Share and Follow
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its newest lineup of nominees, featuring a wide array of artists such as Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, and Shakira.
This group is part of a larger pool of 17 performers who have the chance to join the prestigious hall, which honors musicians from a diverse spectrum of genres, including rap, R&B, Britpop, metal, and pop, among others.
Completing the list for the 2026 nominations are Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition, Sade, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Black Crowes, Oasis, Joy Division/New Order, and Billy Idol, as announced by the Rock Hall on Wednesday.
John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, expressed in a statement, “This varied collection of talented nominees reflects the dynamic nature of Rock & Roll and its lasting influence on youth culture.”
The 2026 inductees will be officially announced in April, alongside those selected through three special committee categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence, and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order return to the nominations after missing induction last year. The list this time also repeats two sets of musical brothers who have had public feuds and recent reunions — The Black Crowes and Oasis.
Collins, with such hits as “In the Air Tonight” and “One More Night,” has earned eight Grammys, including album of the year in 1985 for “No Jacket Required.” Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” made history as the first hip-hop album to win the Grammy for album of the year in 1999.
AP 
Carey, nominated in 2024 and 2025, has had 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while soul-jazz vocalist Sade, also nominated in 2024, had such soft rock hits as “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.” The Wu-Tang Clan have been hailed as rap innovators since their game-changing 1993 debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang.”
INXS ruled the late 1980s charts with hits like “Need You Tonight,” “Devil Inside” and “New Sensation.” Two-time Grammy winner Etheridge is best known for her songs “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” Iron Maiden helped power the new wave of British heavy metal with iconic albums like “The Number of the Beast.”
New Edition had the hits “Cool It Now” and “Candy Girl,” while Shakira has been lauded for her ability to bridge Latin music with rock and pop. Pink has had four No. 1 songs and three No. 1 albums, including “The Truth About Love.”
Ten of the 17 nominees are on the ballot for the first time: Buckley, Collins, Etheridge, Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, Shakira, Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
Vandross, who sold more than 25 million albums and had the hits “Here and Now” and “Any Love,” died in 2005. Buckley, whose 1994 debut album “Grace” is widely acclaimed, died in 1997.
Last year, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Soundgarden, Joe Cocker, Salt-N-Pepa, The White Stripes, Carol Kaye, Nicky Hopkins, Lenny Waronker, Thom Bell and Warren Zevon all were inducted.