NEW YORK — Taylor Swift accepted one of songwriting’s highest honors on June 11, telling the audience that despite the ups and downs of her 23-year career, “songwriting has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
The singer-songwriter was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, becoming the youngest female songwriter to be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. This honor comes 20 years after the release of her debut single, “Tim McGraw,” which launched her recording career in 2006.
“When I say songwriting was the easiest thing for me, I think what I mean is that it was instinctive,” she said. “No one taught me how to do it.”
The Eras tour mastermind attended the ceremony with her parents Scott and Andrea Swift. her brother, Austin Swift; and her future in-laws, Donna Kelce and Ed Kelce. As the event began, her fiancé, Travis Kelce, arrived.
Kelce hasn’t walked the carpet with Swift and has largely stayed out of the spotlight this week, with Swift appearing at the Toy Story 5 premiere and Game 4 of the NBA Finals while attending the Kansas City Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp. He walked into the New York Marriott Marquis ballroom just before the program began. But the event was a milestone for Swift, whose career has been defined as much by her songwriting as her commercial success.
Swift wore a black strapless dress with floral embroidery.
accept honor
At the beginning of the program, Linda Moran, CEO and president of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, gave a shoutout to Swift.
“Taylor Swift won the Hal David Starlight Award in 2010,” Moran said. “She’s in the Hall of Fame right now. She’s the youngest woman in the Hall of Fame. And Stevie Wonder beat her out because he was 13 when he was inducted. She was 15. Taylor, all I can say is I hope you tackle Johnny Mercer next.”
Kelce, who was sitting next to Swift, cheered when he saw her.
The Johnny Mercer Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is given to a previously inducted songwriter or songwriting team whose body of work represents an extraordinary and enduring standard of excellence in songwriting.
Before taking the stage, rising singer-songwriter Sombre performed simplified versions of “Dear John” and “Cardigan.” Swift later returned this compliment in her acceptance speech, praising his songwriting and declaring, “Sombre is the future.”
The evening’s entrance speech was delivered by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who likened Swift’s cultural impact to some of the most influential songwriters in modern history and praised her ability to connect with listeners.
“Through her songs, she has touched the hands and hearts of billions of people,” Spielberg said.
At the beginning of the film, Swift expressed her gratitude to the director for inspiring her creative desire.
“Every time he came up with something, he wanted to do everything humanly possible to show you it,” she said. “Every time I came up with something, I wanted to do everything humanly possible to play it for you.”
Swift reflected on her early days as a songwriter, recalling how her family moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville after it became clear that songwriting was more than a childhood hobby. She explained that she entered the co-writing session with lyrics written in a notebook, a list of favorite words, and a partially completed song prepared.
One of the songs was “Love Story,” she recalled.
Swift told the audience that she once played an unfinished version for songwriter Craig Wiseman, who politely told her he didn’t understand it. That night, she completed the track herself.
“What made me finish that song that night was me trusting my instincts as a writer,” Swift said. “What made me finish that song that night was trusting my instincts as a writer, regardless of feedback or input about what others thought of me. In an industry that seems consumed by metrics, data, and analysis, where everyone seems to be trying to predict whether something will trend or not, I think now more than ever, writers need trust. Trust is human intuition.”
The singer also encouraged young writers to trust their creative instincts in an age increasingly dominated by data, algorithms and online criticism.
“No one makes art that appeals to everyone, anytime, anywhere, and no one should,” she said.
Thank you to the fans
As part of the nomination process, candidates will be asked to submit representative works from the catalog. Swift selected five songs that trace the evolution of her songwriting over time: “Love Story,” “Blank Space,” “The Last Great American Dynasty,” “Anti-Hero,” and “All Too Well (10-Minute Version).” The program placed at everyone’s seats said it included 187 songs from her 12 studio albums, plus “a surprising amount of additional music, not even songs she wrote for others or that she eventually released from the vault as part of a review of her first six albums.”
Upon receiving the honor, Swift reflected on the bonds she has built with listeners over her 20 years of music.
“Nothing makes me more happy and surprised than the fact that 20 years after my first song came out, people still want to read the next chapter,” she said.
Swift said some of her favorite moments come from hearing how fans incorporate her songs into their lives, from parents sharing her music to their children to couples claiming “Love Story” as their own songs.
“I am humbled that my fans were able to immortalize my songs in their own ways and highlight the exploration of reality on this planet,” she said.
This story will be updated during the event.
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Taylor Swift reporter Brian West on Instagram, TikTok, and X as @BryanWestTV.
