The Christmas diva, rap royalty and Britpop gods, all candidates for the Rock Hall of Fame
NEW YORK (AP) — Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross and Shakira are among the 2026 nominees to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a wide net that includes rap, metal, R&B, hip-hop, Britpop, blues rock and pop.
The hall revealed the list of 17 nominated artists on Wednesday, a list that also includes Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition, Sade and Wu-Tang Clan.
Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order return to the nominations after missing out on induction last year. This time the list also repeats two groups of musical brothers who have had recent public fights and reunions: The Black Crowes and Oasis.
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Collins, who is already in the Hall as a member of Genesis and had solo hits like “In the Air Tonight” and “One More Night,” has won eight Grammy Awards, 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.
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 soft rock hits like “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.” The Wu-Tang Clan has been hailed as rap innovators since their groundbreaking 1993 debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang.”
INXS dominated the charts in the late ’80s with hits like “Need You Tonight,” “Devil Inside,” and “New Sensation.” Etheridge, a two-time Grammy winner, is best known for her songs “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” Iron Maiden helped fuel 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 praised for her ability to unite Latin music with rock and pop. Pink has had four number one songs and three number one albums, including “The Truth About Love.”
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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.
“This diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of Rock & Roll and its continued impact on youth culture,” John Sykes, president of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement.
The 2026 inductees will be announced in April, along with new inductees entering the hall in three special committee categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence, and Ahmet Ertegun Prize for Non-Performers.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before being eligible for induction. Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
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 were included.