Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift make it into greatest songwriters list
The New York Times caused a stir online with its list of the greatest songwriters alive, but everyone agrees that Mariah Carey earned her spot.
Music icon Mariah Carey is celebrating being named one of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.
The New York Times released its controversial list this week, and Carey was named among artists such as Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Nile Rodgers, Lionel Richie, Babyface, Carole King, Bob Dylan and Lana Del Rey.
Diane Warren, who is behind hits such as Celine Dion's 'Because You Loved Me' and Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing', also made the cut.
Carey, who has written and co-written all of her No.1 singles, is often praised for her songwriting by both fans and music critics.
Despite writing hit songs such as 'All I Want for Christmas is You', Fantasy', 'Dreamlover', 'Hero', 'My All' and 'Emotions', the 57-year-old says it's still hard for her to say she's good at songwriting.
"It's really hard for me to do that," she told the publication.
Carey's late mother, Patricia, was also a singer and played a huge role in shaping her career.
"I remember one time my mother said to me, 'Don't say if I make it', say 'when I make it.' I would sit in with her musicians. I was probably nine at that point. That's when I really picked up what creating something was."
The 5x Grammy Award winner says she started writing poetry first, and then added melodies to make songs.
"There's a pen involved. There are voice notes involved. There was an occasional thesaurus," she said.
The singer's fans know very well that she put that thesaurus to work. Thanks to her pen game, they have added words like acquiescent, reverie, and rigamarole to their everyday vocabulary.
Carey says she is "incredibly honoured" to be on the list of greatest songwriters.
"All I ever wanted to be known as, before anything else, is a songwriter. Being in the company of the genius songwriters on this list is an honour all on its own," she wrote on Instagram.
Carey also thanks fellow singer Victoria Monét for the "generous words" she wrote about her in The New York Times.
"Her songs often live in that space between vulnerability and strength. She writes melodies that move in unexpected ways but still feel natural to sing," Monét wrote.
"Every run, chord change and lyric feels like it’s serving the story of the song. She mastered stacking harmonies and creating moments where the vocals almost become part of the production."
Taylor Swift American songwriter
Swift also gave some insight into her songwriting process.
The 36-year-old says her songs are often inspired by her life, mythology, fables, books, movies, and characters.
However, she says her songs never quite happen exactly the same way, and she still doesn't understand how it works.
"I have this very strong opinion that when you're young, you feel things on such an intense and detailed level.
"There's an attention to detail when you are 17 to 22 years old, and you're longing, or you're reaching and grasping, but never holding someone's attention, or someone's love, or someone's dedication."
Swift and Carey represent two different eras, but most social media say their spot on the list is "well deserved".
However, they were divided about the rest of the list. Some were shocked that rapper Bad Bunny, who scored his first solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'DtMF' in February 2026, was selected above the likes of Eminem.
"Bad Bunny is an awful songwriter, though. His Spanish is unintelligible," one person wrote on X.
Another X user said: "I love Bad Bunny, but I don't think he belongs on this list."
Other comments include:
"This list is missing Donald Fagan."
"Madonna is a living artist - disappointing she’s not in this list considering she has consistently written some of the greatest songs in music history."
"Where’s Gaga?"
"The lack of anyone from heavier music genres is unacceptable. Some of the most poetic artists exist there."
The debate rages on, but many are just glad Carey is where she rightfully belongs.
"As long as Mariah is present and accounted for," one person wrote on Instagram.
Another added: "Mariah Carey on the list as she should be!"
"I love seeing Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey getting their flowers as writers," a third person commented.
"People always focus on their fame or their voices, but they’ve been the primary architects of their own hits for decades. It’s about time we stopped pretending pop genius doesn't count as elite songwriting."
Check out the full list of 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters on The New York Times website.
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