Taylor Swift brought a lot of star power to the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala in June. Several candidates on the ballot for the 2027 honors, including Lady Gaga, Shakira and P!nk, could provide similar star power.
A songwriter with a catalog of notable songs qualifies for induction 20 years after their first commercial release of a song. (Gaga’s debut single, “Just Dance” (feat. Colby O’Donis) was released in April 2008, a little shy of 20 years, but why quibble?)
Swift was the first former recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award, which honors rising songwriters, to graduate to full induction into the SHOF. Ne-Yo, who is on this year’s ballot, could become the second. He received the Starlight Award in 2010.
Several of this year’s nominees have collaborated with past SHOF inductees. Pete Bellotte wrote many hits with and for Donna Summer, who was inducted posthumously in 2025. Andreas Carlsson co-wrote major hits with Max Martin, a 2017 honoree. Toni Wine co-wrote the 1966 smash “A Groovy Kind of Love” with 1987 inductee Carole Bayer Sager.
Eight members of WAR – five living and three deceased – are vying for a spot on the performing songwriters’ list. If they make it, they’ll become the largest ensemble to be inducted into the SHOF. That distinction is currently held by The Isley Brothers. Six members of that legendary R&B group were inducted in 2022.
Other deceased songwriters on this year’s ballot are Frank Beard and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top (nominated alongside their still-living colleague Billy Gibbons) and Bob Feldman, best known for co-writing the 1963 smash “My Boyfriend’s Back,” who is nominated alongside his still living collaborators Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer.
Several of this year’s SHOF candidates have won major songwriting awards. Gaga won an Oscar for best original song for co-writing “Shallow.” Vince Gill has won song of the year at the CMA Awards a record four times. Tom Douglas won a CMA Award for song of the year for co-writing Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me.” Dan Wilson has won both a Grammy for song of the year (for co-writing The Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice”) and a CMA Award for song of the year (for co-writing Chris Stapleton’s White Horse”).
It’s not easy to be elected to the SHOF. Twenty-six songwriters or teams of songwriters are vying for just six spots in the Class of 2027 – divided equally between non-performing songwriters and performing songwriters. Voters may select up to three in each of these two categories. (If you’re not a voting SHOF member, you can play along. Who would your three picks in each category be? And good luck limiting your choices to just three.)
Eligible voting members have until midnight ET on Dec. 14 to turn in their ballots.
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honors the contributions of songwriters of all genres of music. Approximately 400 inductees have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Here is a complete list of nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2027 class. The five songs listed by each songwriter’s name are a representative sample, supplied by the SHOF, of their catalogs. A “D” by the songwriter’s name indicates that the writer is deceased.
