Ten first-time hopefuls – including Phil Collins, INXS, Melissa Etheridge and the late Jeff Buckley – are among the 17 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.
In addition, the Black Crowes and Billy Idol will be vying for induction for a second consecutive year, while Iron Maiden, Oasis and Joy Division/New Order are each nominated for a third time.
Collins is the only potential two-time inductee on the list; he was previously inducted in 2010 as part of Genesis.
Others receiving their first nominations are hip-hop icons Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill, R&B stalwarts New Edition and the late Luther Vandross, and pop hitmakers Pink and Shakira. Also returning to the ballot are Mariah Carey, for a third time, and British chanteuse Sade, for her second.
The inductees will be selected by a vote of the Rock Hall’s corps of 1,200 artists, journalists, historians and industry professionals. A public fan vote has also opened via rockhall.com and in kiosks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
Fan votes are tallied to create one additional ballot to be counted among the others.
The 2026 Performer inductees are expected to be announced during April, along with honorees in other categories — Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non Performer Award — that are chosen by separate committees.
This year’s induction ceremony will take place during the fall, with the date and location still TBA.
In announcing the nominees, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes said, “The diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of Rock & Roll and its continued impact on youth culture. Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music`s highest honor and we look forward to celebrating the class of 2026 this Fall.”
What Is The Rock Hall’s Criteria?
Performers are eligible for Rock Hall nomination 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording. On this year’s ballot Shakira is the only artist whose first recording (Magia) came out during 1991.
Who’s Missing?
A ton, of course, on the ever-growing list of Rock Hall snubs who folks feel should be in. NOT returning from the 2025 ballot in particular are jam band icon Phish, the late country rock pioneer Gram Parsons and Mexican rockers Mana.
Chic has been nominated 11 times without being inducted, although group leader Nile Rodgers received an Award For Musical Excellence in 2017.
Read More: 135 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Who Will Get A Boost From The Nomination?
Several of this year’s nominees have current or upcoming projects that will get a little more shine from being on the list.
The new documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, for instance, opens in theaters this week, on Thursday. The Black Crowes are preparing for the release of their next album, A Pound of Feathers, on March 13, with a tour kicking off in May. Etheridge, too, has a new album, Rise, coming March 27, with a tour starting the night before.
Iron Maiden has just announced a May 7 theatrical release for its new documentary, Iron Maiden: Blinding Ambition, and will be continuing its 50th anniversary Run For Your Lives World Tour through October.
Buckley’s nomination, meanwhile comes on the heels of the HBO Music Box documentary It’s Not Over, while an expanded edition of his 1993 Live at Sin-E EP is part of the Record Store Day lineup on April 18.
New Edition is currently headlining its New Edition Way Tour with Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton and plans to release a single, “We Going Out Tonight,” which was written especially as the shows’ opening number.
2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Revealed
More than half of these artists have been nominated for the first time this year.
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
