Stephen Sondheim – my absolute favorite. I have loved SWEENY TODD since I was a child. I wish I had told him how much I loved his work before he died.
Adam Schlesinger / Rachel Bloom – for the show CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND.
Paul Williams – wrote for the Muppets. He is basically the reason I joined ASCAP instead of BMI.
Weird Al Yankovic – of course the lyrics and the videos and the productions
Sarah Bareilles – The entire show WAITRESS – I love it so much.
Lin-Manuel Miranda – because of HAMILTON – constant teacher on condensing more and more meaning into the lyrics.
Kristen Jane Anderson-Lopez / Robert Joseph Lopez –
Laurence O’keefe / Nell Benjamin – The lyrics for any of the songs in LEGALLY BLONDE the musical are incredible. Clever, tight, character-driven. Absolutely love it.
I am sure I will keep adding to this list. I regularly listen to the podcast Sodajerker on Songwriting, because I am so inspired by listening to other songwriters talk about their process.