The 2025 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were announced earlier on February 12. The artists nominated in the Performer category are Bad Company, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, The Black Crowes, Phish, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden, Mariah Carey, Joy Division/New Order, The White Stripes, Oasis, OutKast, Chubby Checker, and Maná.
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Eight of the artists in the running for the honor have never been nominated before. They are Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Checker, Cocker, Idol, Maná, Outkast, and Phish.
The 2025 inductees will be announced in late April, along with additional honorees chosen in the following categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence, and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award. This year’s ceremony will be held in Los Angeles in the fall.
A number of the nominated artists have taken to their social media pages to share their reactions to being recognized by the Rock Hall. Here’s what they had to say:
Bad Company
The three surviving original members of Bad Company each shared statements about the band’s nomination.
“If I were a gambling man I would wager that Bad Company fans and friends had something to do with this nomination for The Rock [&] Roll Hall of Fame,” wrote Paul Rodgers, founding frontman of the veteran British band. “I’ve been told there has been a movement afoot for some time, and we salute them for their persistence and dedication. Hopefully we are triumphant and get inducted and their efforts are realized. It would be an honor to join the great company already inducted.”
Guitarist Mick Ralphs said, “Paul called and gave me the brilliant news about Bad Company’s nomination to The Rock [&] Roll Hall of Fame. I am elated and think it is fantastic. If we are inducted it will be part of our Rock and Roll Fantasy!”
Added drummer Simon Kirke, “I am very happy and honored that we have finally been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s been a long time coming! I’m happy to dedicate this honor to [late bassist] Boz [Burrell], who left us too soon. Congrats to Paul and Mick!”
Cyndi Lauper
Lauper got word of her nomination while on tour in the U.K.
“It was amazing news to wake up to after last night’s show at the O2 in London,” she wrote. “The audience showed me so much love, like all the audiences have all along this, my Farewell Tour.”
She added, “I am so grateful to my fans for my career. From the start, I’ve just wanted to make music that means something to people, that lifts them up and makes them feel seen. This honor, should I get in, is as much for them as it is for me. Thank you, Rock Hall.”
Billy Idol
Idol took part in last year’s Rock Hall ceremony, performing in honor of 2024 inductee Ozzy Osbourne. In a Rolling Stone interview a few weeks before his induction, Osbourne lobbied for Idol to be honored as well. Now the pop-punk rocker will get his chance.
“It is [an] honor and a privilege to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025!” Billy wrote on his Facebook page.
Phish
The popular jam band posted a note on its socials that reads, “Phish is honored to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025! Big congratulations to our fellow nominees.”
The Black Crowes
Veteran rockers The Black Crowes acknowledged their nomination with the briefest of messages on their social media pages. They wrote, simply, “Humbled.”
More About the Rock Hall Inductions
Each year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts a selection of artists and bands that become eligible for nomination 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording.
According to the Rock Hall, voting for the 2025 inductees will be conducted by ballot that’s distributed to an international panel of more than 1,200 people. The voting panel includes artists, historians, and music industry professionals. The selection criteria include an artist’s “impact on music culture, influence on other musicians that have followed, as well as the scope and longevity of their career and body of work.”
As part of the induction selection process, fans can vote for their favorite nominees online through April 21 at vote.rockhall.com. Voting is limited to seven picks at a time, once daily. Once voting is closed, the top five artists selected by the public will make up a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2025 inductees.
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