He is best known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist for the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. The band gained international popularity with their breakout album Blurryface and hit singles like Stressed Out and Ride.

Tyler has crafted a whole web of symbolism and metaphors in his music that he refers back to consistently. He's personified his internal struggles into an entity of its own.
He's by far the best lyricist I've come across to date. I cannot begin to describe the originality and cohesiveness of his art. His poetic lyrics are deeply profound and resonate significantly with fans, touching on mental health, faith, and more.
It's so nice to see truly beautiful and unique art that you can only pause to admire. A once-in-a-generation talent.

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 band's fanbase that will always last for people like me.
Lana del Rey

Lana Del Rey is a California-based singer and songwriter who currently lives in Malibu, California. She was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan, New York, to Robert England Grant Jr. and Patricia Ann Hill. She was raised in Lake Placid and has two younger siblings, Caroline... read more

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

The Newcomers

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Julian Casablancas

Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer of the American rock band The Strokes, which was founded in 1998, and of The Voidz, formed in 2013. He has also released solo work and contributed to various collaborations... read more

Hard to Explain (Is This It album, 2001):
I missed the last bus, I'll take the next train.
I'll try, but you see, it's hard to explain.
I say the right thing, but act the wrong way.
I like it right here, but I cannot stay.
I watch the TV, forget what I'm told.
Well, I am too young, and they are too old.
The joke is on you, this place is a zoo.
You're right, it's true.
Machu Picchu (from Angles album, 2011):
Blondes turn to grey.
Life in the shade.
A violent crime, and that's the USA.
Porn's on the rise.
Psychos in disguise.
I'm just trying to find a mountain I can climb.

Harry Styles said: "I heard some stuff recently from Julian Casablancas, and his solo stuff is amazing. If I could write with anyone, it would be him."
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Hannah Diamond

Hannah Diamond, also known as Hannah Amond, was born on June 20, 1991. She is a British singer, songwriter, photographer, and visual artist. She is known for her work with PC Music and A.G. Cook. She is best known for her songs Fade Away, Poster Girl, and Every Night.

She is an underrated songwriter.
Affirmations gives you hope. I love the bridge in that song.

The Contenders

Billie Joe Armstrong

Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and guitarist of the punk rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt.... read more
Marina & the Diamonds

Marina Lambrini Diamandis, better known by her former stage name "Marina and The Diamonds" and now simply as Marina, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Born in Brynmawr and raised in nearby Pandy, she moved to London as a teenager to pursue a music career. She is known for her unique songwriting style and... read more
Sia

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (born December 18, 1975), referred to mononymously as Sia, is an Australian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album in 1997 but mainly gained mainstream attention in the 2010s.
Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz... read more

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 smoothest, but there is nothing more beautiful than her occasional voice cracks in Elastic Heart and Bird Set Free. She is my role model for life.
Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.
Early in her career, she performed at Lollapalooza on August 4, 2007, as part of "Lady Gaga & The Starlight Revue," where she was noticed by Interscope Records executive Vincent... read more
Ed Sheeran

Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was born on February 17, 1991, in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk. He's known for hit songs such as "The A Team" (2011) and "Shape of You" (2017).... read more

He is (in my personal opinion) the best singer-songwriter of our generation. When he performs live, it's 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 at his family's or friends' houses, or his own. Every lyric has meaning and isn't about sex, drugs, and rock and roll or bigging himself up. Even his album cover for X is simply that - an X. He doesn't need to brag about his fame, 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.
Amy Lee

Amy Lee, born Amy Lynn Hartzler, is an American singer-songwriter, classically trained pianist, and composer. She is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence, which gained global fame with their 2003 hit Bring Me to Life... read more
Yasmine Hamdan

Yasmine Hamdan is a Lebanese singer, songwriter, and actress, now based in Paris. She first gained recognition with Soapkills, the electronic music duo she co-founded with Zeid Hamdan while living in Beirut. Her music blends Arabic influences with Western electronic styles.
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 220 million records, making him the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time. In addition to his solo career, he was a member of D12 and (with... read more

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

Louis Tomlinson is an English singer-songwriter, known as a member of the boy band One Direction. He was born on December 24, 1991, in Doncaster. Since the band's hiatus, Tomlinson has pursued a solo music career and released albums including Walls (2020) and Faith in the Future (2022).
Adele

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, born May 5, 1988, is an English singer and songwriter. She graduated from the BRIT School in 2006 and signed with XL Recordings after a demo posted on Myspace gained attention. She's best known for emotional ballads like Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, Hello, and Easy... read more

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 anyone 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 favorites are Someone Like You and Chasing Pavements.

Without any doubt, she is one of the best singers there is nowadays, and her songwriting skills are marvelous as well. Being able to write Skyfall, winner of an Oscar, isn't an easy thing to do, especially under 30 minutes!
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 began her music career by releasing songs on SoundCloud and gained popularity with hits like Bad at Love and Now or Never.
Bebe Rexha

Bleta "Bebe" Rexha (born August 30, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer of Albanian descent. She signed with Warner Records in 2013 and was credited with co-writing releases for other artists, including Eminem's Grammy Award-winning single "The Monster," before furthering her... read more
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 at age 11 with a role in the West End musical Whistle Down the Wind. Jessie J gained fame with her debut single Do It Like a Dude and went on to... read more

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.
Ryan Ross

George Ryan Ross III (born August 30, 1986) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his role as the former lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the American rock band Panic! at the Disco... read more
Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born November 7, 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde, is a singer-songwriter from New Zealand. She released her debut EP The Love Club in 2012 and rose to international fame with the single "Royals" at age 16... read more