Taylor Swift says Nashville songwriters ‘raised’ her, during Nashville Hall of Fame induction

Taylor Swift reflects on early Nashville days and songwriting mentors after joining Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Taylor Swift has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, reflecting on the songwriters and collaborators who helped shape her career during her formative years in the Tennessee music city.

The 14-time Grammy Award winner received the honour on Monday, October 26, at the organisation’s 56th annual gala at Nashville’s Music City Center.

Brad Paisley inducted Swift, opening with a joke about filling her tour bus with thousands of live crickets during their time on the road.

“I’m really surprised to see you here, actually, because we’ve been estranged since 2007,” Swift joked.

During her acceptance speech, Swift discussed Nashville, songwriting and fame, explaining that music had always been central to her life. She moved to Nashville as a teenager, signed a publishing deal at 14 and began writing songs regularly.

“I think you truly learn a craft when you do it over and over and over,” she said, praising the city’s songwriting community for helping her develop her skills.

Swift credited the writers she worked with for teaching her how to collaborate, overcome creative blocks and recognise which ideas to pursue. “Those writers, in a lot of ways, raised me and guided me through my formative years," the newly inducted Hall of Famer explained.

She recalled travelling from Hendersonville High School to publisher Jody Williams Music in December 2005 to write with Liz Rose.

She also remembered working with demo producer Nathan Chapman, whose arrangements helped shape her early music. Swift later pushed for Chapman to produce her debut album.

Released in 2006, Taylor Swift marked the beginning of a career that would span multiple genres. The album celebrated its 20th anniversary on October 24, two days before her induction.

Swift said the foundations she developed in Nashville enabled her to explore different creative approaches throughout her career.

“The only reason that I’ve been able to have that kind of dexterity in my creative process is because of the fundamentals and the foundation that I learned here in Nashville,” she said.

Swift was inducted alongside Lyle Lovett, Shawn Camp, Lee Thomas Miller, Bruce Channel and the late J.I. Allison. Lainey Wilson performed a bluegrass version of “Love Story”, while George Strait received the Career Maker Award.