Lyricist
Key facts
Lyricists interpret the style of a music piece and write words to accompany the melody. They work together with the music composer.
Lyricists work closely with music composers, interpreting the style and feeling of a musical piece and then writing lyrics that complement and enhance the melody. This often involves understanding the intended audience, the overall theme of the song, and the desired emotional impact. The role requires creativity, strong language skills, and a keen ear for rhythm and rhyme.
- • Writing original lyrics for songs across various genres.
- • Collaborating with composers to refine lyrics and ensure they align with the music.
- • Researching topics and themes to inform lyrical content.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Legal, social and cultural professionals — 186 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Denmark, Italy.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 2 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $76,910 2025-05 | +3.6% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +15.9% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Surplus reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £36,865 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for lyricist
The outlook for lyricist reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could lyricist change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- write to a deadline
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- study music
- study musical scores
Tasks most exposed to automation
- write songs
- match lyrics to mood of melody
- create a rhyme scheme structure
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Arts, Entertainment, & Design
A typical day as a lyricist
09 09:00 · Morning write to a deadline
10 10:30 · Mid-morning create a rhyme scheme structure
12 12:00 · Midday match lyrics to mood of melody
14 14:00 · Afternoon write songs
15 15:30 · Late afternoon study music
17 17:00 · Wrap-up study musical scores
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
-
study music
Study original pieces of music to get well acquainted with music theory and history.
-
study musical scores
Study musical scores and develop various interpretations.
-
write songs
Write the lyrics or melody for songs.
-
create a rhyme scheme structure
Create and develop a rhyme scheme for a song in order to write lyrics according to that scheme.
-
match lyrics to mood of melody
Match the lyrics to the melody and the emotions that are conveyed.
-
write to a deadline
Schedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.
music literature
Literature about music theory, specific music styles, periods, composers or musicians, or specific pieces. This includes a variety of materials such as magazines, journals, books and academic literature.
musical theory
The body of interrelated concepts that constitutes the theoretical background of music.
film music techniques
The techniques and forms of film music and its desired effects or moods.
- copyright legislation
- musical genres
- musical notation
Path to become a lyricist
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Bachelor's or equivalent level
609 programmes in 26 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 94 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Music - Pop music - Song Writing
Fontys Hogeschool · the Netherlands
Master of Arts in Songwriting
University of Limerick · Ireland
Music - Classical music - Composition
Fontys Hogeschool · the Netherlands
BA in Commercial Modern Music
Technological University Dublin · Ireland
Music - Jazz - Composition
Fontys Hogeschool · the Netherlands
Malta
These are 6 of 703.
Sources
- 1. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 2. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 3. Source: Malta Qualifications Registry, Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (qualifications.mfhea.gov.mt).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does lyricist fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are most important for a lyricist?
How do lyricists typically find work?
Is it common to work independently as a lyricist?
Is there a shortage of Lyricist in Europe?
How much does Lyricist pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data