Several LGBTQ icons are nominated as inductees into this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Missy Elliott, and Kate Bush.
The Michale nomination follows a push by fans to acknowledge his influence across multiple genres.
This year’s group of 14 also includes:
- Sheryl Crow
- Iron Maiden
- Joy Division/New Order
- Willie Nelson
- Rage Against the Machine
- Soundgarden
- The Spinners
- A Tribe Called Quest
- The White Stripes
- Warren Zevon
Via Billboard:
Of these nominees, eight (or arguably nine — more on that later) are first timers (Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon), and two acts receive the nom within their first year of eligibility (The White Stripes and Missy Elliott). To be eligible for the RRHOF, an artist’s first commercial release must have come out at least 25 years prior to the nomination year. For those with an encyclopedic music knowledge who think, “wait, Missy’s debut Supa Dupa Fly dropped in 1997, and The White Stripes’ first single came out in 1998 – how does that math work out?” there’s a reason for it. The nominating committee at the Rock Hall has recently started meeting the same year the inductees are honored, as opposed to the year before. This means 2023 is a sort of “make-up year” for artists whose first release was in 1997 or 1998. But in the future, when it comes to Rock Hall nominations, you can subtract 25 from the induction year to determine eligibility.
Watch the full announcement here:
Images: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon (Elliott) Starstock/Photoshot Photo UIW 016567/B-13a 14.09.1999 (Michael) Chris Kleponis – Pool via CNP / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon (Lauper)
