Taylor Swift, LL Cool J among 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees: Full list of iconic artists revealed

Taylor Swift, alongside 12 other candidates, has been nominated as a potential inductee for 2026’s Songwriters Hall of Fame.

A panel of judges will narrow the performing songwriters' list of 13 down to 3. Among the nominees is the global music icon who is fresh off the release of her latest studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.

According to Billboard, Swift received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award in 2010. If Taylor were to make the final list, the Opalite singer would become the first Starlight Award recipient to go on to achieve full membership status.

As per the Songwriters Hall of Fame regulations, a songwriter can only qualify for induction 20 years after their first commercial release. Taylor Swift, therefore, qualifies for the 2026 class as her first commercial release was in 2006.

LL Cool J, P!nk, Kenny Loggins, and David Byrne of the Talking Heads were also nominated for the honor, alongside writing teams such as Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS.

The list also includes Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (America), Richard Carpenter (Carpenters), Harry Wayne Casey (KC & the Sunshine Band), Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Jane M. Wiedlin (Go-Go’s), Sarah McLachlan, and Boz Scaggs.

As per Billboard data, a total of seven of this year’s nominated songwriters (or songwriting teams) have had at least one No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Taylor Swift - upcoming projects

According to the latest reports, Taylor Swift is reportedly creating a film inspired by her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce. According to sources close to Swift, she has shared her intention to create a Romeo & Juliet-style film using her real-life relationship as a loose inspiration.

The source shared the following with Radar Online,

“Taylor never switches off creatively – she’s constantly dreaming up new ideas. Her relationship with Travis has fueled a lot of her recent work, but what fans have seen so far is only a fraction of it. Not many people realize she’s been quietly writing short stories and screenplays, and one of them is inspired by their relationship. Taylor’s talked about using Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet as her creative guide. The script will take plenty of cues from her relationship with Travis.”

They then went on to clarify,

“It won’t be a biopic, but her real life will definitely shape it. It’s the egotistical project to end all egotistical projects, and critics will call her out on that, saying it is as self-obsessed as her famous break-up songs about her exes.”

Taylor Swift has yet to comment on the project. However, the singer announced the release of The Eras Tour: The Final Show (ft. the entire The Tortured Poets Department set) earlier this month. The movie will premiere alongside Swift's 6-part docuseries, The End of an Era, on December 12, 2025, on Disney+.

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