Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, KISS, and More Receive Songwriters Hall of Fame Nominations
Divided into non-performing and performing songwriters, other nominees include Sarah McLachlan, Talking Heads’ David Byrne, the Go-Go’s, Boz Scaggs, and more.
Taylor Swift, LL COOL J, Sarah McLachlan and Talking Heads’ David Byrne are among the nominees for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The list of nominees is divided into non-performing and performing songwriters. The top three of the 14 non-performing songwriters or songwriting teams on the ballot will be inducted. Similarly, of the 13 performing songwriters or songwriting teams, the top three will be inducted.
Swift received the Hal David Starlight Award from the SHOF in 2010, introducing the possibility that she could be the first person to graduate from the promising songwriter award to full membership status.
Swift, Byrne, LL Cool J, Byrne, and McLachlan are all nominated in the Performing Songwriter category. Other nominees include Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s; Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss; Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America; Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who; Kenny Loggins; Alecia B. Moore aka P!nk; Richard Carpenter of the Carpenters; Harry Wayne Casey, aka KC of KC and the Sunshine Band; and singer-guitarist Boz Scaggs.
The non-performing songwriter category includes the writer behind some of music’s biggest hits. The nominees include Pete Bellotte, known for his disco work with Donna Summer on “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love,” and “Love To Love You Baby”; Swedish pop producer Andreas Carlsson, who has written hits by Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Katy Perry; longtime Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard; Steve Kipner (Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle”); Kenny Nolan (Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade”); Vini Poncia; Martin Page; and the duo Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It”).
A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. Eligible voting members have until midnight Eastern on December 4 to turn in ballots with their choices of up to three nominees from the songwriter category and up to three from the performing-songwriter category.
Established in 1969, the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees included George Clinton, Mike Love, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Tony Macaulay, and The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons.
