Gloria Estefan will make history this summer as the only Latina joining the Songwriters Hall of Fame, class of 2023. The “Conga” singer, alongside Snoop Dogg, Sade, Jeff Lynne, Glen Ballard, Teddy Riley, and Liz Rose, will be honored for their achievements in music and their hits such as “Man In the Mirror,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You.”
The seven songwriters from the class of 2023 will be inducted on June 15 during a gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Snoop Dogg will join rappers Missy Elliott and Jay-Z, while Estefan is the first Hispanic woman to be inducted. “To be the first of anything at this age is fantastic,” Estefan told CBS Mornings.
According to Estefan, this honor is extra special as she always finds it challenging to create music. “The minute I finish writing a song, I think I will never be able to do this again... Each one is different. Every song comes differently,” she said.
English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer Jeff Lynne, best known as the rock band Electric Light Orchestra co-founder, took to social media to share his thoughts about the news. “I’m very excited about this honor. Songwriting has always been my passion. This means so much to me,” Lynne tweeted.
Ballard helped write Alanis Morissette’s monster 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill,” and Riley is credited for Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”
The 2023 class “represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world” said Nile Rogers, Songwriters Hall of Fame’s chair.
Since 1969 the Songwriters Hall of Fame is honoring creatives in music. Stars already inducted in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, and Phil Collins.