Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross and
Shakira get Rock Hall nominations
[February 25, 2026]
By MARK KENNEDY
NEW YORK (AP) — Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron
Maiden, Luther Vandross and Shakira are some the 2026 nominees for
induction into 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 performer nominees Wednesday, a list
that also includes Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition,
Sade and the Wu-Tang Clan.
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.
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.”
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Phil Collins performs at Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on
March 9, 2018, left, Lauryn Hill performs during the draw for the
2026 soccer World Cup in Washington on Dec. 5, 2025, center, and
Shakira performs during the Global Citizen Festival in New York on
Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
 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, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Foundation, said in a statement.
The 2026 inductees will be revealed in April, along with inductees
entering the hall under 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.
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.
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