Taylor Swift makes history as the youngest girl to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Taylor Swift was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday night, at the age of 36, becoming the youngest woman ever to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“It was an instinctual thing. No one taught me how to do it,” she says of the songwriting in a raspy voice that I think she screamed in conjunction with that night’s performance and Wednesday night’s historic NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

She told the room how her family uprooted her life to move her from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee, as a preteen.

“I’ll never be able to express my gratitude,” the singer-songwriter said through tears, praising their sacrifices for her career.

She had this advice for young songwriters: “You have to prioritize what you love to your core, because that’s what it takes.”

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Steven Spielberg introduced Swift with a surprise speech about the power of songwriting. “There’s something undeniable about how songs imprint on our souls,” he said, before shifting his focus to Swift. “For some reason, Taylor knows us very well.”

Swift began her speech by thanking Spielberg. “I trusted my imagination because of examples like Stephen,” she said.

Gen Z singer Somber set up a corner for Swift, performing “Cardigan” and “Dear John” in front of her.

Swift brought new eyes to this year’s awards show and arguably shaped modern pop music trends with her songwriting. Swift is the youngest woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but as announced on stage, Stevie Wonder, who began her recording career at age 13, is the youngest inductee in history.

It was a notable moment on a night packed with Swift, Kiss’ Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins and others who were honored.

A night celebrating songwriters

Tamar Braxton opened the gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, paying a spirited tribute to the new Hall of Fame inductee, innovative R&B songwriter, producer, and rapper Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, with one of his signature songs, Beyoncé’s Single Ladies.

He is also responsible for singer-songwriter Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body,” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”

Dallas Austin, a songwriter and producer known for his work with Boys Ill Men and Madonna, introduced Stewart. “Think about that catalog,” he says, pointing to records that changed the zeitgeist. “It’s a cultural moment.”

Stewart thanked God, his family, the artists he has worked with and his mentors, and gave a special shoutout to Grammy Award-winning music producer Antonio “LA” Reid and iconic singer-songwriter Babyface. “I wanted to be like L.A. and Baby,” he recalled.

Kiss founders Simmons and Stanley were also recognized for their glam rock classics “Rock ‘n’ Roll All Night” and “I Love It Loud,” two and a half years after the band’s breakup. Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan covered the former, making for a fitting and fiery introduction to the band. The latter featured Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Resnick.

Mr. Simmons was not present. Stanley said his family had an emergency.

“The song is the messenger,” he said, the basis of “the whole show.”

Soft rock legend Kenny Loggins (Footloose, Danny’s Song) and alternative rock icon Morissette were also inducted.

At the latter, Brandi Carlile performed “Uninvited” with Sista Strings before introducing Morissette.

“Writing to me is not a hobby,” Morissette says, but that’s important. “Write or die.” She then performed “Mary Jane” and “You Oughta Know,” from her 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.”

Gavin DeGraw performed Danny’s Song for Loggins, and Loggins then told the story behind the song in his acceptance speech.

Recognize authors and their hit works

Taylor Dane and Madison Cunningham performed a Tina Turner classic written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle to mark the inauguration. John Fogerty won the Johnny Mercer Award.

“We’ve got our songs back!” Fogerty ended his roughly 30-minute speech, referring to the fact that at age 80 he had reacquired the rights to his catalog. He then played a medley of his hits, including “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”

Songwriter Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”) was also recognized, and the segment began with an introduction by actor Jeremy Renner, included a monster medley of his signature songs by R&B singer Sherea, and opened with his Christmas classic six months early.

“I wanted to be a Beatle,” he said in a speech about his love for songwriting. “Sixty years later, I ended up producing Paul McCartney.”

established tradition

British singer-songwriter RAYE has been awarded the prestigious Hal David Starlight Award. She ended her speech by saying that songwriters are entitled to a portion of the master royalties.

Last year’s inductees included George Clinton, the Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorey, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, the Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Tony Macaulay.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor the creators of popular music. Songwriters with notable song catalogs become eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame 20 years after the song’s first commercial release.

Already in attendance are Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.