Music & Lyrics Expert - Punjabi

What you'll do

Punjabi music is one of the most globally streamed South Asian scenes, and AI music models are being tested against it. Mercor wants people who know that scene from the inside to evaluate AI-generated Punjabi lyrics:

• Similarity: compare generated lyrics with published songs and flag where they borrow too closely
• Rating: score quality, creativity, prompt adherence and originality
• Authenticity: judge whether word choice, slang and regional expressions sound like real Punjabi songwriting

Authenticity is the hard part. Punjabi lyrics mix Majhi, Doabi and Malwai flavours, diaspora English, and genre-specific vocabulary (bhangra, folk, hip-hop and the modern pop crossover all sound different). A model can produce lines that are grammatical but that no Punjabi songwriter would write, and the similarity task rewards knowing the catalogue well enough to spot a recycled hook.

Who fits

• Native or near-native Punjabi, and able to follow detailed English instructions
• Experience as a songwriter, lyricist, performer, composer or music journalist, with knowledge of the Punjabi music scene
• Headphones or studio monitors suitable for critical listening

Nice to have: formal training in performance, theory or composition, credited or published songwriting, and broad familiarity with contemporary Punjabi genres and artists.

The ad does not say whether Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi script is used, or whether Indian and Pakistani Punjabi are both in scope. The application includes a Bilingual Competency Interview in Punjabi.

What it pays

$15 per hour, the lowest rate among the music variants in this set (Thai $18, Russian $35–49, Norwegian $42–78). The project may move to per-task pay, with the effective hourly rate meant to stay the same.

Weekly payments on Stripe or Wise. H-1B and STEM OPT candidates are excluded.

Commitment

Immediate start, up to six months, flexible hours; most experts do around 20 a week, with no cap.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Open to performers and music journalists, not just credited songwriters
• No minimum years of experience stated
• Active: Mercor showed 10 hires this month when we read the listing

Less good:

• $15 per hour is the bottom of Mercor's music evaluation range
• Script and regional scope are not specified
• Possible switch to per-task pay; unnamed client; contractor terms

About this listing

Posted by Mercor as an hourly remote contract, read from the live listing on 24 September 2026. The rate, duration and requirements are the ad's own. See Mercor.