New York — Taylor Swift became the youngest woman ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night.She's 36."It was instinctual.
No one taught me how to do it," she said of songwriting through a raspy voice she attributed to screaming along to the night's performances and Wednesday night's historic NBA game between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.She told the room about her family uprooting their lives to move her from Pennsylvania to Nashville as a tween.
"I will never be able to express my gratitude," the singer-songwriter said while holding back tears - crediting their sacrifice for her career.She offered young songwriters advice: "You really have to prioritize what you love, down to your very core.
Because you'll need that." Steven Spielberg introduced Swift with a surprise speech about the power of songwriting."There is something undeniable about how songs imprint on our souls," he said, before changing his focus to Swift.
"Somehow Taylor knows us all too well." Swift started her speech by acknowledging Spielberg."Because of examples like Steven's, I trusted my imagination," she said.
The Gen Z singer Sombr launched Swift's segment by performing "Cardigan" and "Dear John" in front of her.Swift has brought new eyes to this year's ceremony and undeniably shaped contemporary pop music trends with her songwriting.
Swift is the youngest woman inducted, but Stevie Wonder, who started his recording career at 13, was the youngest ever inducted, it was announced on stage.It was a notable moment in an evening full of them: Swift, Kiss' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins and more were honored.Numerous others in the night's spotlight Tamar Braxton opened the gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City with a spirted tribute to a new inductee - the game-changing R&B songwriter, producer and rapper Christopher "Tricky" Stewart - with one of the ...