Music world honors songwriters at gala

A little bit of beer, a little bit of shrooms, and some mucking around with the guitar: That's one recipe to write a smash song, says Post Malone.

The hitmaker was speaking to AFP as a special honoree at the gala inducting new members into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as Cuban-American Gloria Estefan became the first Latina artist to enter the prestigious pantheon.

A who's who of music, the institution foregoes a televised event in favor of a festive dinner and intimate concert in a Manhattan hotel ballroom.

Two of the slated inductees - Nigerian-British singer Sade Adu and Calvin Broadus, aka rapper Snoop Dogg - deferred their honors to future years, opting out of the 52nd annual ceremony. But the night still boasted five writers behind some of pop culture's indelible hits.

The Grammy-winning Estefan has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has already won many of the highest music honors including induction into the Kennedy Center as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But "this one is very special, because I've gotten through the hardest parts of my life listening to other songwriters," Estefan told AFP.

"To be able to have our words reach other people's minds and hearts is a really big privilege and a blessing that I don't take lightly."

Glen Ballard co-wrote tracks including Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and Alanis Morissette's acclaimed LP "Jagged Little Pill."

Speaking on the red carpet, he called the honor "incredibly validating."

"You write songs for 50 years, and you get an honor like this, and you feel like, 'I wasn't wasting my time after all!'" Ballard said with a laugh.

Pop-rock artist Jeff Lynne, who wrote songs including "Don't Bring Me Down" and worked...