Artificial intelligence is reshaping how music is written, produced, and shared. Among the new players, ElevenLabs founded in 2022 by a former Google engineer has made waves for its cutting-edge voice technologies. While originally known for text-to-speech and voice cloning, ElevenLabs has recently expanded into AI-generated music through its platform called 11 Music.
This guide is written like a recipe: you’ll find the “ingredients” (tools you need), the “method” (steps to follow), and some honest comparisons with other platforms like Suno, so you know what works best today.
Ingredients: What You’ll Need
- A paid or free ElevenLabs account
- Access to 11 Music, the company’s AI music generator
- A prompt or set of lyrics you want to turn into a song
- (Optional) Lyrics drafted with ChatGPT or another AI writing assistant
- A willingness to experiment with different song styles
Step 1: Understanding the Platform
ElevenLabs offers several AI tools:
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) – natural voice generation
- Voice Cloning – creating custom AI voices
- Dubbing – multilingual syncing for videos
- Speech-to-Text – transcription services
- Conversational AI – for podcasts and interactive applications
- 11 Music – their newest feature, designed to let anyone create original songs with AI
Unlike some competitors accused of training on unlicensed music, ElevenLabs signed a landmark agreement with Kobalt Music Group in August 2025. The deal ensures a 50/50 royalty split between publishing and recorded rights, a more balanced model compared to the typical 25/75 splits in the industry. This partnership gives 11 Music credibility as a legally fair AI music platform.
Step 2: Writing Your Song Prompt
Think of your prompt as the “recipe card” for your song. The clearer you are, the better the result.
Examples:
- “A blues and jazz song about the crazy wind, refreshing but destructive.”
- “A rock ballad about escaping the rat race, with strong guitar riffs.”
Tips:
- Include the genre (jazz, rock, pop, EDM)
- Mention the mood (energetic, melancholic, uplifting)
- Add a theme (nature, love, struggle, freedom)
Step 3: Generating the Song
- Open 11 Music and paste your prompt.
- Select the duration (auto or custom length).
- Choose the number of variations (up to 2 per prompt).
- Hit Generate and wait a minute or two.
👉 The AI will not only compose the music but also write lyrics, verses, chorus, and even instrumental solos.
For example, a simple jazz/blues prompt about “the crazy wind” produced a 1:50-minute track with verses, a chorus, and a saxophone solo.
Step 4: Listening and Reviewing
Once your track is ready, you can:
- Play it directly inside ElevenLabs
- Review its structure (intro, verses, chorus, instrumental sections)
- Rate how well it matches your original vision
🎵 Example: In one test, the AI produced lyrics such as “Crazy wind, you’re a friend and a foe, you cool me down, then you steal the show.” The result sounded musically coherent, though the vocals leaned more toward spoken word than melodic singing.
Step 5: Iterating for Better Results
The more details you provide, the better the output. A vague prompt may yield generic results, but adding context—like tempo, mood, or specific lyrical ideas—helps the AI “obey” more closely.
- Prompt with fewer details → AI fills in creatively, sometimes unpredictably
- Prompt with more structure → AI stays closer to your script
If you generate two variations, you can compare and pick the stronger version.
Step 6: Comparing ElevenLabs with Competitors
No recipe is complete without a taste test against the competition.
- ElevenLabs (11 Music):
- Strengths → Lyrics + structure, fair royalty model, integrated with other audio tools
- Weaknesses → Vocals can sound flat, less polished production than competitors
- Suno (a leading AI music tool):
- Strengths → More natural singing, professional sound quality, better genre fidelity
- Weaknesses → Limited royalty discussions so far
In head-to-head tests using the same lyrics, Suno’s output felt like a finished song, while ElevenLabs’ results felt more experimental and less polished.
Final Thoughts: A Promising Start
ElevenLabs’ 11 Music is still evolving, but it already offers something rare in the AI music space: a legally sound, royalty-fair model thanks to its Kobalt partnership. The music quality is decent sometimes surprisingly good—but not yet on par with leaders like Suno.
That said, if you’re a creator who values ethical licensing, wants to experiment with lyrics-to-song generation, and doesn’t mind a learning curve, 11 Music is worth exploring. With more refinements, it could become a major force in AI-powered music.
✅ Recap
- Choose a genre, mood, and theme
- Write a clear prompt or lyrics
- Generate up to two variations in 11 Music
- Listen, review, and refine
- Compare with competitors like Suno for perspective
