In her speech at the induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Swift thanked her family

Taylor Swift gave an emotional and lengthy 21-minute speech after being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at a ceremony held Thursday night at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Before her address, young musician Sombr paid tribute to her by performing the songs "Cardigan" and "Dear John."

During her speech, Swift recalled her life and professional journey, especially thanking her family for the sacrifices they made to make her career possible.

"It was easy for me to choose songwriting over everything else in life. But it certainly wasn't easy for my parents and brother to pack up the whole family and move from Pennsylvania to Nashville so I could hone my craft in the songwriter capital of the world," she said, adding that her family understood that her love for music was not a passing phase.

"When it became clear that this was not just a passing whim of their teenage daughter, they completely changed their lives for me. Although words should be my forte, I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done. You are the reason I am here tonight," the singer-songwriter said.

She also expressed special gratitude to the famous director Steven Spielberg, who introduced her to the audience before the award ceremony.

Swift explained that it was his name that she first mentioned when the organizers asked her who her role models were and who could present her with the award.

"About an hour later I got on the phone with Stephen and his legendary wife, Kate Capshaw, who is here with us tonight. He told me he would love to come," she boasted.

The singer pointed out that she was particularly impressed by the fact that Spielberg agreed to attend the ceremony despite his new film "Disclosure Day" being released the same night.

This year's Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees include Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Stewart, members of the band Kiss, as well as Terry Britten, Graham Lyle...

At 36 years old, Swift became the second youngest person ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the youngest woman to be given the honor. Only Stevie Wonder was inducted at a younger age, when he was 32 in 1983.