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A new class has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Performer Gloria Estefan has made history.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ANYTHING FOR YOU")

GLORIA ESTEFAN: (Singing) And I'd do anything for you, in spite of it all.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

She's become the first Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Also just admitted, songwriter and producer Glen Ballard, who co-wrote Alanis Morissette's 1995 album, "Jagged Little Pill."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU OUGHTA KNOW")

ALANIS MORISSETTE: (Singing) And I'm here to remind you of the mess you left when you went away.

FADEL: The list also has ELO's Jeff Lynne, whose credits include "Evil Woman" and "Mr. Blue Sky."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MR. BLUE SKY")

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA: (Singing) The sun is shining in the sky. There ain't a cloud in sight.

FADEL: And there's Liz Rose, who helped write some of Taylor Swift's best-known songs.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU BELONG WITH ME")

TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) When you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time. If you could...

MARTÍNEZ: NPR music critic Ann Powers says the Hall of Fame recognizes songwriters who have a knack for transforming words on a page into an experience.

ANN POWERS, BYLINE: Songwriting is not just about words, not just about lyrics, not just about melodies. It really is about creating a whole sound world.

FADEL: And that's especially important now as writers of all kinds face new competition from artificial intelligence. But where some see a threat, Powers sees an opportunity.

POWERS: What AI offers is a chance for human creativity to expand in league with technology. Humans can work with technology and not be eradicated by it.

FADEL: A future of collaboration with AI. Congratulations to the newest members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NO DIGGITY")

BLACKSTREET: (Singing) I like the way you work it. No diggity. I got to bag it up. Bag it up. I like the way you work it. No diggity. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.