Overview
- The cross-genre slate spans pop, hip-hop, rock, country and R&B, with performer nominees including Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, David Byrne, Kenny Loggins, P!nk, Sarah McLachlan, the Go-Go’s trio, America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, KISS’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Richard Carpenter, Harry Wayne Casey and Boz Scaggs.
- Non-performing songwriter nominees include Walter Afanasieff, Pete Bellotte, Andreas Carlsson, Steve Kipner, Patrick Leonard, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, Bob McDill, Tom Snow, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Larry Weiss, Kenny Nolan, Martin Page and Vini Poncia.
- Swift appears in her first year of eligibility, 20 years after her 2006 debut single, and she could become the first Hal David Starlight Award recipient to later gain full membership.
- News of Simmons and Stanley’s nominations follows the Oct. 16 death of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, which outlets noted in contextual coverage.
- From these ballots, the top three performing and top three non-performing songwriters will be named in early 2026 and honored at the SHOF’s customary June gala in New York City.