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; is among the impressive list of nominees for the 2027 Songwriters Hall of Fame class, which is a particularly eclectic mix of pop, hip-hop, Latin, funk and rock innovators.
Also on the ballot are America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, Grandmaster Melle Mel, ZZ Top’s Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, as well as War’s Thomas Sylvester Allen, 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.
Each year, the Hall accepts artists and non-performing songwriters alike. This year’s nominees for the latter category include 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.”
Also present are Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, the trio behind the 1960s American songwriting and record production company FGG Productions. Simply Feldman, also known as Goldstein & Gottehrer are responsible for The Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back” and The Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy.” (Fun fact: FGG was The Strangeloves; they pretended to be a bunch of brothers from Australia.)
Also known are Maurice Starr (“Candy Girl” from New Edition, “Step By Step” from New Kids on the Block) and Stock Aitken Waterman (aka Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman), known for his songs “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “I Should Be So Lucky” by Kylie Minogue.
The same goes for Dan Wilson (“Closing Time” by Semisonic, “Someone Like You” by Adele) and Toni Wine (“A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins, “Candida” by Tony Orlando).
for R & B-pop fans Kandi Burruss (known for TLC’s “No Scrubs,” Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” and NSYNC’s “It Makes Me Ill”) and Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, the Norwegian duo known as Stargate behind Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” were nominated.
Excitingly, will.i.am was also nominated (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 seem odd to see a name like hers, Burruss’s, or Wilson’s in the non-performing songwriter category, since they’re all performers as well, but that’s because they’re known for their work with a variety of artists beyond their own catalogs.
And for country fans, all eyes are on Tom Douglas (Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me,” Tim McGraw’s “Grown Men Don’t Cry”).
Members eligible to vote must submit their ballots by midnight Eastern Standard Time on December 14, choosing from a maximum of three candidates from the songwriter category and a maximum of three candidates from the performer-songwriter category.
This year, a few songwriters got another shot at entry. This goes for Starr, Douglas, Gill, Boy George and members of Blondie and America.
Pink was nominated in 2026 but did not make the final cut. The same goes for Swedish pop producer Andreas Carlsson and disco songwriter Pete Bellotte (known for his work with Donna Summer on “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby”) of the legendary Cheiron Studios, known for hits like the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and Katy Perry’s “Waking Up In Vegas.”
Bob McDill, known for country classics like Don Williams’ “Amanda” and Dan Seals’ “All That Glitters (Ain’t Gold),” is also one of the returning candidates, having appeared on the ballot six times in 15 years.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 to honor those who created popular music. A songwriter with a notable song catalog is eligible for induction 20 years after a song’s first commercial release.
Those already in the hall include 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 2026 class included non-performers like Taylor Swift, Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins, as well as the duo of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It”) and Walter Afanasieff, who helped out with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
2027 candidates will be announced in early 2027.