What global popularity can teach a songwriter
A popular song is a useful listening classroom. You can hear how a small melodic idea becomes memorable, how a rhythm supports a vocal, and how a chorus gains energy without adding every instrument at once. Start with one of the official videos below and choose a single detail to study. A memorable opening, an uncluttered verse or a convincing transition is a more useful goal than trying to capture an artist’s entire catalogue.
The first ten entries follow IFPI’s full-year 2025 Global Artist Chart, announced on February 18, 2026. Fourteen additional spotlights widen the selection to established global artists and artists highlighted by current releases or music-industry coverage in 2026. These additional entries are editorial selections and do not carry IFPI artist ranks. It measures worldwide recorded-music consumption across an artist’s catalogue and across formats. It is an annual commercial ranking, rather than a live September 2026 popularity poll or a ranking of the videos selected here. The listening examples span several release years so you can compare established approaches as well as newer work.
Treat the production descriptions and prompts as our creative listening exercises. Suggested tempos are starting settings for a new composition, not measured BPM values or claims about the original recording sessions. Each brief asks for a different original song; audition the generated result against the musical choices you made.
Choose the musical detail you want to learn
Listen once for the overall shape, then again for one layer. On the second pass, follow only the drums, the bass or the way the voice enters. Write down what changes between a verse and a chorus. A brighter sound, a longer note or an extra harmony can create a lift even when the rhythm stays steady.
Keep three priorities in your brief: the groove, the leading sound and the arrangement change. Add a vocal direction if you are writing a song. Describe delivery with words such as conversational, clipped, sustained or intimate, then use your own lyric and melody. This makes the instruction useful even when the reader has never heard the reference.
Use the table to choose a first experiment. These are production directions to explore, not fixed labels for an artist. You can take a sparse vocal arrangement from one example and combine it with the rhythmic feel of another, provided the resulting brief still describes a coherent song.
| Your goal | References to explore | A useful first change |
|---|---|---|
| A clear pop hook | Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Rihanna | Keep the backing groove steady and vary the length of the chorus phrases. |
| Rhythm with character | Stray Kids, BTS, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Doechii | Reduce the backing layers and leave gaps around the lead’s rhythmic accents. |
| A larger dance chorus | The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, LISA, Bruno Mars, ROSÉ, KATSEYE | Introduce one recurring synth motif, then widen the arrangement at the chorus. |
| An intimate song | Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, RAYE, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, Lola Young | Start with a restrained lead and a simple accompaniment before adding harmony. |
24 artists, 24 ways into a song
Each entry gives you artist context, a specific listening task and an editable prompt. The first ten entries retain their dated IFPI artist positions; the remaining fourteen are additional spotlights. The navigation numbers help you find an entry and are not a combined popularity ranking. Explore Beyoncé, LISA, BTS, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and RAYE alongside Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, sombr, KATSEYE, Lola Young, ROSÉ and Doechii.
The prompts deliberately use different forms: a miniature story, a section-by-section arrangement, a performance brief, a band conversation or an emotional arc. Choose the one that helps you describe your idea, then replace its subject or musical choices with your own.
Every reference links to an official artist or label upload. Formats include music videos, Beyoncé’s official visualizer, Morgan Wallen’s session performance and Olivia Dean’s 2026 Grammy performance. Use the YouTube player to watch each reference, or open the official upload through the link below it. Playback availability can vary by region or browser.
Chart reference: IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025. Ranks apply only to the first ten entries, announced February 18, 2026. The fourteen additional artist spotlights are unranked. Navigation numbers identify entries, not chart positions. Sources and official uploads checked September 30, 2026.
IFPI 2025 · #1
Taylor Swift
Storytelling in a focused pop arrangement
Taylor Swift’s catalogue connects narrative songwriting with several pop and acoustic approaches. For this exercise, Anti-Hero offers a compact synth-pop setting where a conversational lead remains the centre of attention.
Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Follow the lead into the chorus and notice how a recurring backing pattern gives the changing vocal phrases a stable frame. Try writing a verse with short, speech-like lines, then let the chorus hold its key thought for longer. Build the lift through phrasing before adding instruments.
A prompt for your own song
Write a small story about meeting an old friend on the last train home. Let the verses sound like a private conversation, then stretch the central thought into a singable chorus. A muted keyboard loop, rounded synth bass and a steady 108 BPM beat should carry the song; bring in soft harmonies only when the perspective changes.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #2
Stray Kids
Rhythmic contrast and quick changes in energy
Stray Kids bring rap, sung hooks and group performance into tightly contrasted pop arrangements. Chk Chk Boom is a useful reference for following changes in vocal texture while a rhythmic idea ties the sections together.
Stray Kids - Chk Chk Boom M/V
Listen for this
Pay attention to how the voices take turns and where the backing makes room for an accent. Sketch a short rhythmic phrase of your own, repeat it with a different lead texture, then answer it with a simpler sung hook. Keep the section changes easy to hear.
A prompt for your own song
[Intro] Two bars of bass and clipped percussion. [Verse] Trade short rhythmic lines between contrasting voices over syncopated drums. [Pre-chorus] Pull the kick away for one breath. [Chorus] Land on a simple group melody with sharp synth accents. [Finale] Repeat the hook once with a new drum fill. Keep the pulse near 100 BPM and the performance playful.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #3
Drake
Space around a melodic rap lead
Drake’s work often moves between rap and sung phrasing. The official OVO Sound upload of God’s Plan provides a reference for an economical backing that leaves the vocal rhythm and repeated hook easy to follow.
Drake - God's Plan (Official Video)
Listen for this
Ignore the visual narrative for one pass and follow the spaces between vocal phrases. Notice how a repeated backing figure can hold the track together without competing for attention. For your own version, give the bass, percussion and lead separate jobs and remove anything that duplicates them.
A prompt for your own song
Give each part one job: a low keyboard loop sets the mood, a rounded bass anchors the harmony, and light hats mark a relaxed half-time pocket. The lead moves between spoken rhythm and a brief sung refrain about learning to slow down. Leave an empty beat after important lines. Aim for a warm, uncluttered mix at roughly 76 BPM.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #4
The Weeknd
A recurring synth hook with forward motion
The Weeknd’s music offers a meeting point between pop melody, R&B vocal phrasing and electronic textures. Blinding Lights is an accessible reference for a bright recurring synth figure and a rhythm that keeps moving underneath it.
The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (Official Video)
Listen for this
Follow the instrumental hook as it returns, then listen to what changes when the vocal takes the foreground. Try composing a small motif that works between sung phrases. Give the chorus more width while keeping the pulse consistent, so the track feels larger without losing momentum.
A prompt for your own song
Picture streetlights sliding across a windshield at midnight. Build that forward motion into a fast synth-pop song: driving drum machine, springy bass, one luminous keyboard motif. A high, expressive lead begins narrowly and opens into a wide chorus. Let the motif answer the singer, then carry the final instrumental exit. Tempo target: 164 BPM.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #5
Bad Bunny
Salsa ensemble movement and a bittersweet vocal story
Bad Bunny’s BAILE INoLVIDABLE, from DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, provides a salsa-focused listening reference. Use the official video to explore the relationship between an active ensemble and a reflective vocal narrative. The exercise centres on rhythmic conversation between piano, percussion, bass and brass.
BAD BUNNY - BAILE INoLVIDABLE (Video Oficial) | DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Listen for this
Listen to how the piano pattern and percussion interlock, then notice where the brass answers the singer. Try a new arrangement with a repeating piano figure and a vocal that tells one clear story. Let the band become more conversational at the refrain without crowding the lead.
A prompt for your own song
Begin with a wistful Spanish vocal over a few piano chords, then let the room fill with a live salsa ensemble. Interlock congas, timbales and a moving bass with a repeating piano pattern; use brass to answer the ends of phrases. Tell a new story about one final dance before leaving town, and let the refrain grow through lead-and-chorus exchanges.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #6
Kendrick Lamar
Cadence, repetition and room for the lead
Kendrick Lamar’s rap performances make rhythm, emphasis and changes in delivery central to the arrangement. Not Like Us is a reference for studying the relationship between a repeating instrumental idea and a lead that reshapes the energy above it.
Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us
Listen for this
Count a few bars while following where phrases begin and end. Notice how vocal accents can create movement over a stable backing. Write a new rhythmic verse about a subject of your own, then test whether the beat leaves its most important words enough room.
A prompt for your own song
The vocal cadence is the main instrument. Write a rap about standing by a difficult decision, with tight internal rhythms and deliberate changes of emphasis. Underneath, repeat a dry bass figure and a short, newly written string stab. Use a spare West Coast bounce, drop the backing for one pivotal bar, and return with a compact group response.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #7
Morgan Wallen
A country vocal carried by a simple repeating figure
Morgan Wallen is a country singer whose songs offer useful examples of direct vocal storytelling. This Last Night reference is the official One Record At A Time Sessions performance, giving the exercise a performance-led perspective.
Morgan Wallen - Last Night (One Record At A Time Sessions)
Listen for this
Follow the recurring accompaniment and the way the vocal places its syllables against it. Try a small guitar figure of your own before adding a full rhythm section. Keep the verse close and conversational, then make the chorus lift through harmony and a fuller backing.
A prompt for your own song
Acoustic guitar first, close vocal second, rhythm section last. Build a country-pop song around a late-night apology that arrives too late. Keep the first verse almost bare; add a warm bass and restrained backbeat for the chorus. A short slide-guitar reply should follow the vocal rather than compete with it. Finish with the opening guitar figure alone.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #8
Sabrina Carpenter
A light dance groove and playful phrasing
Sabrina Carpenter’s pop work is a useful reference for putting personality into short vocal phrases. Espresso offers a bright, danceable setting for studying how a hook can stay prominent while the backing remains light and rhythmically active.
Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso
Listen for this
Pay attention to the spaces around the hook and the short backing accents that answer it. For your own song, try fewer words with clearer rhythmic placement. Keep the bass moving and use small instrumental responses between phrases instead of filling every vocal gap.
A prompt for your own song
Mood: mischievous, sunlit, effortlessly upbeat. Pocket: a light disco bounce with muted guitar and a rubbery bass line. Delivery: conversational verses, crisp consonants, a small wink of backing harmony. Payoff: a short chorus people can sing after one listen, followed by a two-bar instrumental answer. Keep the lyric about enjoying an unexpectedly good day.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #9
Billie Eilish
Intimacy that opens into a melodic chorus
Billie Eilish’s recordings are useful for listening to the expressive detail of a close lead vocal. BIRDS OF A FEATHER provides a melodic pop reference in which the vocal can remain personal even as the surrounding arrangement opens up.
Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Compare the feeling of the quieter phrases with the more sustained chorus lines. Try keeping a gentle lead at the centre while adding depth behind it. A new harmony, a longer phrase or a brighter accompaniment may create enough lift without a forceful drum change.
A prompt for your own song
Make the listener feel only an arm’s length from the singer. Use a soft, close lead over clean guitar, a gently pulsing bass and small electronic drums. Write about trusting someone enough to stay. Keep breath and space in the verse, then let long chorus notes and quiet layered harmonies supply the emotional lift. Avoid filling every pause.
Try this promptIFPI 2025 · #10
Lady Gaga
Theatrical dance-pop with a strong recurring hook
Lady Gaga’s performance-driven pop offers a reference for connecting vocal drama with dance music. Abracadabra, from MAYHEM, is a useful study in maintaining a strong rhythmic identity while giving the chorus a larger theatrical shape.
Lady Gaga - Abracadabra (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Listen for the relationship between the recurring vocal idea and the insistent dance pulse. In your own exercise, choose a brief original hook, give it a contrasting middle section and bring it back with a fuller arrangement. Keep the central rhythm recognizable throughout.
A prompt for your own song
Build → withhold → release. Establish a firm four-on-the-floor beat and a dark synth pattern; narrow the first verse to voice and bass; then open the chorus with bright chords and a bold group response. Insert a stripped percussion break before the last return. The song should feel theatrical and physical, with a fresh melody and a decisive ending.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Beyoncé
Country textures, vocal authority and a communal refrain
Beyoncé’s TEXAS HOLD ’EM offers a country-facing entry point into a catalogue that also spans R&B, pop and dance music. The official visualizer keeps attention on the song itself. Use it to explore how a roots-oriented instrumental palette can support a confident lead and an inviting communal hook.
Beyoncé - TEXAS HOLD 'EM (Official Visualizer)
Listen for this
Separate the plucked instrumental rhythm from the vocal rhythm. Notice how a lead can sound relaxed while the accompaniment keeps the movement firm. In your own arrangement, begin with a small acoustic ensemble, then use backing voices to make the chorus feel like a shared gathering.
A prompt for your own song
A front-porch band grows into a roomful of singers. Begin with a bright banjo figure and foot-stomp percussion, add upright-style bass, then let a full-bodied lead tell a story about coming home. Answer the chorus with warm group harmonies. Keep the swing light, the acoustic textures tactile and the last refrain big enough for a communal singalong.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
LISA
Dance-pop attitude and contrasting vocal entrances
LISA’s BORN AGAIN brings Doja Cat and RAYE into the same dance-pop setting. It is a useful collaboration to study because the changes in vocal character become part of the arrangement. Follow how each entrance refreshes the track while the underlying groove gives it continuity.
LISA - BORN AGAIN feat. Doja Cat & RAYE (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Listen for the handover between vocalists instead of following only the hook. Try giving three sections distinct deliveries: a cool opening, a clipped rhythmic passage and a more expansive sung response. Keep one bass pattern consistent so those contrasts feel intentional.
A prompt for your own song
Cast three vocal roles: a cool, poised lead for the opening; a nimble rhythmic voice for the second verse; and a soaring response at the chorus. Tie them together with a sleek disco bass, dry handclaps and clipped guitar. The lyric celebrates taking back the evening after a breakup. Use brief instrumental handovers instead of long build-ups.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
BTS
Bright disco-pop with a shared group hook
BTS’s Dynamite is an English-language disco-pop reference for a buoyant group performance. Follow how changing lead voices and backing responses keep the song lively while the groove stays consistent. This is an established listening example, selected for its arrangement rather than as a latest-release claim.
BTS (방탄소년단) 'Dynamite' Official MV
Listen for this
Follow the bass and guitar through the handovers between singers. Notice how short vocal phrases can create momentum before a shared chorus opens up. For your own exercise, keep the rhythmic foundation stable and give each voice a different entrance, then add harmonies to make the final refrain feel larger.
A prompt for your own song
Keep the dance floor moving through every vocal handover. Pair a springy disco bass with clipped rhythm guitar, bright keyboard chords and a crisp backbeat. Write an English group-pop song about finding joy in an ordinary afternoon. Give each singer a short, distinct entrance, then bring the voices together in a buoyant refrain with a newly composed melody.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Ariana Grande
Airy harmony layers over a steady electronic pulse
Ariana Grande’s we can’t be friends (wait for your love) is a listening reference for expressive pop singing within a controlled electronic arrangement. Listen to the relationship between the steady backing and the more fluid vocal line. The exercise is about placement and harmony, rather than matching a singer’s tone.
Ariana Grande - we can't be friends (wait for your love) (official music video)
Listen for this
Follow the lead melody first, then replay a chorus for its supporting voices. Notice where sustained notes create room for a harmony to enter. In your own song, keep the beat stable and add the richest harmony to one emotional phrase instead of doubling everything.
A prompt for your own song
Vocal direction: begin with a light, clear lead and save the fullest harmony stack for the chorus. Production direction: a steady electronic pulse, smooth bass and glassy pads with space between them. Emotional arc: acceptance gradually replaces longing. Let one sustained note open the chorus; finish with a quieter reprise of that melodic idea.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Bruno Mars
A rolling disco-soul pocket and playful vocal exchanges
Skate pairs Bruno Mars with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic. The official video offers a disco-soul reference for a light, rolling groove and an easy exchange between lead voices. Study how bass, guitar and percussion keep the track moving while vocal responses add personality.
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic - Skate [Official Music Video]
Listen for this
Tap the backbeat, then follow the smaller percussion and guitar accents around it. Listen for how one voice leaves space for the other to answer. In your own arrangement, let a shared groove connect the parts and introduce a short instrumental reply only where the vocal makes room.
A prompt for your own song
Set up a sunlit roller-rink groove: a springy bass locks with live drums, clipped guitar marks the offbeats, and light hand percussion keeps everything gliding. Let two contrasting singers trade playful invitations before joining in a smooth soul-pop chorus. Open space for a short string response, then finish with the voices riding the groove together.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Rihanna
An uncluttered path to a large pop chorus
Rihanna’s Diamonds is an established reference rather than a new-release pick. It offers a useful way to study sustained vocal phrases, repetition and the scale of a pop chorus. Follow how a limited set of musical ideas can support an expansive emotional effect.
Rihanna - Diamonds
Listen for this
Listen to the length of the chorus notes and the space between them. Try writing a new hook with fewer words and a wider melodic arc. Keep the backing simple enough that the lead carries the emotional weight, then reserve additional layers for the final return.
A prompt for your own song
Reduce the chorus to one hopeful idea expressed in a few long phrases. Support it with slow-moving piano chords, a deep electronic pulse and broad, soft synth layers. The verses should feel contained; the chorus should open the room. Write a fresh melody about seeing possibility after a hard season, and save the largest harmony for the ending.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
RAYE
Theatrical soul-pop with conversational momentum
RAYE is the artist behind WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!, released in September 2025. Her official video is the reference here. Treat the performance as a lesson in character: a vocal can move between conversational detail and a larger theatrical gesture while a band keeps the story moving.
RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Notice how a phrase can sound spoken in one moment and become a melodic statement in the next. For your own exercise, write a different comic predicament and let the backing singers act as a small cast. Use instrumental replies to punctuate the narrative rather than copying the reference’s words.
A prompt for your own song
Scene: a singer arrives at a glamorous party and discovers everyone has mistaken her for the host. Tell that comic story over brisk piano, punchy brass, walking bass and live drums. Let backing singers question the lead in short replies. Build from chatty verses into a theatrical soul-pop refrain, then end with a sudden, amused band stop.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Olivia Dean
Warm soul-pop with a live-band conversation
Olivia Dean appears in Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist nominee spotlight. This selection uses her official Man I Need performance from the 2026 Grammy Awards. A live performance is especially useful for studying how a lead and a band share movement, restraint and a sense of presence.
Olivia Dean - Man I Need (Live From The 68th Grammy Awards / 2026)
Listen for this
Listen for the band’s responses around the vocal rather than treating accompaniment as a single block. Try a warm electric-piano foundation with a bass line that moves between phrases. Let backing harmonies arrive as a response so the lead retains its conversational closeness.
A prompt for your own song
Arrange this as a conversation between a warm lead and a small soul band. Electric piano asks the first question, bass and brushed drums settle into the pocket, and guitar answers the ends of phrases. Write about asking clearly for the love you need. Let the chorus gain warmth through responsive harmonies, keeping the performance intimate and unhurried.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Alex Warren
From a private confession to a communal chorus
Alex Warren is another artist in Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist nominee spotlight. Ordinary is the official listening reference here. Use its emotional scale as a starting point for an arrangement exercise: how can a personal statement grow into something that feels shared without losing its central thought?
Alex Warren - Ordinary (Official Video)
Listen for this
Compare the density of an early passage with a later chorus. Plan a new song around a gradual addition of parts, and decide which one will make the largest difference. A group vocal or a broader drum pattern can provide the lift without requiring every instrument to become louder.
A prompt for your own song
Map the song as three widening circles. First: a close voice and simple piano confess a small fear. Second: acoustic guitar and a steady kick turn that fear into resolve. Third: broad drums and a communal chorus celebrate the person who stayed. Use an earnest rising melody and leave a quiet bar before the final lift.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
sombr
Guitar-led tension and release
sombr features in Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist nominee spotlight, and Warner Music announced Homewrecker as a new single in February 2026. Use the official video to explore a guitar-led pop arrangement with emotional friction. Listen for the difference between the surface energy and the feeling carried by the lead.
sombr - Homewrecker (official video)
Listen for this
Track the guitar texture through a verse and a chorus. For a new song, hold one part steady while another becomes rougher or wider. That contrast can make a chorus feel unsettled and urgent even when the basic pulse is easy to follow.
A prompt for your own song
Start from the friction between a bright guitar riff and an uneasy lyric. Keep the verse lean with dry drums and close, slightly frayed singing; spread the guitars across the chorus and let the melody climb. The story follows someone leaving a party before saying what they mean. End on an unresolved instrumental figure instead of a grand final chord.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
KATSEYE
Group hooks, rhythmic detail and a bilingual turn
KATSEYE is included in Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist nominee spotlight. Gabriela offers a group-pop reference for following how individual vocal moments contribute to a shared hook. Listen to the changing delivery and language alongside the consistency of the rhythmic backing.
KATSEYE (캣츠아이) "Gabriela" Official MV
Listen for this
Mark where a new voice, phrase length or language changes the texture. In your own group-pop exercise, build one memorable refrain and give each verse a distinct entrance. Use a short bilingual passage only where it advances the lyric or creates a purposeful change in sound.
A prompt for your own song
Design a group-pop hook that feels like friends finishing each other’s sentences. Use nimble percussion, a tight bass pulse and bright plucked accents. Alternate English verses with a short Spanish bridge about choosing your own path. Give each entrance a distinct rhythm, then unite the voices in a compact, percussive refrain with a fresh melody.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Lola Young
Conversational imperfection and emotional bite
Lola Young also appears in Spotify’s 2026 Best New Artist nominee spotlight. Messy is a useful reference for a lead that communicates character through phrasing and emphasis. The exercise is to make a performance feel specific and human while keeping the accompaniment clear.
Lola Young - Messy (Official Video)
Listen for this
Listen for the difference between a line that is sung smoothly and one that is pushed, clipped or almost spoken. Write a verse from a contradictory point of view, then let the chorus admit the contradiction directly. Keep enough space around the lead for those choices to register.
A prompt for your own song
Let the narrator contradict herself: confident in the first line, doubtful in the next, honest by the chorus. Set that voice against a loping bass line, dry drums and rough-edged guitar. Keep small cracks and uneven phrase endings in the delivery. The hook should feel like an admission blurted out, with the band getting heavier only after it lands.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
ROSÉ
A chantable pop-rock hook with rhythmic economy
ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’s APT. was named IFPI’s biggest global single of 2025 in its 2026 announcement. That is a song-level distinction, separate from the artist ranking above. Use the official video to study how a concise, rhythmically direct hook can sit inside an energetic pop-rock arrangement.
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. (Official Music Video)
Listen for this
Clap along with the hook and notice how little accompaniment is needed for its rhythmic identity to remain clear. Invent a new chant with a different phrase and melodic shape. Then build a guitar-and-drum arrangement around its accents, leaving a quieter passage to make the return count.
A prompt for your own song
Invent a two-bar chant from the phrase “Meet me at sunrise,” using a new rhythm and melody. Wrap it in crunchy rhythm guitar, handclaps and a lively straight-ahead drum beat. Trade the verses between two contrasting singers, drop to claps for the bridge, then bring the band back for a jubilant final chorus. Keep every section short and immediate.
Try this promptArtist spotlight
Doechii
Character changes inside a rhythmically precise performance
Spotify included Doechii in its February 2026 feature on the next generation of hip-hop. Anxiety is the official video reference selected here. Study how vocal character and rhythmic placement can change the listener’s sense of tension, then develop a different subject and musical foundation for your own exercise.
Doechii - Anxiety
Listen for this
Follow changes in emphasis and delivery rather than trying to reproduce the backing motif. Write two contrasting vocal attitudes for one narrator, then decide where each belongs. A newly composed instrumental loop gives those shifts a consistent frame while keeping the exercise independent of the reference.
A prompt for your own song
Two attitudes, one narrator: a cool spoken aside interrupts a fast, precise rap about overthinking a simple invitation. Build a newly composed pizzicato-string loop over a dry kick, crisp snare and elastic bass. Make the refrain slower and more spacious than the verse. Use brief silences to expose the character changes, with no borrowed sample or melody.
Try this promptTurn a listening note into your own track
- Pick a reference and write one sentence about its effect: a calm verse opens into a bright chorus, or a spare beat makes each vocal phrase feel larger.
2. Translate that effect into three audible choices. For example: soft keyboard chords, a steady drum-machine pulse and wider backing harmonies in the chorus. Add an approximate tempo for your new piece only if it matters.
3. Open one of the prompts in Create. In Simple mode, adapt the description to your own subject. For more control, move the sound description into Custom mode’s Style field and write your own words in Lyrics. Enable Instrumental when you want the arrangement without a singer.
4. Compare two takes at a similar volume. Listen to an opening, a verse-to-chorus transition and an ending. Note whether the lead is clear and whether the promised change is audible. Requested instruments, tempos and structures are audition goals, so check what each take actually delivers.
5. Revise one choice. Try a drier drum sound, a smaller instrument list or a longer chorus note while keeping the remaining brief intact. Save the description with the take so the useful change is easy to repeat.
Make a broad influence sound more specific
If the result sounds generic, replace mood adjectives with arrangement decisions. Instead of adding more variations of exciting, ask for a short opening, a repeated bass figure and a chorus with longer vocal phrases. If the result is crowded, name one leading instrument and reduce the backing layers.
If a hybrid feels disconnected, keep one rhythmic foundation and borrow only one contrasting texture. A dance groove with a single acoustic lead is easier to evaluate than a prompt asking for five genres at once. If the song feels too close to the reference, change the melodic contour, lyric perspective, instrument palette and section lengths. Aim for a new musical idea you can explain on its own.
Before you try the next prompt
Are these the most popular artists right now? The first ten are from IFPI’s 2025 annual Global Artist Chart, published in 2026. The fourteen additional entries are editorial spotlights combining established artists with 2026 releases and industry selections. The full list is not a live popularity ranking. A weekly chart, a regional chart and a platform-specific chart can produce different results. The date and metric matter when comparing popularity.
Are the selected songs their latest releases? No. These are listening references chosen for the arrangement exercises. An older song can demonstrate a useful production idea just as clearly as a new release.
Will the prompt reproduce the recording or the singer? These prompts describe broad musical ingredients for an original composition. They do not contain the reference song’s lyrics or melody, and they do not request an artist’s voice. Listen to each result and refine your own brief.
How do I make an instrumental version of a brief? Remove the vocal instruction, choose an instrument to carry the main melody and enable Instrumental in Create. For a narration bed, also ask for fewer midrange layers and gentler transitions so the spoken voice has space.
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