Why you should try topliningįor one thing, it’s a really productive way to combat writer’s block. In most cases, topliners record demo vocals for the projects they embark on. If you’re an artist, you might be asked to lend your vocals as a featured artist on the collaboration as well. If you accept, you’ll write the vocal melody and lyrics on top of the music the producer has already composed. Imagine an EDM producer reaches out to you with a demo track and asks you if you’d be interested in toplining it. Toplining has become more common as the influence of electronic and sample-based genres has expanded in pop. What is a topliner?Ī topliner, or topline songwriter is an artist that provides a melody and lyrics for a producer’s beat or instrumental track. In this article I’ll explain everything you need to know about toplining, how it works and why you should consider it as a songwriter.
In fact, sometimes it’s based on fully fleshed out productions.
In topline songwriting, the creation of the melody and lyrics is based on beats. It’s common practice especially in the world of pop, hip hop and electronic dance music.īut a topliner is slightly different from a traditional songwriter. Toplining is a popular songwriting technique.