2027 Songwriters Hall of Fame Nominees: Complete Guide

Nov 5

The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its nominees for the Class of 2027, recognizing 26 songwriters and songwriting teams whose work spans country, pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, and more.

Announced November 5, 2026, the ballot includes Vince Gill, Lady Gaga, Shakira, P!NK, Jack White, Sia, Boy George, and members of Blondie, America, ZZ Top, and WAR.

Country music is represented by Gill, along with acclaimed songwriters Bob McDill, Tom Douglas, and Dan Wilson, whose credits include some of Nashville's most celebrated recordings.

The nominees are divided into two categories: Songwriters and Performing Songwriters. Those selected for induction will be honored at the 2027 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Gala in New York City.

Complete List of 2027 Songwriters Hall of Fame Nominees

The 2027 ballot features 13 nominations in each category. The songs listed below are examples of each nominee's songwriting catalog, as identified by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Songwriters

Pete Bellotte — "Hot Stuff," "I Feel Love"
Boy Meets Girl (George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam) — "How Will I Know," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
Kandi Burruss — "No Scrubs," "Bills, Bills, Bills"
Andreas Carlsson — "I Want It That Way," "Bye Bye Bye"
Tom Douglas — "The House That Built Me," "Grown Men Don't Cry"
Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer — "My Boyfriend's Back," "I Want Candy"
Bob McDill — "Amanda," "Don't Close Your Eyes"
Stargate (Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen) — "Irreplaceable," "Diamonds"
Maurice Starr — "Candy Girl," "Step by Step"
Stock Aitken Waterman (Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman) — "Never Gonna Give You Up," "I Should Be So Lucky"
will.i.am — "Where Is the Love?," "I Gotta Feeling"
Dan Wilson — "Closing Time," "Not Ready to Make Nice"
Toni Wine — "A Groovy Kind of Love," "Candida"

Performing Songwriters

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America — "A Horse with No Name," "Ventura Highway"
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie — "Call Me," "Heart of Glass"
Boy George — "Karma Chameleon," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"
Vince Gill — "Go Rest High on That Mountain," "When I Call Your Name"
Grandmaster Melle Mel — "The Message," "White Lines (Don't Do It)"
Lady Gaga — "Bad Romance," "Shallow"
Ne-Yo — "Irreplaceable," "So Sick"
P!NK — "So What," "Raise Your Glass"
Shakira — "Hips Don't Lie," "Whenever, Wherever"
Sia — "Chandelier," "Titanium"
WAR (Thomas Sylvester Allen, Harold Ray Brown, Morris "B.B." Dickerson, Jerry Goldstein, LeRoy L. Jordan, Lee Oskar Levitin, Charles William Miller, and Howard E. Scott) — "Low Rider," "Why Can't We Be Friends"
Jack White — "Seven Nation Army," "We're Going to Be Friends"
Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top — "La Grange," "Sharp Dressed Man"

Country Music Songwriters Among the 2027 Nominees

Four nominees have particularly significant connections to country music, with songwriting catalogs that include Grammy-winning recordings, country radio hits, and songs recorded by some of Nashville's most recognizable artists.

Vince Gill

Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill is nominated in the Performing Songwriters category.

Throughout his career, Gill has written and recorded numerous country hits, including "Go Rest High on That Mountain," "When I Call Your Name," "I Still Believe in You," and "One More Last Chance."

Gill has earned four CMA Song of the Year awards, the most by any songwriter in the award's history.

Bob McDill

Bob McDill has written some of country music's most recognizable songs, including "Amanda," recorded by Don Williams and Waylon Jennings, "Good Ole Boys Like Me," "Don't Close Your Eyes," "Gone Country," and "Song of the South."

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, McDill has previously appeared on the Songwriters Hall of Fame ballot multiple times.

Tom Douglas

Tom Douglas is nominated for a songwriting catalog that includes Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me," Tim McGraw's "Grown Men Don't Cry," Lady A's "I Run to You," Collin Raye's "Little Rock," and Tim McGraw's "Meanwhile Back at Mama's," featuring Faith Hill.

Douglas earned a CMA Song of the Year award for co-writing "The House That Built Me."

Dan Wilson

Dan Wilson has worked across multiple genres, with country credits that include The Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" and Chris Stapleton's "White Horse."

Wilson earned a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice" and a CMA Song of the Year award for "White Horse."

His catalog also includes Adele's "Someone Like You," Taylor Swift's "Treacherous," and Semisonic's "Closing Time."

How Are Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees Selected?

The Songwriters Hall of Fame recognizes songwriters whose work has made a lasting contribution to popular music.

Under the organization's stated eligibility criteria, a songwriter must have a catalog of notable songs and be at least 20 years beyond the first commercial release of a song.

Eligible voting members select the inductees from two categories:

Songwriters: Writers recognized primarily for compositions recorded by other artists.
Performing Songwriters: Artists recognized for their contributions as both songwriters and recording performers.

Voting members may select up to three nominees in each category.