Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to artists who write their own musical material.  This can be in the form of music lyrics or both

 Some Singer Songwriters specialise in one area and collaborate with other4 musicians or singer songwriters.  Singer songwriters can be found in many different artist genres from classical to heavy metal.

Most of Singer Songwriters income comes from either live gigs or royalties from single or album sales.

 The first recognition of  Singer Songwriters in English-speaking North America and Great Britain occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s.  This is quite late in history when you consider how many centuries that artists have been writing.

Independent Singer Songwriters are often know as indie for short.  These Singer Songwriters often sell their material online.