Ashley Gorley will also be recognized

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has revealed that Taylor Swift and Ashley Gorley will receive Decade achievements at the fifth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards presented by City National Bank. Swift will be recognized as the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade with Gorley receiving the Songwriter of the Decade accolade. Their achievements will be honored at the Ryman Auditorium on September 20th with special segments during the show.

With nearly 20 previously announced performers set to take the stage to honor their favorite writers and award-winners, the line-up continues to grow with the additions of Jordan Davis, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Parmalee and Alana Springsteen. Previously announced performers include Pat Alger, Tony Arata, Babyface, Kent Blazy, Jacob Davis, Gayle, Hardy, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, Matt McGinn, Thomas Rhett, Matt Rogers, Jenn Schott, Nathan Spicer, Matthew West, and more to come.

Decade award winners are determined by their cumulative songwriting success between the designated years between 2010-2019, where points are given by calculating the percentage of songwriting credit in a Nashville-associated song and tracking each song’s performance on a week to week basis in the Top 20 of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, Billboard Pop Songs Chart, Billboard Christian Airplay Chart or Billboard Rock Airplay Chart. For the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade award, there is the additional requirement that they must be the recording artist as well as a credited songwriter of the song for points to count.

Swift’s incredible success between 2010-2019 now puts her in the company of previous decade award recipients: Toby Keith (2000-2009) and Vince Gill (1990-1999). This decade honor adds to her long list of NSAI achievements which most-notably includes being named NSAI’s Songwriter-Artist of the Year a record-breaking seven times. Swift has also received three “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards for her own “Lover” in 2020, Little Big Town’s “Better Man” in 2017; and her own “Shake It Off” in 2015.

“A good songwriter can have you see the flowers in a song. A great songwriter can have you see and feel them. But, a truly gifted songwriter’s songwriter will have you see, feel and smell those roses in the window. That’s Taylor,” Keith Urban shares.

He continues, “When she sings ‘memorized the creaks in the floor,’ I’m there in a house with so many immediate details of my own – I’m hooked. In a time where a song can have a dozen writers, the above mentioned song Cornelia Street (one of my all-time fave Tay songs) is one of many with just one. Taylor Swift. She’s the real fucking deal!!!!

“She’s also constantly mining – digging, untethered, uncovering new forms of artistic expression and going at it in such a way that I’m not sure if she’s fearless, or just able to compartmentalize fear. What’s the difference anyway. Answering your calling is not for the faint of heart, but when you do you forge new frontiers and inspire others to do the same. Congrats Taylor . Lead on!”

Chart-topping songwriter Ashley Gorley will be honored as NSAI’s Songwriter of the Decade an award fitting for the songwriter who has earned the title of NSAI’s Songwriter of the Year five times in the past eight years.

“I have so much respect for Ashley Gorley,” shares Thomas Rhett. “His talent as a songwriter is obvious, but his work ethic combined with that talent is truly inspirational. He’s one of the hardest working and most passionate people in town and truly deserves this honor.”

Gorley recently celebrated yet another hit with his 62nd No. 1 and he has previously earned a total of nine awards from NSAI including NSAI’s 2008 Song of the Year award for Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This.” Additionally, Gorley has earned three “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” awards for Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It” and Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me” in 2008; and Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots” in 2017.

In addition to celebrating the aforementioned decade winners, the evening will also honor the 2022 song, songwriter, and songwriter-artist of the year, as well as previously announced recipients, Garth Brooks with the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award and Sony Music Publishing Chairman & CEO, Jon Platt with the NSAI President’s Keystone Award.