A singer-songwriter is a person who writes songs and then sings them. There's more to it than that, however: the "singer-songwriter" label is associated with certain styles of music. Traditionally, the label refers to Three Chords and the Truth music in which a single singer accompanies themself with only an acoustic guitar or a piano, but you'll also find singer-songwriters in pop and rock. The defining characteristics of a singer-songwriter is that they are billed individually rather than as part of a band, that they write their own songs, and that the emphasis is on the lyrics rather than on complex music (this is why you don't call Jimi Hendrix or Frank Zappa "singer-songwriters", even though they did sing and write songs). Singer-songwriter music was especially popular in The '70s.
Often overlaps with Folk Music and Country Music. Singer-songwriters may or may not write Protest Songs.
Notable singer-songwriters include:
Australia- Giulietta
- Delta Goodrem
- Darren Hayes
- Missy Higgins
- Jessica Mauboy
- Kate Miller-Heidke
- Kylie Minogue
- Olivia Newton-John
- Guy Sebastian
- Sia
- Rick Springfield
- Tones And I
- Vance Joy
Belgium
- Jacques Brel
- Raymond Van Het Groenewoud
Britain
- Adele
- Lily Allen
- Joan Armatrading
- Ken Ashcorp
- Rick Astley
- Gary Barlow
- David Bowie
- Billy Bragg
- Mutya Buena
- Kate Bush
- Melanie C
- Charlotte Church
- Hamilton Camp
- Phil Collins
- Elvis Costello
- Olivia D Abo
- Daisy Dares You
- Siobhán Donaghy
- Nick Drake
- Minnie Driver
- Cynthia Erivo
- Peter Frampton
- Ellie Goulding
- George Harrison
- Douglas Hodge
- Eric Idle
- Joe Jackson
- Mick Jagger
- Elton John
- Tom Jones
- King Charles
- John Lennon
- Pixie Lott
- Nick Lowe
- Clare Maguire
- Laura Marling
- John Martyn
- Brian May
- Paul McCartney
- Freddie Mercury
- Van Morrison
- Nerina Pallot
- Iwan Rheon
- Ed Sheeran
- John Spowage
- Ringo Starr
- Cat Stevens
- Al Stewart
- Rod Stewart
- Sting
- Joss Stone
- Harry Styles
- David Sylvian
- Tanita Tikaram
- Dominique Tipper
- Louis Tomlinson
- KT Tunstall
- FKA Twigs
- Roger Waters
- Amy Winehouse
- Victoria Wood
- Zayn
Canada
- Allie X
- Bryan Adams
- Geoff Berner
- Bruce Cockburn
- Tom Cochrane
- Leonard Cohen
- Xavier Dolan
- Nelly Furtado
- Jeff Healey
- Janyse Jaud
- Carly Rae Jepsen
- Chris Jericho
- Avril Lavigne
- Gordon Lightfoot
- Sarah McLachlan
- Joni Mitchell
- Alanis Morissette
- Stan Rogers
- Kinnie Starr
- The Weeknd
- Neil Young
China
Finland
France
Germany
- Franz-Josef Degenhardt
- Herbert Grönemeyer
- Reinhard Mey
- Marius Müller-Westernhagen
- Hannes Wader
- Konstantin Wecker
Ireland
Japan
- Rie Fu
- Gackt
- Ayumi Hamasaki
- Megumi Hayashibara
- Rica Matsumoto
- Yumi Matsutoya
- Miyavi
- Megumi Ogata
- Yoko Ono
- Yui Sakakibara
- T.M.Revolution
- Toshiyuki Toyonaga - yes, the voice actor. In addition to that - and singing in about five different boy band anime - he also does this style of music. He wrote and performed the second opening of Durarara X2, "Day You Laugh", and he wrote the song that the singer character in the show performs, as well.
- Utada Hikaru
Korea
Mexico
The Netherlands
- Douwe Bob
- Jaap Fischer
- Boudewijn de Groot
- Drs. P
Philippines
New Zealand
Russia
- The entire bard music (authors' song) genre.
- Díma Bilán
Scotland
Sweden
Ukraine
United States
- Jensen Ackles
- Jimmie Allen
- Tori Amos
- Fiona Apple
- David Archuleta
- Ashanti
- Gene Autry
- Penn Badgley
- Joan Baez
- Azealia Banks
- Sara Bareilles
- Drake Bell
- Crystal Bernard
- Beyoncé
- Andrew Bird
- Sonny Bono
- Michelle Branch
- Toni Braxton
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Bobby Brown
- Kane Brown
- Jackson Browne
- Jeff Buckley
- Tim Buckley
- Jimmy Buffett
- Camila Cabello
- Mariah Carey
- Vanessa Carlton
- Lynda Carter
- Joseph Castanon
- Johnny Cash
- Harry Chapin
- Tracy Chapman
- Cher
- Ciara
- Kelly Clarkson
- Kurt Cobain
- Sean Combs
- Harry Connick Jr.
- Miranda Cosgrove
- Jim Croce
- Sheryl Crow
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Miley Cyrus
- Madison Davenport
- Kimya Dawson
- Grey DeLisle
- Lana Del Rey
- John Denver
- Cleavant Derricks
- Jason Derulo
- Zooey Deschanel
- Kaitlyn Dever
- Neil Diamond
- Ani DiFranco
- Colton Dixon
- Hilary Duff
- Bob Dylan
- Steve Earle
- Clint Eastwood
- Billie Eilish
- Tennessee Ernie Ford
- Briana Evigan
- Sky Ferreira
- Jamie Foxx
- Leif Garrett
- Lesley Gore
- Ariana Grande
- Scott Grimes
- Dave Grohl
- Woody Guthrie
- Halsey
- Jeff Hardy
- Isaac Hayes
- John Hiatt
- Jimi Hendrix
- Brendan Hines
- Julia Holter
- Whitney Houston
- Caleb Hyles
- Iron and Wine
- Jason Isbell
- Cheyenne Jackson
- Janet Jackson
- Michael Jackson
- Jewel
- Billy Joel
- Nick Jonas
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Janis Joplin
- Malese Jow
- Christian Kane
- Michael Keaton
- Malcolm David Kelley
- Carole King
- Emily Kinney
- Hayley Kiyoko
- Lenny Kravitz
- Lady Gaga
- Joey Lawrence
- Leadbelly
- Amanda Lee
- John Legend
- Tom Lehrer
- Bethany Joy Lenz
- Jared Leto
- Adam Levine
- Little Richard
- Lindsay Lohan
- Demi Lovato
- Courtney Love
- Madonna
- Bruno Mars
- Charlotte Martin
- Melanie Martinez
- Jesse Mc Cartney
- Jennette McCurdy
- Reba McEntire
- Tim McGraw
- Don McLean
- Katharine McPhee
- Leighton Meester
- Bridgit Mendler
- Idina Menzel
- AJ Michalka
- Alyson Michalka
- Bette Midler
- Vic Mignogna
- Nicki Minaj
- Moby
- Janelle Monáe
- Taylor Momsen
- Mandy Moore
- Matthew Morrison
- Rob Morrow
- Jason Mraz
- Meg Myers
- Ne-Yo
- Willie Nelson
- Michael Nesmith
- Stevie Nicks
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Laura Nyro
- Conor Oberst
- Phil Ochs
- Oliver!
- Emily Osment
- Charlie Peacock
- Katy Perry
- Rebecca Pidgeon
- P!nk
- Jada Pinkett
- Elvis Presley
- Prince
- John Prine
- Amy Ray
- Raven-Symoné
- Malinda Kathleen Reese
- Jeremy Renner
- Rihanna
- Emmy Rossum
- Darius Rucker
- Katey Sagal
- Rachael Sage
- Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Emily Saliers
- Jill Scott
- Neil Sedaka
- Pete Seeger
- Bob Seger
- Blake Shelton
- Carly Simon
- Paul Simon
- Helen Slater
- Elliott Smith
- Jaden Smith
- Patti Smith
- Will Smith
- Willow Smith
- Solange
- Regina Spektor
- Bruce Springsteen
- Sufjan Stevens
- John Stewart
- Alison Sudol
- Taylor Swift
- James Taylor
- Steve Taylor
- Hannah Telle
- Vienna Teng
- Justin Timberlake
- Tinashe
- Meghan Trainor
- Shania Twain
- Carrie Underwood
- Usher
- Cristina Valenzuela
- Donnie Wahlberg
- Mark Wahlberg
- Jake Weary
- will.i.am
- Lucinda Williams
- Paul Williams
- Mare Winningham
- Jonathan Young