The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees for 2026 have been announced, with Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette among the artists to be honoured.
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has for decades served “as a vital bridge between music’s past and future,” with an annual celebration and recognition of the “greatest songwriters in history.”
The organisation’s 2026 Induction and Awards Gala is scheduled to take place on June 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, in an exclusive ceremony not open to the general public.
This year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees are as follows.
Walter Afanasieff
A Brazil-born producer who was a frequent collaborator of Mariah Carey on her first six studio albums.
Afanasieff co-wrote some of Carey’s greatest hits, including “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, “My All”, “Hero”, “Love Will Survive” and “One Sweet Day”.
Afanasieff was also one of the minds behind Celene Dion’s “My Heart Will Go on”, which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1999.
In 2000, he took home another Grammy Award for the Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category.
Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
This highly-acclaimed duo is said to have lifted Tina Turner’s career to stardom in the late 80s, writing some of her most popular songs, such as “We Don’t Need Another Hero”, “Typical Male” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, which won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1985.
England-born Britten has also written many hits for Cliff Richard, like “Devil Woman”, while Scotland’s Lyle, alongside his bandmate Benny Gallagher, wrote “A Heart in New York” for classic American duo Simon & Garfunkel.
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS
Jewish New Yorkers Simmons and Stanley came together in 1973 to form KISS, which subsequently rose to prominence as a quartet heavy metal band with lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss.
As the only consistent members throughout KISS’ history, Simmons and Stanley have taken credits for some of the band’s greatest hits, including “Rock and Roll All Nite”, “I Love It Loud” “Calling Dr. Love” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Christine 16.”
In 1999, KISS was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammys for the song Psycho Circus.
Kenny Loggins
Hailed as the “King of Movie Soundtracks”, Loggins brought to the world various theme songs that remain familiar even to younger generations.
His best works include “Footloose”, “Danny’s Song”, “Celebrate Me Home”, “Return to Pooh Corner” and “What A Fool Believes”.
In 1985, the American singer-songwriter earned an Academy Award nomination for “Footloose”, the original song from hit musical drama of the same name, starring Kevin Bacon.
Loggins has also been nominated for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe Award and has won two Grammy Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.
Alanis Morissette
Regarded as the “Queen of Alt-Rock Angst”, Morissette has become a cultural phenomenon for her “emotive mezzo-soprano voice” and “blistering lyrics”.
Some of her highly acclaimed works include “Ironic”, “Hand in My Pocket”, “Thank U”, “Uninvited” and “You Oughta Know”, with the latter two songs winning the Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance awards at the 1996 and 1999 Grammys.
Morissette has a total of seven Grammy Awards, along with fourteen Juno Awards, a Brit Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award.
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Christopher “Tricky” Stewart
A five-time Grammy Award recipient, Stewart has made an upright reputation in the music industry with hip hop, R&B and pop releases.
He has been credited on the singles sung by Beyonce, Rihanna, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. Some of his most successful songs include “Umbrella”, “Single Ladies”, “Obsessed”, “Just Fine” and “Break My Soul.”
In 2012, Stewart was included in Billboard’s 40 Under 40, a list of music executives “who are propelling our industry with their artistic and business vision”.
Taylor Swift
At 36, Swift becomes the youngest female Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, joining the ranks of Stevie Wonder, who was only 33 when he was inducted in 1983.
With her confessional songwriting and artistic reinventions, Swift has become the “highest-grossing live music artist”, “wealthiest female musician” and one of the “best-selling music artists of all time.”
Her most popular songs include “Love Story”, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”, “Blank Space” and “Anti-Hero”.
In 2025, her newest album “The Life of a Showgirl” became Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day.
Swift’s accolades include 14 Grammy Awards, including a record four Album of the Year wins, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
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