Beyonce Collaborators, Country Titans: Who Will Be the First-Ever Grammy Songwriter of the Year?
Thania Garcia The newly created Grammy Award for songwriter of the year is shaping up to be a tight race, with 62 potential nominees in contention, including such major hitmakers as The-Dream, Amy Allen, Natalie Hemby (pictured above, L-R), Justin Tranter, James Fauntleroy, Shane McAnally, Ali Tamposi, Kat Dahlia, Edgar Barrera, Omer Fedi, Scott Harris, Tobias Jesso Jr., Desmond Child, and dozens more. The names might not be familiar to everyone, and that’s exactly the point: the award is intended to “honors the people whose job is to write songs for others,” Evan Bogart, a Grammy-winning songwriter and chair of the Academy’s songwriters and composers wing, told Variety earlier this month (and whose name is also on the list). “It’s for the ones who can say, ‘Hey, I’m not performing at the Grammys; I’m not on the cover of Rolling Stone and you’re not going to know my name — but you’re singing my melodies and lyrics.’” The songwriters on the list have written for artists ranging from Beyonce, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes to Maren Morris and Blake Shelton, and many others.