Nashville Songwriter Awards 2022 Recap

The fifth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards took place last night - September 21st - at the Ryman Auditorium. Taylor Swift was honored as the Artist/Songwriter of the decade, and Ashley Gorley was named Songwriter of the Decade. Last night marked the first time the event has taken place in person since the COVID pandemic began. This was a night where everyone in the songwriting community could come together to honor their work. Some of Nashville's brightest stars were in attendance such as HARDY, Kelsea Ballerini, and Little Big Town. Here is a recap of the spectacular event.

Swift performed an acoustic version of her popular song "All Too Well (10 Minute Version" off of the re-recorded Red (Taylor's Version) album. When accepting the award, she mentioned her co-writer of "All Too Well," Liz Rose, as her "confidant" and "collaborator."

Credit: Jena Fowler

Before Gorley took to the stage to accept the well-deserving award, a medley of his hits was performed by other songwriters. Babyface made a surprise appearance to sing a stripped-down version of "Unforgettable," one of Gorley's No. 1 songs. Gorley's speech was also incredibly moving. He spoke about living in Nashville for 11 years before he ever had a hit on the radio.

Credit: Marisa Taylor

Jordan Davis' no. 1 song "Buy Dirt" won the title of Song of the Year. When accepting the award, Davis let his co-writers have the spotlight. The song was written by brothers Jacob and Jordan Davis, and Josh and Matt Jenkins.

Credit: Marisa Taylor

The event had a segment titled "10 Songs I Wish I'd Written" which included several unforgettable performances. GAYLE performed a rock version of "abcdefu," Walker Hayes performed "Fancy Like" alongside his co-writers, and Sam Hunt made a surprise appearance with his song "23." Hunt's acoustic performance included his co-writers Josh Osborne and Chris LaCorte.

Garth Brooks was also honored for his achievements by being introduced by his wife and fellow artist Trisha Yearwood. Songwriters of his timeless songs performed the tracks "The Dance," "The Thunder Rolls," and "Ain't Goin' Down." Luke Combs also took to the stage to sing "The Beaches of Cheyenne."

The segment "10 Songs I Wish I'd Written" continued with tracks like "Things A Man Oughta Know," "Knowing You," and "Till You Can't." Kelsea Ballerini performed a piano version of her song "half of my hometown" alongside co-writers Nicolle Galyon and Jimmy Robbins.

Credit: Marisa Taylor

2022 AWARD WINNERS

SONG OF THE YEAR

“BUY DIRT” Written by Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins

SONGWRITER OF THE DECADE

ASHLEY GORLEY

SONGWRITER-ARTIST OF THE DECADE

TAYLOR SWIFT

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

ASHLEY GORLEY

SONGWRITER-ARTIST OF THE YEAR

MATTHEW WEST

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

GARTH BROOKS

Given in recognition to a songwriter whose works have made a significant

contribution to the American songbook and who has inspired the careers of others.

PRESIDENT'S KEYSTONE AWARD

JON PLATT - Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Publishing

Given in recognition of significant contributions to the betterment of all songwriters, chosen by the current NSAI President

'10 SONGS I WISH I’D WRITTEN’ AWARDS

Each year, the highly-coveted Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written Awards are voted on by Professional Songwriter Members of NSAI honoring the work of their songwriter peers. Songs eligible for the award have at least one Nashville-based writer and charted in the Top 20 of Billboard Airplay chart in the Christian, Country, Mainstream Top 40, and/or Rock genres between May 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022. The NSAI Song Of The Year is the highest vote-getter.

“23” – Written by: Sam Hunt, Chris LaCorte, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

“7500 OBO” – Written by: Matt McGinn, Jenn Schott, Nathan Spicer

“abcdefu” – Written by: Sara Davis, GAYLE, Dave Pittenger

“Fancy Like" – Written by: Cameron "Cambo" Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens

“Half Of My Hometown” – Written by: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins

“Knowing You” – Written by: Kat Higgins, Adam James, Brett James

“Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Written by: Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce

“Sand In My Boots” – Written by: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne

“Things A Man Oughta Know” – Written by: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson

“'Til You Can't” – Written by: Matthew J. Rogers, Ben Stennis

"You Should Probably Leave" - Written by: Chris Dubois, Ashley Gorley, Chris Stapleton

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