The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the shortlist for its 2026 class of inductees on Wednesday. The shortlist includes a 1990s pop diva, heavy metal pioneers and a legendary R&B singer and producer. Although ten of the 17 nominees are being considered for the first time, none of the artists on the list are newly eligible for the recognition. According to the Rock Hall's guidelines, artists have to be at least 25 years out from the release of their first commercial recording to be eligible for induction. Official inductees will be revealed in April.
Here is the full shortlist of nominees for the 2026 class:
The Black Crowes
The Southern blues revival band led by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson appear on the list for the second consecutive year. After decades of changing lineups and breakups, the Georgia-born brothers reunited both in the studio and on the road in recent years. The band's tenth studio album, A Pound of Feathers, will be released on March 13.
Jeff Buckley
The Los Angeles session musician turned New York City cult icon only released one studio album in his lifetime, but he left a long-lasting legacy for his emotive lyricism and fluid vocal range. Buckley, who died in 1997 while working on his second album, appears on the Rock Hall shortlist for the first time.
Mariah Carey
It's safe to say the Rock Hall is obsessed with Mariah Carey — 2026 marks her third consecutive year nominated for induction. One of the most emblematic voices in pop, with over a dozen number one hits, Carey's reign over the Billboard charts continues every holiday season.
Phil Collins
From prog rock drummer to pop rock frontman, Phil Collins is one of the most commercially successful artists in music history. Having already been inducted into the Rock Hall as a member of Genesis in 2010, this nomination recognizes Collins' enduring impact as a solo singer and songwriter.
Melissa Etheridge
With her signature vocal style and evocative storytelling, Etheridge has been breaking boundaries in rock and roll for decades. A queer icon and staunch advocate for LGBTQ and environmental causes, the first-time Rock Hall nominee has long woven activism into her musical legacy, which includes hit songs like "Bring Me Some Water" and "Come to My Window."
Lauryn Hill
It's hard to overstate Lauryn Hill's impact on hip-hop and neo soul, both as a member of the Fugees and as a solo artist. The first rapper to ever win a Grammy for album of the year in 1999 for her paradigm-shifting album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she continues to be one of the most influential yet elusive figures in pop culture. This year marks her first time appearing on the Rock Hall shortlist.
Billy Idol
A key figure of the second British invasion, fueled by the rise of MTV in the '80s, the bleach-blond rock star appears on the Rock Hall shortlist for the second consecutive year. Known for hits like "Dancing with Myself," "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding," Idol continues to extensively tour around the world.
INXS
After extensive touring, several studio albums and an assist from Nile Rodgers, the Australian band broke out internationally in the 1980s with songs like "Original Sin," "Need You Tonight" and "Devil Inside." Following lead singer Michael Hutchence's death in 1997, the band continued performing with a rotating roster of vocalists until 2012. This is the first time they appear on the Rock Hall induction shortlist.
Iron Maiden
Since the 1980s, the heavy metal band has been redefining rock and roll with anthemic storytelling, full-throttle instrumentation and a high-caliber recording output. With dozens of studio and live albums, ongoing stadium tours and a multi-generational fanbase, 2026 marks Iron Maiden's third nomination for Rock Hall induction.
Joy Division/New Order
Another English group that appears on the shortlist for the third time this year is the consolidated entry for Joy Division and New Order. Both bands featured guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Joy Division's post-punk sound, which featured the baritone vocals of Ian Curtis, gave way to New Order's more electronic and dance-driven rhythms in the 1980s club scene.
New Edition
Formed in Boston in 1978, New Edition set the standard for what modern boy bands could look and sound like. With R&B hits like "Candy Girl," "Cool It Now" and "Mr. Telephone Man," the quintet's original lineup and later vocalist Johnny Gill are all first-time nominees for Rock Hall induction.
Oasis
Oasis, the Britpop group led by the famously feuding brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, are shortlisted for the third year in a row. Last year, the brothers put aside their beef for a cross-Atlantic reunion tour that briefly broke Ticketmaster.
P!NK
With the release of her first solo album in 2000, P!NK broke the mold of turn-of-the-millenium girl pop stardom. Her biting lyrics, punk-fueled attitude and R&B infused sound led to decades of commercial success. This is her first year nominated for Rock Hall induction; of the artists on the 2026 shortlist, she's the one who most recently became eligible for the recognition.
Sade
The English band named after lead vocalist Sade Adu changed the sonic landscape of the 1980s and '90s with its blend of jazz, soul and R&B. The velvety, intimate quality of Sade's music echoes across generations of artists, from Drake to Adele, and has earned a second nomination for Rock Hall induction.
Shakira
The Colombian punk rock princess turned global pop star has shapeshifted and reinvented her sound for over three decades, all while remaining one of the most recognizable and admired voices in Latin music. For over a year, she's been touring her latest album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, around the world — widely considered her comeback record after a few years away from the spotlight, this new era likely helped land Shakira a first-time nomination for Rock Hall induction.
Luther Vandross
In addition to working as a producer for A-listers like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, Luther Vandross became an R&B and soul legend for the sheer power of his own voice beginning in the 1980s. With over a dozen studio albums, he's influenced a new generation of stars including Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and most recently, Kendrick Lamar. Vandross is a first-time Rock Hall induction nominee.
Wu-Tang Clan
The Rock Hall has made a concerted effort to expand the definition of rock icons in past years, particularly when it comes to hip-hop — so it's no wonder Wu-Tang Clan is in the running. What's more curious is why it's taken so long for the New York powerhouse to appear on the list for the first time, given the group's individual and collective output over the last three decades plus.
Copyright © 2026 NPR
Transcript:
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
And now time for some music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALWAYS BE MY BABY")
MARIAH CAREY: (Vocalizing).
SUMMERS: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the shortlist for its 2026 class of inductees today. There are 17 artists in the running, ranging from Jeff Buckley to New Edition to, yes, Mariah Carey. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento takes a look at this year's contenders.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: There's one primary requirement for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility. Your first commercial recording has to be at least 25 years old. That means the biggest rock stars from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are already in. Looking at the 2026 nominees, you might think this would mean artists from the 21st century would fill the list. But most of this year's nominees have been eligible for quite a while.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "REBEL YELL")
BILLY IDOL: (Singing) In the midnight hour, she cried more, more, more.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Billy Idol, Iron Maiden and Sade have all been releasing music since the 1980s, and they've all been nominated at least once before. Andy Greene is a writer at Rolling Stone who has spent decades covering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
ANDY GREENE: They're still focused on people that they've been overlooking for a very long time.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1986. Most of those artists were from the earliest days of rock 'n' roll.
GREENE: Their mind is just not in 2001, but at least it's in the '80s and '90s. For a very long time, it was in the '60s and '70s at the expense of the '80s and '90s. So they're slowly moving up.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NEED YOU TONIGHT")
INXS: (Singing) I need you tonight 'cause I'm not sleeping.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So with 70 years of popular music history still on the table, why these 17 artists now? Part of the Rock Hall's mission in recent years has been to expand the inductees beyond the traditional scope of rock 'n' roll. They've made an effort to recognize pop, hip-hop, soul and even country music. So it makes sense to see Wu-Tang Clan, Luther Vandross and miss Lauryn Hill on this year's short list.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DOO WOP (THAT THING)")
LAURYN HILL: (Singing) It's been three weeks since you've been looking for your friend, the one you let hit it and never called you again.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: There are two notable nominees this year who speak to a younger demographic, P!NK and Shakira.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DONDE ESTAN LOS LADRONES")
SHAKIRA: (Singing in Spanish).
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Both started out in the 1990s with more punk-fueled attitudes than most of their pop peers, and they've remained global stars for decades.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SO WHAT")
PINK: (Singing) So, so what? I'm still a rock star. I've got my rock moves.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: One artist who's been eligible for decades and is already in the Hall as a member of Genesis is nominated for the first time on his own. Phil Collins' previous group, inducted in 2010, may have been more appreciated by critics, but his solo career has been significantly more successful commercially.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IN THE AIR TONIGHT")
PHIL COLLINS: (Singing) I can feel it coming in the air tonight.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Andy Greene says some artists are probably nominated simply because they're having a moment.
GREENE: I think Oasis have a good shot 'cause their reunion was such a big deal, and they're so beloved now. They're kind of more beloved now than they've ever been.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER")
OASIS: (Singing) So Sally can wait.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The final list of official inductees will be revealed in April. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER")
OASIS: (Singing) Her soul slides away. But don't look back in anger, I heard...
