14 new members inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame, including Mariah Carey
NEW YORK -- The Songwriters Hall of Fame now has 14 new members.
After a two-year pandemic pause, the organization's induction ceremony was held Thursday night in Manhattan.
Long Island's own Mariah Carey was part of this year's class, along with the Isley Brothers, Pharrell Williams and the Eurythmics, just to name a few.
CBS2's Elise Finch caught up with a few of the inductees on the red carpet.
The red carpet at the Marriott Marquis was filled with some of the music industry's biggest stars. In spite of their many accomplishments, some of this year's inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame are still processing the fact that they're now part of this elite group.
Steve Miller is still taking it all in.
"It's overwhelming because ... all of these guys are just off the charts," he said.
"And now you're one of them," Finch said.
"Well, it feels really great," Miller said.
"This is a crazy room, I mean, I just can't believe we're even in here. Like, we should be serving people," Pharrell Williams said.
The only thing Williams is serving is an acceptance speech. He and Chad Hugo are performers, but also a writing and producing duo known as the Neptunes. They may be the youngest in this year's class, but their songwriting is top notch.
Only songwriters with a notable catalog can qualify for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
The Isley Brothers more than meet that criteria.
"Well, you know, with everybody doing our songs for 65 years, yes," Ron Isley said.
Since being established in 1969, there have been fewer than 500 people inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, so it's a big deal, even for veteran songwriters like William "Mickey" Stevenson, who co-wrote "Dancing in the Streets."
"I couldn't believe it because I never imagined anything like that happening to me," he said.
Most of this year's inductees are also recording artists, so they're no strangers to being honored, but they say being recognized for their songwriting is extra special.
"It's an extraordinary sort of completion of a long journey throughout our lives. We are both music makers and we are both songwriters, and we've lived the journey," Annie Lennox said.
Superstar Mariah Carey rounded out this year's group of inductees. She didn't walk the red carpet, but she was front and center to receive her award from friend and musician Questlove.
She joked about constantly being referred to as a "diva" singer. With this honor, Carey wants people to always remember she is also an elite songwriter.