Artists Prompts
Battle by artist. Their best deep cut, most underrated track, the song that proves they are the greatest.
214 Artists aux battle prompts to pick from. Use them for a song battle with friends, an aux war, or your next round in Aux Battles.
Song by an Artist Who Started as a Session Musician
Song by an Artist Who Also Acts
Song by an Artist Who Changed Genres Completely
Debut Single That Still Holds Up
Song by a One-Hit Wonder Who Deserved More
Song by an Artist Who Writes Their Own Lyrics
Song by an Artist Who Never Performs Live
Song by Siblings
Song by an Artist Who Started in a Boy Band or Girl Group
Song by an Artist Under 20 When It Dropped
Song by an Artist Who Retired and Came Back
Song by a Producer Who Became the Artist
Song by an Artist Who Changed Their Name
Song by an Artist Discovered on Social Media
Song by an Artist Who Writes for Other People Too
Song by a Duo Who Never Fought (Allegedly)
Song by an Artist Who Started as a Cover Act
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Business Mogul
Song by a Family Band
Song by an Artist Who Went Solo After a Group Breakup
Song by an Artist With a Cult Following
Song by an Artist Who Passed Away Too Soon
Song by an Artist Who Never Sold Out a Show but Should Have
Song by an Artist Who Reinvented Their Sound Every Album
Song by an Artist Who Started Making Music in Their Bedroom
Song by an Artist Who Was Discovered by Another Famous Artist
Song by an Artist Who Refuses to Do Interviews
Song by an Artist Who Also Directs Music Videos
Song by an Artist Who Was in a Reality Show First
Song by an Artist Who's Had the Same Sound for Decades
Song by an Artist Who Broke Through After Years of Trying
Song by an Artist Who's Better Live Than on Record
Song by an Artist Who Only Releases Music Sporadically
Song by an Artist Who Started as a Songwriter for Others
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Fashion Icon
Song by an Artist Who Went Viral Before Getting Signed
Song by an Artist Who Collaborates With Everyone
Song by an Artist Who Never Collaborates
Song by an Artist Who's Won an Award They Didn't Deserve
Song by an Artist Who Should Have Won More Awards
Song by an Artist Whose Name You Can Never Spell Right
Song by a Duo Where One Person Does Everything
Song by an Artist Who Started in Church
Song by an Artist Who Learned an Instrument Just for the Song
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Chart-Topping Songwriter
Song by an Artist Who Had a Career Comeback Album
Song by an Artist Who's Never Had a Bad Verse
Song by an Artist Who Blew Up Because of a Feature
Song by an Artist Who's Younger Than Their Fans Think
Song by an Artist Who's Older Than Their Fans Think
Song by an Artist Whose Voice You'd Recognize Instantly
Song by an Artist Who Writes Sad Songs but Seems Happy
Song by an Artist Who Started Out Opening for Someone Bigger
Song by an Artist Who Eventually Became Bigger Than Who They Opened For
Song by an Artist Who Never Talks About the Meaning Behind Their Songs
Song by an Artist Who's Been Sampled More Than They've Sampled
Song by an Artist With the Most Loyal Fanbase
Song by an Artist Who Turned a Diss Into a Hit
Song by an Artist Who's Underrated by Critics but Loved by Fans
Song by an Artist Who Proved Everyone Wrong
Song by an Artist Who Started as a Backup Dancer
Song by an Artist Who Was a Child Star
Song by an Artist Who Failed a Talent Show First
Song by an Artist Who Self-Funded Their Debut Album
Song by an Artist Who Went Independent After Leaving a Major Label
Song by an Artist Who Owns Their Masters
Song by an Artist Who Doesn't Own Their Masters
Song by an Artist Who Sued Their Label
Song by an Artist Who Left a Group on Bad Terms
Song by an Artist Who Reunited With Their Old Group
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Novelist
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Poet
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Painter
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Chef
Song by an Artist Who's Also an Athlete
Song by an Artist Who Played Sports Professionally First
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Politician
Song by an Artist Who Ran for Office
Song by an Artist Who's Also a Philanthropist
Song by an Artist Who Started Their Own Label
Song by an Artist Who Mentors Younger Artists
Song by an Artist Who Was Mentored by a Legend
Song by an Artist Who's Never Had a Number One
Song by an Artist Whose First Song Was Their Biggest Hit
Song by an Artist Whose Best Song Wasn't a Single
Song by an Artist Who's Had a Song Go Viral Years After Release
Song by an Artist Who's Been Covered More Than They've Covered Others
Song by an Artist Who's Sampled Constantly
Song by an Artist Who Refuses to License Their Music
Song by an Artist Who Licenses Everything
Song by an Artist Whose Music Was Used Without Permission
Song by an Artist Who Took Years Off Between Albums
Song by an Artist Who Releases an Album Every Year Like Clockwork
Song by an Artist Who Dropped a Surprise Album
Song by an Artist Who Announced Retirement and Came Back
Song by an Artist Who Actually Retired
Song by an Artist Who Passed the Torch to Their Kid
Song by an Artist Who's Part of a Musical Dynasty
Song by an Artist Whose Parent Was Also Famous
Song by an Artist Who Started a Band With Their Siblings
Song by an Artist Who Married Another Musician
Song by an Artist Who Divorced Another Musician Publicly
Song by an Artist Who Wrote a Song About Their Own Divorce
Song by an Artist Who Wrote a Song About Their Own Wedding
Song by an Artist Who's Had the Same Producer Their Whole Career
Song by an Artist Who Changes Producers Every Album
Song by an Artist Who Produces Their Own Music
Song by an Artist Who Plays Every Instrument Themselves
Song by an Artist Who Never Learned to Read Music
Song by an Artist Who's Classically Trained
Song by an Artist Who Dropped Out of Music School
Song by an Artist Who Started Busking on the Street
Song by an Artist Who Was Discovered Busking
Song by an Artist Who Uploaded Their First Song to the Internet as a Teenager
Song by an Artist Who Blew Up During a Pandemic
Song by an Artist Whose Music Career Started as a Joke
Song by an Artist Who Was in a Novelty Act First
Song by an Artist Who's Had Multiple Stage Names
Song by an Artist Who Performs Anonymously (Mask, Persona)
Song by an Artist Who Reveals Nothing About Their Personal Life
Song by an Artist Who Overshares Their Personal Life
Song by an Artist Who's Been Open About Mental Health Struggles
Song by an Artist Who's Been Open About Addiction
Song by an Artist Who Got Sober and It Changed Their Music
Song by an Artist Whose Music Got Darker Over Time
Song by an Artist Whose Music Got Happier Over Time
Song by an Artist Who Never Repeats a Sound Twice
Song by an Artist Whose Sound Never Changes at All
Song by an Artist Who's Considered a One-Album Wonder
Song by an Artist With Only One Great Album
Song by an Artist Whose Live Shows Sell Out in Minutes
Song by an Artist Who Can't Sell Out a Small Venue Despite the Hype
Song by an Artist Who's Bigger Overseas Than at Home
Song by an Artist Who's Bigger at Home Than Overseas
Song by an Artist Who Broke Streaming Records
Song by an Artist Who's Never Charted but Should Have
Song by an Artist Who Topped the Charts With Their First Try
Song by an Artist Who Took Ten Years to Get Their First Hit
Song by an Artist Whose Fanbase Has a Nickname
Song by an Artist Who Interacts Constantly With Fans Online
Song by an Artist Who Never Uses Social Media
Song by an Artist Whose Instagram Is Better Than Their Music
Song by an Artist Who Leaked Their Own Music by Accident
Song by an Artist Whose Music Was Leaked Against Their Will
Song by an Artist Who Re-Recorded Their Old Albums
Song by an Artist Who Owns the Rights to Everything They've Made
Song by an Artist Who's Feuded With Another Artist Publicly
Song by an Artist Who Squashed a Beef and Collaborated After
Song by an Artist Who's Never Had a Beef With Anyone
Song by an Artist Who's the Nicest Person in the Industry (Allegedly)
Song by an Artist With a Reputation for Being Difficult
Song by an Artist Who's a Perfectionist in the Studio
Song by an Artist Who Records Everything in One Take
Song by an Artist Who Rewrites Lyrics Until the Last Minute
Song by an Artist Who Writes on Tour Buses
Song by an Artist Who Writes While Traveling
Song by an Artist Who Wrote Their Best Work During a Breakup
Song by an Artist Who Wrote Their Best Work While Happy
Song by an Artist Who Started Making Beats Before Rapping or Singing
Song by an Artist Who Was a DJ First
Song by an Artist Who Was a Session Drummer First
Song by an Artist Who Was in the Church Choir Growing Up
Song by an Artist Who Grew Up Poor and Talks About It Often
Song by an Artist Who Grew Up Wealthy but Raps or Sings About Struggle
Song by an Artist Who Never Talks About Their Wealth
Song by an Artist Who Flexes Their Wealth Constantly
Song by an Artist Who's Humble Despite Massive Success
Song by an Artist Who Credits Their Hometown in Every Interview
Song by an Artist Who Left Their Hometown and Never Looked Back
Song by an Artist Who Moved Countries to Pursue Music
Song by an Artist Who Sings in a Language That Isn't Their First
Song by an Artist Who Refuses to Sing in English
Song by an Artist Who Crossed Over Into English-Language Markets
Song by an Artist Who's Fluent in Multiple Musical Genres
Song by an Artist Who's Stuck to One Genre Their Whole Career
Song by an Artist Who Started a Trend Everyone Copied
Song by an Artist Who Was Accused of Copying Someone Else's Trend
Song by an Artist Who Settled a Plagiarism Lawsuit
Song by an Artist Who Won a Plagiarism Lawsuit
Song by an Artist Whose Music Theory Knowledge Is Next Level
Song by an Artist Who Can't Read a Single Note but Writes Hits
Song by an Artist Who Learned Piano as an Adult
Song by an Artist Who Taught Themselves Guitar From YouTube
Song by an Artist Who Started With Nothing but a Laptop
Song by an Artist Who Recorded Their First Album in a Bedroom
Song by an Artist Who Recorded Their First Album in a Car
Song by an Artist Whose First Studio Was a Garage
Song by an Artist Who Slept in Their Car While Chasing the Dream
Song by an Artist Who Was Homeless Before Making It
Song by an Artist Who Worked a 9-to-5 Before Their Big Break
Song by an Artist Who Never Had a Backup Plan
Song by an Artist Whose Backup Plan Became Irrelevant Overnight
Song by an Artist Who Turned Down a Record Deal at First
Song by an Artist Who Was Rejected by Every Label Before Signing
Song by an Artist Who Signed the Worst Deal in Music History
Song by an Artist Who Renegotiated Their Deal After Blowing Up
Song by an Artist Whose Manager Discovered Them by Accident
Song by an Artist Who Manages Themselves
Song by an Artist Who's Had the Same Manager Since Day One
Song by an Artist Who Fired Their Manager at the Peak of Their Career
Song by an Artist Whose Local Buzz Never Made It National
Song by an Artist Who Blew Up Off One Feature and Then Delivered
Song by an Artist the Internet Says 'Fell Off' but Still Goes Platinum
Song by an Artist Who's Considered a Foreign Import Success Story
Song by an Artist Who Carries Every Song They're Featured On
Song by an Artist Whose Catalog Ages Better Every Year
Song by an Artist Who Never Needed a Radio Hit to Sell Out Arenas
Song by an Artist Whose Underground Tape Is Better Than Their Major Debut
Song by an Artist Who Got Bigger After Leaving Their Group's Shadow
Song by an Artist Whose Hometown Claims Them Harder Than Any Fanbase
Song by an Artist Who's a Legend to Insiders but Unknown Outside the Scene
Song by an Artist Who Turned a Meme Moment Into a Real Career
Song by an Artist Whose Mixtape Era Was Better Than Their Album Era
Song by an Artist Who Always Delivers the Best Verse on Someone Else's Song
What are artist-trait prompts?
Prompts defined by something about the artist rather than the song. "Song by an Artist Who Changed Genres Completely" or "Song by Siblings" require you to know a fact and then find a track that proves it, so these rounds reward the person who reads about music as much as the person who listens to a lot of it.
How do you answer an artist prompt nobody can verify?
Pick something the room can check in one search, and expect to be checked. These prompts create the only real disputes in an aux battle, because the claim about the artist is either true or it is not. Agreeing early that a contested submission gets looked up rather than argued about keeps the round moving.
Are artist prompts too hard for a casual group?
They are the hardest theme to run cold. In a group where two people follow music closely, artist prompts hand them the round. Mixed rooms do better with mood, wildcard or decade prompts, and better still if you let people search freely while they answer, which turns a knowledge test into a research race.
Song lists for Artists rounds
Hand-picked answers to artists prompts, with a reason attached to every track. Useful when a prompt lands and nothing comes to mind.
Artists prompts, answered
What are Artists aux battle prompts?
Battle by artist. Their best deep cut, most underrated track, the song that proves they are the greatest. In an aux battle, Artists prompts are the brief every player answers with a single song, and the room then votes on whose pick fits best.
What are some good Artists prompts for an aux battle?
Three of the 214 on this page: "Song by an Artist Who Eventually Became Bigger Than Who They Opened For", "Song by an Artist Who Plays Every Instrument Themselves" and "Song by an Artist Who Was a Session Drummer First". A prompt works when it is broad enough that everyone has a song for it but specific enough that the picks are worth arguing about.
How many Artists aux battle prompts are there?
214 Artists prompts, part of a free library of 3,505 prompts across 16 themes. They are free to read, free to copy into a group chat, and free to play through on Aux Battles with no account and no download.
How do you play an aux battle with Artists prompts?
Pick one Artists prompt, say "Song by an Artist Who Eventually Became Bigger Than Who They Opened For", and give every player the same brief. Each person submits one song from Spotify, YouTube or SoundCloud, the room plays the submissions back without revealing who picked what, and everyone rates them. The highest average score wins the round.
More Prompt Themes
New to this? Start with what an aux battle is, then the full aux battle rules. Browse the full category list when this one has run its course, and see auxwars if that is the name you searched. Or skip ahead to Spotify party games.