First Week of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Fan Voting Reveals Unexpected Leaders

Kicking off a new year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrated its new class of nominees for induction. The list included greats such as Billy Idol, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, P!nk, and many others. While the Rock Hall has an international panel of over 1,200 artists to vote on the induction process, fans also got a chance to add their voice to the conversation. Giving fans the chance to vote for their favorite artists once a day, the results from week one were somewhat shocking. 

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The Rock Hall announced the new lineup of nominees on February 25. As of March 4, more than 2 million votes had been submitted. With fans taking their vote seriously, they made their voice heard as Collins led the voting with a staggering 230,000. The voice behind timeless classics like “In the Air Tonight” and “Another Day in Paradise”, it seemed fitting that Collins quickly surged to the top of the fan vote.

This isn’t the first time Collins found himself on the verge of entering the Rock Hall. Back in 2010, he was inducted as a member of Genesis. Just a few years prior, he was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

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Current Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Leaderboard

But what about the rest of the votes? Rounding out the Top 5, they included: 

While a surprise to some, acts like Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden, Oasis, and Wu-Tang Clan didn’t make it into the top five. Even when looking at New Edition, who holds second place, they are still almost 40,000 votes away from Collins. 

For those believing Collins is a clear favorite, fan voting doesn’t mean induction. Just last year, Phish and Idol finished in first and third. Neither was inducted. With voting continuing until April 3, fans still have plenty of time to rally behind their favorite artists and potentially shake up the leaderboard. 

The final inductees for the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class are expected to be announced later this spring.

(Photo by Amy Sussman/WireImage)