RAYE to Receive Hal David Award at 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala

RAYE may be having a hard time finding her desired life partner on the delightful “Where Is My Husband!,” but major career honors are proving much less elusive.

The British singer/songwriter has won seven Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards and one MTV Video Music Award. RAYE will add another bauble to that collection on Thursday, June 11, when she receives the Hal David Starlight Award  at the 55th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

The award, created in 2004, is presented to “gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs,” according to the announcement. The award was named after the late Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist and SHOF chairman emeritus, best-known for his long, hit-studded collaboration with Burt Bacharach.

This is the third year in a row that a woman will take the award, the longest such streak since the award was created. SZA and Gracie Abrams were the honorees in 2024 and 2025, respectively. RAYE is the second English songwriter/artist to receive it, following Ed Sheeran in 2017. Taylor Swift this year will become the first former Hal David Starlight Award recipient (she was the 2010 honoree) to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“RAYE is exactly the kind of songwriter Hal David would have adored,” SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement — “someone who writes from the deepest, most unguarded part of herself, and somehow makes the whole world feel seen in the process. What makes her story so remarkable is that long before she was a superstar in her own right, she was already quietly shaping the sound of a generation.  As a songwriter, her incredible range spans pop, R&B and dance — leaving its mark on hit records like Beyoncé’s ‘Bigger,’ sparking something electric on Charli XCX’s ‘After the Afterparty,’ bringing real tenderness to Ellie Goulding’s ‘Sixteen,’ and delivering Little Mix a straight-up hit with ‘Told You So.’   This award doesn’t just shine a light on her talent — it illuminates a journey that has been extraordinary from the very beginning.”

“Where Is My Husband!” has climbed as high as No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. RAYE’s sophomore album, This Music May Contain Hope., has likewise reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200. Those are often thought of as frustrating chart peaks – so close! – but considering they are RAYE’s highest placements to date in the U.S., they represent progress.

 “Where Is My Husband!” became RAYE’s second No. 1 single on the Official UK Singles Chart, following “Escapism” (featuring 070 Shake). This Music May Contain Hope. marked her first No. 1 album in the UK.

In 2024, the South London native made history at the BRIT Awards, winning six honors, the most ever in a single year. Her list of accolades also includes an Ivor Novello Award for songwriter of the year.

RAYE’s impact as a songwriter extends far beyond her own catalog, with credits including (in addition to the songs mentioned by Rodgers), “Home With You” by Madison Beer, “A Good Night” by John Legend, “Born Again” by LISA featuring Doja Cat and RAYE, and “Capital Letters” by Hailee Steinfeld and BloodPop.

In February, RAYE received the Recording Academy’s Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award for her deeply personal song “Ice Cream Man.,” which amplifies the voices of sexual assault survivors. She co-wrote the song, which appeared on her debut album, with BloodPop and Mike Sabath. She was also nominated at the 2026 Grammy Awards for best music film for Live at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2025, she earned Grammy nominations for best new artist, songwriter of the year (non-classical) and best engineered album, non-classical for her work on Lucky Daye’s Algorithm.

RAYE has spent the past two months playing arenas across Europe and the UK on her 51-date THIS TOUR MAY CONTAIN NEW MUSIC run. The tour includes six nights at London’s The O2, before heading to North America for a run with stops at Radio City Music Hall (April 15–16) and the Greek Theatre (May 12–13). This summer, she is set to join Bruno Mars as a special guest on The Romantic Tour, playing 26 stadium dates throughout North America.

The Hal David Starlight Award is meant as a balance to the Johnny Mercer Award, the SHOF’s top award, which is a career-capping honor. This year’s Mercer recipient is John Fogerty.

Inductees at this year’s event, in addition to Swift, are Walter Afanasieff, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart.

Here’s the complete list of recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award: