New York — NEW YORK (AP) – Lady Gaga, Shakira, Pink, Boy George, Jack White, Sia, Vince Gill, Ne-Yo, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and many more are among the impressive list of nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2027, a uniquely eclectic mix of pop, hip-hop, Latin, funk and rock.
Also on the ballot are Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell from America, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Frank Beard from ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill as well as Thomas Sylvester Allen from War, Harold Ray Brown, Morris “BB” Dickerson, Jerry Goldstein, LeRoy L. Jordan, Lee Oskar Levitin, Charles William Miller and Howard E. Scott.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
The Hall inducts musicians and songwriters who do not perform each year. Among the nominees of the last category this year is Boy Meets Girl – the dream duo of George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam – responsible for Whitney Houston’s biggest hits like “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and “How Will I Know”.
Then there’s Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, the trio behind the American songwriting and recording company FGG Productions from the 1960s. Also known as Feldman, Goldstein & Gottehrer, they are responsible for The Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back” and The Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy”. (Fun fact: FGG were The Strangeloves; they were just pretending to be a band of brothers from Australia.)
Also known are Maurice Starr (“Candy Girl”, New Kids on the Block’s “Step By Step”) and Stock Aitken Waterman – aka, Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman – famous for “Never Gonna Give You Up” with Rick Astley and “I Should Be So Lucky” with Rick Astley.
The same goes for Dan Wilson (“Closing Time” at Semisonic, “Someone Like You”) and Toni Wine (“A Groovy Kind of Love” at Phil Collins, “Candida” at Tony Orlando).
For the R&B pop fans Kandi Burruss is nominated (known for TLC’s “No Scrubs,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” NSYNC’s “It Makes Me Ill”), as are Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, the Norwegian duo known as Stargate behind Beyoncé’s “IrremondiaD” and “Irremondia.”
Interestingly, will.i.am is also mentioned (Black Eyed Peas’ “Where Is the Love,” and “I Gotta Feeling” as well as Usher’s “OMG” and John Legend’s “Ordinary People”). It might be strange to see a name like his, or Burruss’, or Wilson in the non-performing songwriter category, since they’re all performers as well, but that’s because they’re recognized for their work with a variety of artists outside of their own catalogs.
And for country fans, all eyes are on Tom Douglas (“The House That Built Me”, “Grown Men Don’t Cry”) at Miranda Lambert.
Eligible voting members will have until midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 14th to turn in votes with their choices of up to three nominees from the songwriter category and up to three from the performing songwriter category.
This year, a few songwriters are getting another shot at entry. That’s true for Starr, Douglas, Gill, Boy George and the members of Blondie and America.
Pink was nominated in 2026 but didn’t make the final cut. This is the same for the Swedish pop producer of the famous Cheiron Studios, Andreas Carlsson, known for such hits as Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way,” NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and Katy Perry’s “Waking Up In Vegas” and the disco songwriter Pete Bellotte (known for his work with Donna Summer” and “Love You” on. Baby”).
Bob McDill, known for country classics such as Don Williams’ “Amanda” and Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” is also a returning nominee, having been on the ballot six times in 15 years.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those who created popular music. A songwriter with a well-known catalog of songs is eligible for entry 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
Among some who are already in the hall are Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Phil Collins, REM, Steely Dan, Dean Pitchford, Hillary Lindsey and Timbaland.
The class of 2026 included Taylor Swift, Kiss’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins as well as non-players such as the duo Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner “What’s Love Got To Do With It”) and Walter Afanasieff, who helped Mariah I love you to smack at Christmas.
2027 inductees will be announced in early 2027.