The Rock Hall’s 17 nominees shared in February have been whittled down to eight by a panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and industry professionals. (NME)
For 2026, the main ‘Performer’ category consists of Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
The ‘Early Influence’ category, meanwhile, features Fela Kuti, Gram Parsons, Queen Laifah, MC Lyte and Celia Cruz.
Elsewhere, the ‘Musical Excellence’ list is made up of Rick Rubin, Linda Creed, Arif Mardin and Jimmy Miller. Ed Sullivan is set to be inducted posthumously with the ‘Ahmet Ertegun Award’.
Among those who didn’t make the final cut from the 17 nominations are New Edition, Mariah Carey, Ms Lauryn Hill, INXS, P!nk, Jeff Buckley, The Black Crowes and Shakira.
This year sees a total of six British acts being inducted, breaking the previous record of five British names entering the Rock Hall in a single year. In 2019, Radiohead, The Cure, Def Leppard, Roxy Music and The Zombies were all honoured.
Phil Collins was previously inducted as a member of Genesis in 2010. This year was the first time he was on the ballot as a solo artist. The two other first-time nominees in 2026 were Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
It marked the second time being up for the honour for both Sade and Billy Idol, while Iron Maiden have earned the nod three times in total.
Oasis were nominated for the third consecutive year in 2026, following nods in 2024 and 2025.
