I Can't Be the Only One
 

I would like to be a singer and many people have encouraged me saying I missed my calling and whatnot. At the moment I sing karaoke to get experience plus have a vocal coach. The part that upsets me is I don’t write music nor do I play instruments. I have tried writing lyrics but it is like nothing ever comes to mind, or a song that is already written pops into my head instead. I can’t be the only person like this. If I was to make a demo CD it would be of covers to songs that are already out there, which I have heard this might not be such a great thing to do. I have heard Mariah Carey got discovered due to covering a song, so there are people out there. It seems to me that people that are good singers that are lucky enough to get discovered are usually connected afterward with people who help them write songs. I can’t be the only one out there feeling blah about all this.

Check out our songwriters' subforum and maybe you can hook up with a good lyricist who you can work with. Many great singers never wrote a song in their lives, but it's the marriage of musician and songwriter that can often spark something special. Not everyone can write music but then, not everyone who can write music can sing. So find the happy medium and you could be on your way.

Along with what TrollHeart said(ever hear of Bernie Taupin) I'd also point out that no-one, no matter how famous or revered for their talent, starts out as great lyricist, they get that way through practice and studying others work. If you want to become a good writer you need to write all the time, even if what comes out is horrible, eventually it won't be. Also find lyrics and poems you like and study them-don't just read, but examine how the words are used, how their sentences are structured, and how lyrics are fit to the music they're paired with. Eventually you'll start to be proud of what you are writing and get the confidence to try and find musicians to work with.

i agree with Euronomus... just keep reading, studying and writing. even if you start out just taking ten minutes a day that you don't take your pen off the page for. a stream of consciousness without any worry of punctuation or grammar can be a great source for new and inspiring ideas.

also, you don't have to sing with words, in fact, the best vocal music uses the voice as an instrument for singing and not as a medium for transmitting texts

You could join a band, it can't be too uncommon for the vocalist to write their own material. It could be that a guitarist had the words written alongside whatever they composed, but they might not have the greatest voice. Whenever I try jamming by myself, it's only me that's creating, but with others, the process is multiplied by however many people are there, if you are not too sure you can go off someone else. Basically saying, with a band, the creative weight on your part is lighter since you have others to rely on. It's hard to become a great lyricist since when you are starting out, you usually try to be something.

i discourage your career from the start.

part of being a singer is to find your own voice, your own message
i would only encourage your career if you start writing your own lyrics and start approaching music from your individual perspective.

cause if all you ever wanna do as a singer is to sing other ppl's hit songs is best you stick to karaoke cause you have nothing to say on your own.

if you're problem is you are not a very good lyricist that's no excuse to not write lyrics.
just start writing, ppl don't just start being great they get there through practice and hardwork.

Not sure I agree with this.

Artists such as Elton John and Madonna wrote very little of the music or lyrics that they sang, but they both put character, emotion and drive behind the songs that were written for them.

I don't think that just anyone could have sung those songs...artists like that or like Layne Staley singing Cantrell's words...they put blood into the words.

Like someone else mentioned, vocals really are another and very important instrument in the art of music composition, and if you're good at it, you should pursue that if it makes you feel good, whether you're a songwriter or not.

-Two Cents Ghost Jam

See, i don't get that, it's like borrowing someone's opinion cause you have nothing to say..

Why can't they have their own message?

it's not like all the lyrics in every song are super meaningful, so so what if you write ****ty lyrics?

use them!

to me a singer who doesn't write his own stuff is just a pretty voice with nothing to say.

So...if the saxophonist or the bassist didn't write the song, should they not perform?

Again, the vocals are another instrument...the lyrics to the song are written by someone, right?

If the writer of the song simply cannot sing, should their lyrics just collect dust forever?

That doesn't make much sense to me.

-Contrary Ghost Jam