The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026 on Wednesday, a wide-ranging group of hitmakers that spans pop, rock, R&B and country and includes the youngest inductee in the organization’s history, Taylor Swift.
Swift will be inducted alongside veteran songwriters and collaborators Walter Afanasieff; Terry Britten and Graham Lyle; Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS; Kenny Loggins; Alanis Morissette; and Christopher Tricky Stewart.
The inductees will be honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2026 Induction and Awards Gala on Thursday, June 11, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The invitation-only event will also include additional special award honorees to be announced later.
The 2026 class collectively accounts for some of the most enduring songs of the past five decades. Afanasieff is known for co-writing perennial holiday staple “All I Want for Christmas Is You” along with multiple chart-toppers for Mariah Carey. Britten and Lyle’s catalog includes Tina Turner classics such as “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Stanley and Simmons helped define arena rock with KISS anthems including “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Loggins became a soundtrack staple with hits like “Footloose,” while Morissette’s sharply personal songwriting reshaped 1990s alternative pop with songs such as “You Oughta Know” and “Hand in My Pocket.”
Stewart’s work has powered modern pop and R&B, including Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” Swift’s songwriting catalog, highlighted by “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version),” “Blank Space” and “Love Story,” has made her one of the most influential writers of her generation and now places her in the Hall at a younger age than any previous inductee.
The Hall’s chairman, Nile Rodgers, said the 2026 lineup reflects the central role of songwriters in shaping culture and bridging genres, noting that every recorded song and live performance begins with the writer.
Founded in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honors creators whose work has left a lasting cultural impact. Eligible songwriters can be inducted 20 years after the first commercial release of a song, a milestone Swift reached while still in her 30s.
Source: Songwriters Hall of Fame