NASHVILLE, TN — Hip-Hop, pop and new Jack Swing stars were recognized last week with the newest set of inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Gloria Estefan, Snoop Dogg, Teddy Riley, Sade Adu, Liz Rose, Glen Ballard and Jeff Lynne will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 15 during the organization’s 52nd annual induction and awards gala in New York City.
Hall Chairman Nile Rodgers shared a statement expressing the importance of songwriters and how, without them, there would be no recorded music, concerts or merch.“It all starts with the song and the songwriter,” he said. “We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2023 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
Estefan is an eight-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, whose career has spanned nearly five decades. Some of the biggest songs in her catalog include “Anything for You,” “Let’s Get Loud” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You.”
Like the Cuban artist and actress, Snoop Dogg has reigned for decades and become an unparalleled force in music, who also receives recognition for his entrepreneurial endeavors in Web 3.0, tech, entertainment and global consumer brands. “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Young, Wild & Free” and “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” are just some of the major songs he’s written.
Sade’s songwriting spans more than 30 years and has resulted in hits like “Smooth Operator,” “No Ordinary Love” and “The Sweetest Taboo.” Her tracks have been covered by everyone from Deftones to Donna Summer and Frank Ocean to Jason Mraz.
Rose is an award-winning songwriter who was a frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift’s, co-writing 16 of the music sensation’s songs, like “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “You Belong With Me” and this year’s Grammy nominee for song of the year, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version).”
Six-time Grammy winner Ballard co-wrote Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Alanis Morissette’s critically acclaimed “Jagged Little Pill,” one of the best-selling records in history. He’s also written music for Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith, Shakira and Katy Perry, among several others.
Best known as the leader of the Electric Light Orchestra, Lynne wrote hits like “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Later in his career, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys, where he worked with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, even co-writing the latter’s hit “I Won’t Back Down.”
Riley is credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre, in which he fused hip-hop and R&B. In the nearly four decades since his career began, he’s directed his own bands and written hits for stars like Jackson, Bobby Brown and Stevie Wonder. Some of his biggest songs include “Remember the Time,” My Prerogative” and “Make It Last Forever.
