Taylor Swift made history at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in New York on Thursday, becoming the youngest woman ever inducted into the prestigious institution at age 36. Introduced by director Steven Spielberg in a surprise appearance, Swift delivered an emotional 21-minute speech in which she credited her family's sacrifice as the foundation of her career. "I will never be able to express my gratitude," she said, holding back tears.

Swift recalled how her family uprooted their lives and moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee — widely regarded as the songwriting capital of the United States — when she was just 14 years old, so she could develop her craft. She described songwriting itself as the one aspect of her career that came to her instinctively, contrasting it with the many other skills she had to learn through "trial and error and chaos and calamity." "No one taught me how to do it," she said, her voice raspy — which she attributed partly to cheering at the previous night's NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. Among the songs recognised by the Hall were All Too Well (10 Minute Version), Blank Space, Anti-Hero, Love Story, and The Last Great American Dynasty. While Swift is the youngest woman to receive the honour, it was noted on stage that Stevie Wonder, who began his recording career at 13, remains the youngest inductee overall.

Swift was among a celebrated class of inductees at this year's ceremony, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Also honoured were rock legends Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, alt-rock icon Alanis Morissette, soft rock pioneer Kenny Loggins, and hit-maker Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, whose writing credits span Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," Rihanna's "Umbrella," and Justin Bieber's "Baby." Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, writers behind Tina Turner classics including What's Love Got to Do with It?, and producer Walter Afanasieff, known for Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You, were also inducted. John Fogerty received the Johnny Mercer Award, while British singer-songwriter RAYE accepted the Hal David Starlight Award, using her speech to call for songwriters to receive a share of master royalties.

Founded in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honours writers whose work has shaped popular music, with fewer than 500 people inducted in its more than five decades of existence. A songwriter becomes eligible 20 years after the first commercial release of one of their songs. Swift, one of the best-selling music artists of all time with 12 studio albums and four re-recorded releases, is also the only artist to have won the Grammy Award for album of the year four times. Her induction marks a broader recognition of her influence on contemporary pop songwriting — and, organisers noted, has brought significant new attention to the ceremony itself.