Finding Songs
Find a Song by Feeling and Story, Not by Genre
By the Starchild Music team · October 23, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer
You can find a song by starting with the feeling you want listeners to have and the story you want to tell, rather than a genre. Write both in a sentence, search with those words, then listen to the results in several styles and keep the one where the story still sounds like yours.
Genre is a useful label, but it is a poor way to start looking for a song. Two songs in the same genre can feel completely different, and the same song can be dressed in different genres.
A better start is the feeling and the story. This guide shows how.
Why mood is how listeners find music
Spotify for Artists asks artists to pitch a song with one top-level genre, extra subgenres and up to two moods, such as Chill, Fierce or Sexy. The company says it is asking for information that helps its editorial team "figure out the listeners that might love" the music.
Spotify's editors also say they build playlists around moods and moments, and ask artists for the who, what, why, when, where and how of a song. In other words, mood and story are part of how songs are matched to listeners.
Write down the feeling first
Pick one or two words for the feeling. Be as specific as you can: homesick, defiant, nervous and hopeful, content, restless.
If two words feel contradictory, that is often a good sign. Bittersweet and tender songs tend to stay with people.
Do not worry if the words feel obvious. A plain description is easier to search with than a clever one, and you can refine it as you listen.
You can also borrow words from your own life. What were you feeling the last time a song made you stop what you were doing?
Then write the story
In one sentence, describe who is singing, to whom and why now. For example: a person calls their parents on the drive back to a childhood home, and it is the first time they want to be there.
Berklee Online's songwriting advice says that specific detail "allows your audience to step into your shoes" and feel what you feel. A good song for you will have details like that, not only general statements.
Search in plain words
Starchild's search understands plain-language descriptions, so you can type the sentence you wrote. It also finds songs by title, writer name or a line of lyrics you half remember.
Try a few phrasings, from short ("restless night drive song") to long (the full story). Each will bring up different songs, and you will learn what you actually want from the ones you skip.
Keep notes as you go. Write down the songs that surprise you, even if they are not an exact match, because they often point to a style or a writer you had not thought of.
Judge the results like an artist
- Does the first verse put a picture in your head?
- Could you say these words and mean them on stage, night after night?
- Does the chorus say the feeling in a line a listener could repeat?
- Does the melody sit in your comfortable range, or can you change the key to make it fit?
Let the style come last
Because each song can be heard free in several production styles and voices, you can decide the genre after you choose the story. A heartbreaking lyric can be an acoustic ballad, a slow soul record or a cinematic track.
Use the tempo and pitch controls, and choose the version that makes the story clearest. Our article on why artists audition songs in multiple genres explains this approach.
When the genre filter is still handy
Browsing is useful when you want to see what is out there. Our mood pages and genre pages work well for that, and a few minutes of browsing may give you words for the feeling you want.
When you have a shortlist, read our guide to questions to ask before you license a song.
An example from idea to shortlist
Say the feeling is "restless and hopeful" and the story is a person leaving a small town on the first bus in the morning. That is already more useful than the word "folk" or "pop."
Search with that sentence. Skip any song that is about leaving but is angry or bitter, and keep the ones where the hope shows through. You will quickly learn which details matter to you, such as the bus, the dawn or the sense of looking back.
Use the words listeners use
Spotify's editors ask for context and community in a pitch, and the playlist form's moods are plain words such as Chill, Fierce and Sexy. Everyday language works because everyday listeners think that way.
Try writing your song description the way a friend would describe it in a message. "A slow, warm song for driving home after a long day" is better than a list of technical terms, and it will help you later when you write your release notes.
Questions to ask about the story
A good story has to be one you can tell honestly. Some songs describe experiences that are far from yours, and that can still work, but you should be able to explain why it speaks to you.
- Whose voice is this, and is it close enough to yours to be believable?
- Is there at least one detail that I can picture, rather than only statements about feelings?
- Does the ending land somewhere, even if it is unresolved?
- Would my fans recognise something of me in this?