If you’ve ever wanted to see real-time, synchronized lyrics while listening to music on your Mac, LyricGlow is the open-source solution you’ve been looking for.

Developed as a free, lightweight macOS desktop app, LyricGlow brings word-by-word synchronized lyrics with beautiful glow effects to Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. It’s like having your own personal karaoke screen that floats above your work.

Why LyricGlow Exists

Most music streaming services show basic lyrics, but they lack precision, visual appeal, and customization. LyricGlow solves this by:

  • Displaying lyrics word by word in perfect sync with the music
  • Adding a subtle glow effect to highlight the current word
  • Supporting right-to-left languages like Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew
  • Staying always on top as a floating window while you work

The result? A beautiful, distraction-free lyrics experience that integrates seamlessly with macOS.

Key Features

1. Real-Time Word-by-Word Synchronization

Unlike basic lyrics displays that show line-by-line text, LyricGlow highlights each individual word as it’s sung. This creates a karaoke-like experience perfect for singing along or learning lyrics.

2. Multi-Player Support

LyricGlow works with the three most popular music players on macOS:

  • Spotify (with optional OAuth integration)
  • Apple Music
  • YouTube Music

The app uses AppleScript to detect what you’re currently playing, automatically fetching and displaying the correct lyrics without any manual input.

3. Rich Artist Metadata

Beyond just lyrics, LyricGlow displays:

  • Artist photos
  • Biography
  • Top tracks
  • Genre and formation year

This metadata is pulled from TheAudioDB API, giving you a mini artist profile while you listen.

4. Intelligent Caching

LyricGlow implements a 7-day smart caching system for both lyrics and images. This means:

  • Instant lyrics display for songs you’ve played before
  • Reduced API calls and network usage
  • Offline support for cached tracks

5. Beautiful, Customizable UI

The interface features:

  • macOS-native blur effects (frosted glass appearance)
  • Dark theme optimized for readability
  • Toggle-able sections (hide/show artist info, biography, etc.)
  • Always-on-top floating window that stays visible while you work

Technical Implementation

For developers interested in how LyricGlow works under the hood:

Built with Electron 33

LyricGlow uses Electron to create a native-feeling macOS application with web technologies. This choice enables:

  • Easy cross-platform potential (Windows/Linux support planned)
  • Rapid development with modern JavaScript
  • Native macOS window effects and transparency

AppleScript Integration

The app leverages AppleScript to communicate with Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. This allows LyricGlow to:

  • Detect the currently playing track
  • Get artist, title, and album information
  • Track playback position for precise synchronization

APIs Used

  • LRCLIB: Free, open-source lyrics database with synchronized timestamps
  • TheAudioDB: Artist metadata, photos, and biographical information
  • Spotify Web API (optional): Enhanced Spotify integration

Installation and Setup

Getting started with LyricGlow is straightforward:

  1. Download the DMG from GitHub Releases
  2. Mount the disk image and drag LyricGlow to Applications
  3. Launch the app and grant system permissions (for AppleScript access)
  4. Start playing music and watch lyrics appear automatically

System Requirements:

  • macOS 11.0+ (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma)
  • Universal Binary (Apple Silicon and Intel Macs)
  • 100 MB disk space

What Makes LyricGlow Special

There are several lyrics apps for macOS, but LyricGlow stands out because:

  • It’s completely free and open-source (MIT License)
  • Word-level synchronization is more precise than competitors
  • RTL language support is rare in lyrics apps
  • Intelligent caching reduces API dependency
  • Native macOS integration feels like a system app

Future Roadmap

The project has an ambitious roadmap including:

  • AI integration for automatic lyrics generation
  • Cross-platform support (Windows and Linux)
  • Advanced music recommendations based on listening habits
  • Lyrics translation in real-time
  • Community contributions and plugin system

Open Source and Community

LyricGlow is fully open-source on GitHub. The project welcomes:

  • Bug reports and feature requests
  • Code contributions and pull requests
  • Translations for additional languages
  • UI/UX improvements

The codebase is clean, well-documented, and uses modern JavaScript practices, making it an excellent learning resource for Electron development.

Final Thoughts

LyricGlow proves that a focused, well-executed idea can create real value. Instead of trying to replace your music player, it does one thing exceptionally well: displaying synchronized lyrics beautifully.

For music lovers who enjoy reading lyrics while listening, language learners studying songs, or developers interested in Electron and macOS integration, LyricGlow is worth checking out.

Download it now: github.com/ateymoori/lyricglow

It’s free, open-source, and ready to transform how you experience music on your Mac.