# CoLyricist: Enhancing Lyric Writing with AI through Workflow-Aligned Support

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.22606 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.22606/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 32 of its 86 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 Feb 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 32)

- [GPT-4 Technical Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08774/) (2023)
- [Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.02155/) (2022)
- [Direct Preference Optimization: Your Language Model is Secretly a Reward Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18290/) (2023)
- [Deep reinforcement learning from human preferences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03741/) (2017)
- [AI Chains: Transparent and Controllable Human-AI Interaction by Chaining Large Language Model Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.01691/) (2021)
- [CoAuthor: Designing a Human-AI Collaborative Writing Dataset for Exploring Language Model Capabilities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.06796/) (2022)
- [Does Writing with Language Models Reduce Content Diversity?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.05196/) (2023)
- [Co-Writing with Opinionated Language Models Affects Users' Views](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.00560/) (2023)
- [Personalized Language Modeling from Personalized Human Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.05133/) (2024)
- [A Design Space for Intelligent and Interactive Writing Assistants](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.14117/) (2024)
- [Shaping Human-AI Collaboration: Varied Scaffolding Levels in Co-writing with Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.11723/) (2024)
- [Beyond Text Generation: Supporting Writers with Continuous Automatic Text Summaries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.09323/) (2022)
- [SongMASS: Automatic Song Writing with Pre-training and Alignment Constraint](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.05168/) (2020)
- [Writer-Defined AI Personas for On-Demand Feedback Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.10433/) (2023)
- [Beyond the Chat: Executable and Verifiable Text-Editing with LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.15337/) (2023)
- [Adaptable Logical Control for Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.13892/) (2024)
- [DopeLearning: A Computational Approach to Rap Lyrics Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04771/) (2015)
- [ABScribe: Rapid Exploration & Organization of Multiple Writing Variations in Human-AI Co-Writing Tasks using Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.00117/) (2023)
- [Effective Interfaces for Student-Driven Revision Sessions for Argumentative Writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.07018/) (2021)
- [Youling: an AI-Assisted Lyrics Creation System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.06724/) (2022)
- [A Survey of AI Music Generation Tools and Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.12982/) (2023)
- [Human-AI Co-Creativity: Exploring Synergies Across Levels of Creative Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.12527/) (2024)
- [Amuse: Human-AI Collaborative Songwriting with Multimodal Inspirations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18940/) (2024)
- [Exploring the Collaborative Co-Creation Process with AI: A Case Study in Novice Music Production](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15276/) (2025)
- [Say What? Collaborative Pop Lyric Generation Using Multitask Transfer Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.07592/) (2021)
- [Unsupervised Melody-to-Lyric Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.19228/) (2023)
- [Exploring Variational Auto-Encoder Architectures, Configurations, and Datasets for Generative Music Explainable AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.08336/) (2023)
- [LyricJam: A system for generating lyrics for live instrumental music](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.01960/) (2021)
- [LyricJam Sonic: A Generative System for Real-Time Composition and Musical Improvisation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15638/) (2022)
- [Syllable-level lyrics generation from melody exploiting character-level language model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.00863/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Towards Cognitive Process-Aware Proactive Writing Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.30424/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We propose CoLyricist, an AI-assisted lyric writing tool designed to support the typical workflows of experienced lyricists and enhance their creative efficiency. While lyricists have unique processes, many follow common stages. Tools that fail to accommodate these stages challenge integration into creative practices. Existing research and tools lack sufficient understanding of these songwriting stages and their associated challenges, resulting in ineffective designs. Through a formative study involving semi-structured interviews with 10 experienced lyricists, we identified four key stages: Theme Setting, Ideation, Drafting Lyrics, and Melody Fitting. CoLyricist addresses these needs by incorporating tailored AI-driven support for each stage, optimizing the lyric writing process to be more seamless and efficient. To examine whether this workflow-aligned design also benefits those without prior experience, we conducted a user study with 16 participants, including both experienced and novice lyricists. Results showed that CoLyricist enhances the songwriting experience across skill levels. Novice users especially appreciated the Melody-Fitting feature, while experienced users valued the Ideation support.