Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations: Cher, Sinéad O'Connor, more

Cher, Lenny Kravitz and Sinéad O’Connor lead 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations

By Mikael WoodPop Music Critic

Feb. 10, 2024 2:01 PM PT

Cher, Mariah Carey, Sade, Oasis, Lenny Kravitz and the late Sinéad O’Connor are among the acts nominated for the first time for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the organization announced Saturday.

Also on the ballot for the class of 2024 are Foreigner, Kool & the Gang and Peter Frampton (all first-time nominees) as well as five acts who’ve previously been up for induction: Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, Jane’s Addiction, Eric B. & Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. Ozzy Osbourne, who joined the hall in 2006 as a member of the pioneering British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, is nominated for the first time as a solo act.

The group of artists representing pop, funk, hip-hop, alternative rock, metal, R&B and the jam-band scene reflects the increasing diversification of the hall, which after years of criticism that it overvalued the work of older white men has broadened its selection process along gender, race and style lines.

“Continuing in the true spirit of rock ’n’ roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps,” John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. Last year’s inductees were Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and the Spinners.

An artist or band becomes eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Nominations are voted on by more than 1,000 musicians, executives, historians and journalists.

The announcement of the 2024 ballot comes just months after the hall’s co-founder, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, was ousted from the organization in the wake of widely criticized comments he made about Black and female artists in an interview with the New York Times.

Asked why he included only white men in a collection of his interviews titled “The Masters,” Wenner said that artists like Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder weren’t sufficiently “articulate” or “intellectual” enough to merit inclusion.

This year’s inductees will be announced in late April, with a ceremony to take place in the fall in Cleveland, where the hall’s museum is located.