FILE – Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour” in Nashville, Tenn., May 5, 2023. According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift was 2023’s most-streamed artist globally. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
New York (AP) — Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins and Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley make up the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.
It is no doubt an eclectic bunch of performers, spanning genre and generation.
The 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held June 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music.
A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins, LL Cool J, Pink, Sarah McLachlan and Talking Heads’ David Byrne are among the impressive list of nominees for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame class, an eclectic mix of pop, hip-hop, folk and rock innovators.
Also on the ballot are Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane M. Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the glam rock band Kiss.
News of Simmons and Stanley’s inclusion comes days after the death of Ace Frehley, Kiss’ original lead guitarist and founding member. Frehley, 74, died Oct. 16 in New Jersey.
Rounding out the performer-songwriter category is Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters (notable hits include “Goodbye To Love,” “Top Of The World” and “Yesterday Once More”), Harry Wayne Casey, better known as KC of KC and the Sunshine Band (“Rock Your Baby,” “That’s The Way (I Like It)” and “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty”) and guitarist Boz Scaggs.
The Hall annually inducts performers and non-performers alike. The latter category’s nominees this year include disco songwriter Pete Bellotte (known for his work with Donna Summer on “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby”), Swedish pop producer of the legendary Cheiron Studios, Andreas Carlsson (Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” Katy Perry’s “Waking Up In Vegas”) and Steve Kipner (Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle.”)
The list also includes longtime Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard (“Like A Prayer,” “Live To Tell”), Vini Poncia (The Ronettes’ “Do I Love You?,”), Martin Page (Starships’ “We Built This City”), Kenny Nolan (Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade”) and the duo Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.”)
Eligible voting members have until midnight Eastern on Dec. 4 to turn in ballots with their choices of up to three nominees from the songwriter category and up to three from the performing-songwriter category.
Representing country songwriters are Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts The Most,” Tim McGraw’s “The Cowboy In Me”), Don Williams’ “Good Ole Boys Like Me”) and Larry Weiss (Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Jeff Beck’s “Hi Ho Silver Lining.”)
R&B-pop songwriters are also prevalent this year with Tom Snow (The Pointer Sisters’ “He’s So Shy,” Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”) and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart (Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and “Break My Soul.”)
A few performers are getting another shot at entry. Walter Afanasieff, who helped Mariah Carey with her smash “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and who was previously nominated in the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame class, is up for induction again this year.
The Guess Who’s Bachman and Cummings — as well as Bob McDill, known for country classics like Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)” — are also returning nominees.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating the popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
Some already in the hall include Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Phil Collins, R.E.M., Steely Dan, Dean Pitchford, Hillary Lindsey and Timbaland.
The 2025 class included George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Tony Macaulay.
The 2026 inductees will be announced in early 2026.
Kenny Loggins is speaking out against U.S. President Donald Trump using his song Danger Zone in an AI video posted to his Truth Social account in response to the “No Kings” protests over the weekend.
In a statement shared with Variety on Monday, Loggins, 77, demanded that his song be removed from the AI video showing Trump in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be fecal matter on “No Kings” protesters.
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) October 19, 2025
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“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of Danger Zone. Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” Loggins said in the statement.
“I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together,” Loggins continued.
“We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic. There is no ‘us and them’ — that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It’s all of us. We’re in this together.”
Loggins said that he hopes “we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.”
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The Loggins song featured in the AI video was famously used in the 1986 Top Gun film, which is what the AI video appears to be paying homage to.
In response to a request for comment on the video, a representative for the White House reportedly sent Variety a Top Gun meme that read: “I feel the need for speed.”
Millions of people marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. on Saturday for “No Kings” demonstrations, decrying what participants see as the government’s swift drift into authoritarianism under Trump.
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People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” packed New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago.
Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Mont., and at hundreds of smaller public spaces.
The official White House account on X reacted to “No Kings” day by sharing an image of Trump and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance wearing crowns above an image of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer wearing sombreros.
The “No Kings” coalition responded to Johnson’s comments, referring to the protest as the “Hate America rally” and blaming it for “the ongoing government shutdown.”
“Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings,” the group said, adding that they will “see everyone on October 18.”
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The “No Kings” protests first took place in hundreds of American cities on June 14 during a military parade in Washington that marked the U.S. army’s 250th anniversary, which coincided with Trump’s birthday.
The protests were held to counter what organizers said were Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday (which was also Flag Day). The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement — which stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement — and is made up of members of the American public who say they stand for democracy and against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.
Protesters have called for Trump to be “dethroned,” as they compare his actions to those of a king and not a democratically elected president.
“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services,” the group says on its website, referring to the Trump administration and its policies. “They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies.”
A couple of days ago, the President of the United States posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social that depicted him flying over the “No Kings” protests that swept the country this weekend and dropping what sure looks a whole helluva lot like poop onto protesters. The video included Kenny Loggins’ classic tune “Danger Zone,” as featured in Top Gun. Now that Loggins has caught wind of the video, he’s made it known that he’s not a fan.
“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of ‘Danger Zone.’ Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” the singer told NPR.
Loggins went on: “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together. We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic. There is no ‘us and them’ – that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It’s all of us. We’re in this together, and it is my hope that we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.”
The video in question was shared as millions of Americans took to the streets to peacefully protest Trump’s policies.
What is Trump dumping on protesters in the video that he shared? NPR has referred to it as “sludgy brown material.” The Guardian also called it “sludge.” 404 Media has opted to call a spade a spade and declared: “It’s poop, ok? It’s shit. It’s diarrhea, and in reposting it, it’s clear enough to me that Trump is fantasizing about doing a carpet-bomb dookie on the people he put his hand on a bible and swore to serve nine months ago.” Politico has also been more direct, referring to it as a “poop-bombing” video. Whatever it is, it sure is gross, and the legendary singer of “Danger Zone” wants no part of it.
This is only the latest example of the Trump administration using media sourced from artists and celebrities, only to have those artists and celebrities complain and ask that they please be excluded (just last month, comedian Theo Von asked the Department of Homeland Security to take a clip of him out of a pro-deportation video it had posted online), and Loggins is only the latest in a long line of musicians who have asked Trump to stop using their music (that list reportedly includes ABBA, The Rolling Stones, The Village People, and many others).
Mr. Loggins did not immediately return our request for comment.
The White House, however, did reply to our request for comment. Its reply was a screenshot from Top Gun with meme text superimposed over it that says “I FEEL THE NEED FOR SPEED,” which is a paraphrase of a famous quote from the movie.
In 2024, Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary was released in homage to a genre of late ’70s, early ’80s easy listening pop music. The term “Yacht Rock” was actually coined as part of a web series joking that the light rock of that era was perfect for people aboard their fancy sea vessels.
While what constitutes YR has been much debated because of its broad inclusion of everything from Michael Jackson to Gordon Lightfoot — Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen is not terribly enamored with the categorization despite, for many, being its epicenter — the bottom line is that it represents a kindler, gentler, soft-focus era of music’s past. But, if you listen carefully, you can hear its influence all over modern music.
In a music world driven by loudness and pop controversy, there seems to be a yearning for something that is both softer on the ear and infinitely singable. If YR was anything, it was earworm-worthy, filled with the kind of hooks now craved by shower and karaoke singers around the world.
The documentary sought to highlight that time in music, but it missed the fact that there are artists out there paying tribute all the time. On-the-nose representations like Young Gun Silver Fox and State Cows seem to be trying to single handedly keep the cool party vibes alive. And depending on the breadth of your definition of YR, the Bruno Mars/Anderson Paak collaboration, Silk Sonic, is clearly a pleasant rendering of that time in music (assuming you are ok with a little soul music when you set sail).
But, more subtly the sound has permeated popular music across a pretty wide spectrum. Pillow soft drums and gentle harmonies blended with hooks that, while not quite approaching the accessibility of the Bee Gees or Doobie Brothers, are definitely on the catchier side.
Southern folky acts like Goose are as much an homage to classic pop as they are to the Allman Brothers and the Eagles, the latter an artist that is frequently included in YR playlists. In fact, there is plenty of that folksy country-leaning style around modern music today taking their cues from the southern-tinged light rock of the ’70s. Just a cursory listen to Kacey Musgraves or HAIM or Maggie Rogers should set off the radar of anyone who still feels the pull of Jim Croce or Seals and Crofts.
And even if you are among those who think YR should be centered more around the pop of the early ’80s (think Toto, Boz Skaggs and Texas’ own Christopher Cross), that’s out there as well. Tell us you don’t hear the strains of the late ’70s in Sabrina Carpenter’s “Juno,” right down to the casual sexually tinged lyrics that practically scream “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” or “Kiss You All Over,” albeit less overt like everything else in the world today.
Charlie Puth, Teddy Swims, even the Jonas Brothers wear the YR influences on their sleeves on occasion. John Mayer is practically a walking ad for the style, but he grew up listening to it, so we have to discount his impact slightly.
Most of the winks to YR in modern music are just that. The technology that exists today along with the way songs are crafted for modern listeners has radically altered everything about popular music. But, the similarities are there if you pay attention. In the end, YR may have had a bigger impact on modern music than anyone could have anticipated when all the early new wavers, punks and metal heads were snickering about Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. Little did we know.
If you’re curious about today’s artists harking back to Yacht Rock’s past, check out this cool Yacht Rock Nouveau playlist on Spotify which includes a number of the artists listed above and even some pretty unique covers of YR-era songs by modern artists.
