Suno Prompts: How to Create a Masterpiece

One line of text — and a minute or so later you have a finished song with vocals, a beat and a chorus. Or three minutes of mush where nobody can tell who's singing or why. The difference between those two outcomes is the prompt: Suno doesn't guess what you meant, it builds the song out of exactly what you named — genre, mood, instruments, vocals, and in Custom mode, lyrics marked up with [Verse] and [Chorus].

What follows isn't a rehash of the docs but real generations: hip-hop, synthwave and lo-fi, each with the prompt it came from, plus dozens of prompts built on the same formula. Listen to the result, see which wording is responsible for what, and take it for yourself.

The first example comes right away, so it's clear what quality we're talking about. Hip-hop on Suno v6 from a one-paragraph description, generated in GPTunneL for this article — both takes from a single generation are right here:

One Floor at a TimeTake 1 · hip-hop · 3:23One Floor at a TimeTake 2 · hip-hop · 3:29

Confident boom-bap hip-hop track about chasing a dream in a big city: male rap vocals with a sharp rhythmic flow, dusty drum break, deep bass, jazzy piano sample, catchy chorus hook, English lyrics

Here's how prompts like this one are put together.

How a Suno prompt works

Suno has two modes, and a prompt means something different in each.

In Custom mode the style field holds up to 1,000 characters and the lyrics field up to 5,000 — but don't max it out: according to HookGenius measurements, past roughly 3,000 characters Suno starts cramming the song.

Each generation gives you two tracks, like the example above: delivery, melody and length differ noticeably, so there's a real choice. GPTunneL has Suno v6 and v6-mini.

The prompt formula: genre, mood, instruments, vocals, sound

The order isn't random: according to HookGenius observations, Suno leans harder on whatever comes first in the description, so genre goes first and mix details go last. A weak prompt looks like this: "a happy summer song". A strong one looks like this: "summery indie pop, carefree mood, acoustic guitar and handclaps, bright female vocal, warm vintage sound". In the second version the model has something to hold on to for every parameter, and the result stops being a surprise.

Now look under the hood of the hip-hop example above. Before generating, Suno expanded that one-sentence prompt into a detailed style — here it is in full:

confident golden-era boom-bap hip-hop, sharp rhythmic male rap delivery, dusty chopped drum break, deep rounded bass, jazzy piano sample with warm tape texture, crisp kick and snare, subtle turntable cuts, catchy sung-rap chorus hook, focused street-level storytelling, punchy dry vocal mix, dynamic verse-to-hook arrangement

The turntable cuts, the warm tape texture, the crisp kick and snare and the dry vocal mix weren't in the prompt — the model added them on its own. The practical takeaway is simple: spell out everything that truly matters for the song, and Suno will fill in the rest. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't — and then change one parameter in the next generation instead of rewriting the whole prompt.

The language of the description isn't critical either: in the tests for this article, Suno handled descriptions written in more than one language.

Metatags: how to mark up lyrics

Metatags in square brackets tell Suno the structure: where the verse is, where the chorus is, where the instrumental break goes. The model sets marked-up lyrics to music more neatly — the chorus gets its own motif and the verses don't blur into one long recitative. Suno placed every tag in this table itself, in the lyrics of the hip-hop and synthwave tracks from this article:

The full dictionary with vocal and instrumental tags is in the Suno guide.

You can pass your own lyrics even in Simple mode — right inside the description, together with the style:

Style: indie pop, female vocals, acoustic guitar, soft drums, 100 BPM. Sing exactly these lyrics:
[Verse]
Morning smells of coffee and the rain,
We overslept together once again.
[Chorus]
Don't rush, the city waits for us,
This day has only just begun.

In a test for this article, the lyrics Suno returned matched the submitted text line for line, and it took the song title from the chorus. Four lines make about a minute of music: for a full song, give it at least two verses, a chorus and a bridge.

Suno styles: a dictionary of working phrases

Suno has no official set of "correct" styles, but it does have a language it uses to describe music. The phrases below come from the styles Suno wrote for the tracks made for this article — feel free to mix and match.

One or two phrases from each row is usually enough. Seven genres in one prompt, on the other hand, is a bad idea: when the description pulls the song in different directions, there's no telling in advance which one Suno will pick as the main one.

Ready-made prompts by genre

The prompts under the records were tested by generation (the lo-fi one is translated from the original description); the rest follow the same formula — swap in your own topic.

Hip-hop and R&B

The example with a track is at the very top of the article.

Dark trap about a city at night: confident male rap, heavy 808 bass, fast hi-hats, minor-key synths, short catchy hook, English lyrics

Smooth R&B about a late-night phone call: velvety female vocal, electric piano, unhurried groove, muted bass, intimate warm mix, English lyrics

Laid-back jazz-hop for the evening: relaxed male rap, saxophone sample, soft drums with vinyl hiss, 85 BPM

Upbeat hip-hop for a sports video: energetic rap, heavy kick, scratches, shouted hook, 95 BPM

Electronic

Midnight AvenueTake 1 · synthwave · 4:24Midnight AvenueTake 2 · synthwave · 4:58

Retro 80s synthwave song about driving through a neon city at night: female vocals, analog synths, punchy drums, dreamy catchy chorus, English lyrics

Melodic deep house for a summer terrace: pulsing bass, warm pads, light female vocal in short phrases, 122 BPM

Driving techno track, no vocals: hard steady kick, hypnotic arpeggiated synth, industrial textures, 130 BPM

Airy chillout for meditation: long pads, ocean sounds, sparse chimes, no drums, very slow tempo

High-energy EDM with a big drop: building intro, bright lead synth, massive drop, male vocal in the verses, 128 BPM

Rock and alternative

Alternative rock about coming home after a long time away: strained, emotional male vocal, driving electric guitars, powerful drums, building chorus, English lyrics

90s grunge about the old neighborhood: raspy male vocal, heavy distorted guitar, simple beat, guitar solo before the last chorus

Pop-punk about the last summer of school: fast tempo, bright guitars, cocky male vocal, gang-vocal chorus, live drums

Road-trip indie rock: light overdrive, guitar riff up front, husky female vocal, quiet verses and a wide chorus

Post-rock, no vocals: long delay-soaked guitar swells, slow build, explosive climax, cinematic ending

Lo-fi and background

Warm F PianoTake 1 · lo-fi · 2:43Warm F PianoTake 2 · lo-fi · 2:40

Calm lo-fi hip-hop for studying, no vocals: warm piano, soft drums, rain and vinyl noise, 75 BPM, instrumental

Lo-fi for morning coffee, no vocals: lazy guitar, brushed drums, cozy record crackle, 70 BPM

Background ambient for work, no vocals: soft synth pads, a barely-there pulse, no sharp sounds or tempo changes

Jazz café, no vocals: upright bass, piano, brushes on the snare, easy swing, live chamber sound

Pop and acoustic

Summery indie pop about a trip to the sea: carefree mood, acoustic guitar and handclaps, bright female vocal, warm vintage sound

2000s dance pop: bright synths, tight beat, confident female vocal, a chorus you want to sing along to, 118 BPM

Acoustic breakup ballad: male vocal, a single guitar, soft and close to the mic, strings in the second verse

80s disco-pop about first love: soft synths, disco bass, male-female duet, bright nostalgic chorus

Piano ballad: tender female vocal, piano and cello, slow tempo, climax in the final chorus, English lyrics

Film and orchestral

Epic trailer music, no vocals: powerful brass, big taiko drums, choir at the climax, build toward a final hit

Fantasy game soundtrack, no vocals: strings and flute, Celtic motifs, bright adventurous mood, orchestral sound

Tense thriller music, no vocals: low drone, dissonant strings, sparse hits, a sense of unease

Moving theme for a film's ending, no vocals: piano, string orchestra, slow build, hopeful finale

Prompts for a specific task

Here the genre is secondary: what matters more is who the song is for and where it will play.

Birthdays and celebrations

Warm acoustic pop birthday song for my friend Emma: female vocal, ukulele and light percussion, cheerful catchy chorus with her name, English lyrics

Upbeat pop song for colleague Mike's work anniversary: bouncy male vocal, horns and handclaps, chorus with his name, playful lyrics about work and vacations

Tender wedding song: male-female duet, acoustic guitar and strings, slow tempo, lyrics about the first meeting

New Year's song for a kids' party: sleigh bells, cheerful choir, simple lyrics about the tree and presents, fast happy tempo

Ads and jingles

Short radio jingle for the Bean There coffee shop: upbeat funk, female and male backing vocals, slogan "Bean There — mornings start here", about 30 seconds

While this article was being prepared, a jingle prompt asking for "about 30 seconds" came out at 28 and 30 seconds. Still, don't count on exact timing for an edit — it's a guideline, not a timer.

Intro for a tech podcast: short electronic theme, pulsing bass, bright synth, no vocals, about 15 seconds

Jingle for an online flower shop: light acoustic pop, female vocal, slogan "Flowers at your door in an hour", about 20 seconds

Lullabies and kids' songs

Gentle lullaby for a baby: soft female vocal, piano and music box, slow tempo, simple tender lyrics about stars and sleep

Fun kids' song about dinosaurs: playful vocal, ukulele and xylophone, simple repeating chorus, fast tempo

Morning exercise song for kids: upbeat children's choir, simple instructions in the lyrics, drums and handclaps, 110 BPM

Background music for video and social media

Energetic background for a travel Reel, no vocals: pop-electronic, bright synths, handclaps, a short build, 120 BPM

Cozy background for a cooking video, no vocals: acoustic guitar, ukulele, light percussion, carefree mood

Intro for a gaming YouTube channel, no vocals: chiptune with a modern beat, 8-bit melodies, punchy opening, about 10 seconds

Team and corporate events

Sales team anthem for a company party: upbeat pop-rock, male and female choir, a chant-style chorus with the team's name, playful lyrics about targets and deadlines

Heartfelt farewell song for a colleague: acoustic guitar and piano, warm male vocal, lyrics about shared projects and good wishes for the new job

How to write song lyrics with AI

Suno writes lyrics decently on its own, but the words tend to come out generic — the kind that fit any occasion. If the song needs names, jokes and specific stories, it's easier to write the lyrics in a chat model and paste them into Suno's Custom mode. A prompt for that:

Write song lyrics in English. Topic: [what the song is about, who it's for, which details to mention].
Genre and mood: [for example, upbeat pop].
Structure: [Verse 1], [Chorus], [Verse 2], [Chorus], [Bridge], [Chorus] — mark each part with a tag in square brackets.
Requirements: even meter in the verses, simple rhymes, short lines, a 4-line chorus that's easy to remember. Avoid words whose pronunciation depends on their meaning. Keep the total under 2,000 characters.

In GPTunneL both steps share one balance: the lyrics in ChatGPT or another text model, the song in Suno.

Vocals and pronunciation

Suno sings English lyrics confidently — the tracks above are proof. The weak spots are words that can be read more than one way, plus numbers and abbreviations. A few habits that lower the risk:

• Say the language explicitly. "English lyrics" or "lyrics in Spanish" — otherwise Suno may pick the language on its own.
• Spell out numbers and abbreviations. "Twenty-five", not "25"; "deejay", not "DJ".
• Swap out words with two pronunciations. "Read", "live" and "lead" sound different depending on meaning; a clear synonym or a rephrased line is the most predictable fix.

If a word still comes out wrong, don't rewrite the whole song: replace that one line and run the generation again.

What changed in Suno v6

Suno released v6 on September 9, 2026 and retired all its previous models at once. The family has three versions: v6 is the main one, v6-mini is the fast, lighter one, and v6-wild is the experimental one, with less predictable results. GPTunneL has v6 and v6-mini.

The headline features of v6 in Suno itself are editing a finished song in plain language (change one line or redo the chorus without touching the rest) and generating not just from text but from audio, an image or a video. For prompts, something else matters more: v6 was trained from scratch on a new dataset, so the same prompt may sound different on it than it did on v5 — it's worth re-testing your favorite phrasings.

Common mistakes

• Contradictions in the style. "Calm aggressive metal" forces the model to choose, and it doesn't always choose what you had in mind.
• Overload. Five genres and ten instruments don't guarantee a rich arrangement: the model can't account for everything at once, and there's no telling in advance which items from the list you'll actually hear.
• Artist names. Real names don't work as a recipe in a prompt: Suno ignores or substitutes them. Describe the sound instead — the era, the vocals, the instruments.
• Lyrics without markup. Without [Verse] and [Chorus], the model decides on its own where the chorus goes, and often gets it wrong.
• Lyrics that are too long. Past about 3,000 characters the song starts to get crammed: verses speed up and sections disappear.
• Expecting precise control. Specific chords and length accurate to the second for an edit can't be set with a prompt: a description is a guideline, not a score.

FAQ

What language should I write a Suno prompt in?

Any of them. In the tests for this article, Suno handled descriptions in more than one language, and you can hear the tracks from the English prompts above. It's worth stating the language of the song itself explicitly: "English lyrics".

How do I make a track with no vocals in Suno?

Write "no vocals" or "instrumental" in the description. That's exactly how the lo-fi track in this article came out: the lyrics of both takes contain nothing but the [Instrumental] tag.

Why does Suno sing different lyrics from mine?

In Simple mode, Suno writes the lyrics itself. If you need your own words, paste them into Custom mode or straight into the description with "Sing exactly these lyrics", as in the example from the metatags section.

How much does a Suno generation cost in GPTunneL?

$0.24 per generation, which includes two tracks. There's no subscription: money comes off your shared balance only for finished generations.

Can I set the length of a track?

Roughly, yes: a jingle asked for "about 30 seconds" came out at 28 and 30 seconds. For a song, the amount of lyrics matters more: the four lines from the metatags example gave about a minute, while a full structure with verses, choruses and a bridge ran from about two and a half to five minutes in the tracks made for this article.

Try your own prompt

The best test of the formula is your own song: take a prompt from the collection, swap in your topic and launch Suno in GPTunneL. No VPN needed, no subscriptions — and you can write the lyrics in a chat model on the same balance.