Awards
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As those who learned they will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year receive congratulatory messages from numerous friends and colleagues, the seven artists who were passed over for induction are likely get messages from friends and supporters along the lines of “you were robbed” or “you’ll get in eventually.”
If you missed the announcement on American Idol on Sunday night (April 27), Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes are this year’s inductees in the performer category. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are set to receive the musical influence award; Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, English studio pianist/organist Nicky Hopkins and studio bass guitarist Carol Kaye will receive the musical excellence award; and producer and executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The other seven nominees in the performer category were denied admission to the Rock Hall – this year, anyway. Oasis and Mariah Carey were both passed over for the second year in a row. Both were surprising snubs – Oasis is reuniting for a global tour in 2025; Carey’s profile, never low, has been boosted in recent years by her status as the uncontested Queen of Christmas. Of the other passed-over artists, Joy Division/New Order were previously on the ballot in 2023; this was the first time on the ballot for The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Maná and Phish.
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The voters showed no love for brother acts this year. Oasis includes Liam and Noel Gallagher; The Black Crowes includes Chris and Rich Robinson.
Maná was vying to become the first rock en español act to make the Rock Hall. Joy Division/New Order was vying to join the short list of two related acts being inducted in tandem, following Parliament/Funkadelic in 1997 and The Small Faces/Faces in 2012.
Phish, which won this year’s fan vote, has never landed a Hot 100 hit, but the band is a powerhouse live attraction, as evidenced when it played the Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2024.
Idol was a mainstay of early MTV – as was Lauper, who did get in. In an interview with Vulture, Idol said of his guitarist Steve Stevens, “Because of our special relationship, if I get in, they will induct him as well.” This would have echoed Pat Benatar’s induction three years ago, where the Rock Hall inducted both Benatar and her husband and musical partner, Neil Giraldo. But it’s academic, as Idol didn’t make it this year.
Critics and pundits are already weighing in with their opinions, but we want to hear from you: Which of the seven artists who were nominated in the performer category, only to be passed over, do you think constitutes the biggest snub? They’re listed here in alphabetical order. Vote!
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Republic Records will be the label honoree at the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, which will take place on Friday, May 16 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. John Mellencamp and Conan Gray are set to perform at the event to lead the tribute. Atlantic Records was the initial label honoree […]
There’s an aspect to the late Warren Zevon finally being honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that strikes his son, Jordan Zevon, as very much on brand.
“It’s a comedy of how it seems like the minute that I gave up on it, he got nominated (in 2023, for the first time ever),” the younger Zevon tells Billboard. After his father, who died in 2003, didn’t get in, “I’d gone back to giving up on it, and now he’s in. I think that’s kind of perfect.”
Long considered one of the Rock Hall‘s most egregious exclusions by fans and peers alike, Zevon — who passed away at the age of 56 from mesothelioma — will receive one of two musical influence awards at this year’s induction ceremony on Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa is the other.) The honor is selected by the Rock Hall and not by voters, and it comes 30 years after Zevon was first eligible for Rock Hall consideration.
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During his career, which included 13 studio albums, the Chicago-born Zevon was celebrated as a songwriter as well as a performer. Linda Ronstadt in particular had hits with his “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” and “Hasten Down the Wind.” Zevon’s greatest success was 1978’s Excitable Boy, his lone platinum release and the home of “Werewolves of London,” which peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. He also collaborated with three-quarters of R.E.M. on 1990’s Hindu Love Gods, while his final album, 2003’s The Wind, was recorded after his cancer diagnosis and released just two weeks before his death; featuring guest appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Ry Cooder, Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam and more, it won a pair of Grammy Awards.
Zevon’s acerbic and highly literary songcraft set Zevon apart from others in the Southern California rock scene of the ‘70s, and he periodically collaborated with writers, serving as the musical director of the Rock Bottom Remainders, an ad hoc band that included Stephen King, Amy Tan, Matt Groening and more. Billy Joel, meanwhile, supported Zevon’s 2023 nomination by writing a letter to the Rock Hall recommending his induction. Zevon also filled in for Paul Shaffer on David Letterman’s late-night TV shows, and Letterman turned over his entire hour for Zevon’s final interview on Oct. 30, 2002.
“In the same way you’ll hear Philip Seymour Hoffman called an actor’s actor, to musicians (Zevon) is a musician’s musician,” notes his son, who’s a singer and songwriter himself. “He was in his own separate box. It’s that Stravinsky influence and classical background he had…that made him think a little different than everyone else. I’ve had instances where I’ve had to cover his songs and you go, ‘Wait, he went to THAT chord? That’s the wrong chord,’ but it works.
“When you listen to an artist who does that it makes you think, ‘I should think a little different, too, not use the same four chords and change the melody, as it’s been done throughout history.’ It makes you think more musically, about going deeper and darker, maybe.”
The younger Zevon is confident that his father would “be very happy in the company of the musical influences,” and being recognized by the Rock Hall in any capacity. “He didn’t scoff at credit or adulation,” Zevon notes. “Just because he was outside of the mainstream he didn’t necessarily hate everybody in the world and in the music industry. He would’ve appreciated it. He liked people coming up to him and telling him they were fans of his music. He liked when other musicians acknowledged him. I think he would’ve definitely felt some pride in that.”
Zevon says that, given his history, his father being honored at a Los Angeles induction ceremony is also appropriate. “He was definitely one of those guys,” Zevon says, referring to the well-populated community that included Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and a great many others. Who will participate in Zevon’s honor is still to be determined, but Jordan Zevon is planning to touch base to at least celebrate the news with Browne, Joel, Henley, longtime Zevon collaborators Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, an outspoken fan.
Zevon was recently celebrated with a pair of Record Store Day releases — a reissue of the Hindu Love Gods album and the box set Piano Fighter — The Giant Years, featuring the three albums he released for that label 1991-95. Jordan Zevon says both will eventually receive wider release, while there’s more coming, as well.
“We’re working around a project around (1982’s) The Envoy and getting that out. There’s some live stuff that’s been bootlegged here and there, so we’re trying to get official releases to put out. We just want to get everything on real high-quality vinyl and make sure the collection is complete and treated with care.”
Chubby Checker, whose “The Twist” was a global smash in 1960, has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since the first class was inducted in 1986, but he was never even nominated until this year. Despite having been ignored for decades, he made it in his first time on the ballot.
So did first-time nominees Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Outkast, as well as Cyndi Lauper and The White Stripes, who had each been nominated once before, and Soundgarden, which had been nominated twice before. These seven acts were all inducted in the performer category.
The inductees were announced by Ryan Seacrest on ABC’s American Idol on Sunday night (April 27).
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There are six other inductees this year in other categories. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are set to receive the musical influence award; Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, English studio pianist/organist Nicky Hopkins and studio bass guitarist Carole Kaye (who was part of the fabled Wrecking Crew of top L.A. studio musicians) will receive the musical excellence award; and producer and label executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Sadly, several of these people didn’t live to see their inductions. Hopkins died in 1994 at age 50; Zevon in 2003 at 56; Chris Cornell of Soundgarden in 2017 at 52; and Bell in 2022 at 79.
Checker had to wait even longer for induction than Cher, who was finally inducted last year, 59 years after Sonny & Cher’s breakthrough smash “I Got You Babe.”
With Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa both being inducted this year, this is the sixth consecutive year that one or more rap acts has been in the induction class.
With Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa, Meg White of The White Stripes and Carol Kaye being inducted this year, this is the fourth consecutive year that four or more female acts were in the induction class.
Bell won the first Grammy Award ever presented for producer of the year, non-classical, in 1975. By coincidence, Waronker was among the other nominees in the category that year. Waronker was also nominated for record of the year that year for producing Maria Muldaur’s classy and sexy “Midnight at the Oasis.” Waronker’s many other hits as a producer include Gordon Lightfoot’s Hot 100-topping “Sundown,” Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love” and Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.,” which Dawes performed as the opening song on this year’s Grammy telecast.
Carol Kaye, 90, is this year’s oldest inductee. Checker and Waronker are both 83, but will both be 84 by the time of the Nov. 8 induction ceremony.
All of the artists who were induced in the performer category have landed top five albums on the Billboard 200. Three of them reached No. 1: Bad Company (Bad Company, 1974), Outkast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003) and Soundgarden (Superunknown, 1994). Three more reached No. 2: Chubby Checker (Your Twist Party, 1962), Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs and Englishmen, 1970) and The White Stripes (Icky Thump, 2007). Lauper climbed as high as No. 4 twice, with She’s So Unusual in 1984 and True Colors in 1986.
Both of the artists who are receiving musical influence awards made the top 10. Salt-N-Pepa reached No. 4 with Very Necessary in 1994. Zevon hit No. 8 with Excitable Boy in 1978.
Lauper won the Grammy for best new artist in 1985. She’s the sixth artist who was a past winner of that award to go on to a Rock Hall induction.
Outkast won the Grammy for album of the year in 2004 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. André 3000 was nominated again in that category at this year’s ceremony for New Blue Sun.
Two of the inducted acts are duos – Outkast (André 3000 and Big Boi) and The White Stripes (Jack White and Meg White).
The other seven nominees in the performer category were denied admission to the Rock Hall – this year, anyway. Oasis and Mariah Carey were both passed over for the second year in a row. Both were surprising snubs – Oasis is reuniting for a global tour in 2025; Carey’s profile, never low, has been boosted in recent years by her status as the uncontested Queen of Christmas. Of the other passed-over artists, Joy Division/New Order were previously on the ballot in 2023; this was the first time on the ballot for The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Maná and Phish.
The voters showed no love for brother acts this year. Oasis includes Liam and Noel Gallagher; The Black Crowes includes Chris and Rich Robinson.
Maná was vying to become the first rock en español act to make the Rock Hall. Joy Division/New Order was vying to join the short list of two related acts being inducted in tandem, following Parliament/Funkadelic in 1997 and The Small Faces/Faces in 2012.
Phish, which won this year’s fan vote, has never landed a Hot 100 hit, but the band is a powerhouse live attraction, as evidenced when it played the Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2024.
Idol was a mainstay of early MTV – as was Lauper, who did get in. In an interview with Vulture, Idol said of his guitarist Steve Stevens, “Because of our special relationship, if I get in, they will induct him as well.” This would have echoed Pat Benatar’s induction three years ago, where the Rock Hall inducted both Benatar and her husband and musical partner, Neil Giraldo. But it’s academic, as Idol didn’t make it this year.
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. The 2024 ceremony aired on New Year’s Day.
Here’s the full list of 2025 inductees:
Performer Category
Bad Company
Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Cyndi Lauper
Outkast
Soundgarden
The White Stripes
Musical Influence Award
Salt-N-Pepa
Warren Zevon
Musical Excellence Award
Thom Bell
Nicky Hopkins
Carol Kaye
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Lenny Waronker
Ella Langley received her first Academy of Country Music Award, for new female artist of the year, on Friday afternoon (April 25). While onstage for her set at Rock the Country in Knoxville, Tennessee, Langley received the news via a congratulatory video from Miranda Lambert, the winningest artist in ACM history.
It was hardly a surprise because Langley was the most-nominated artist for the upcoming 60th ACM Awards, with eight nods. None of the other nominees for new female artist of the year – Kassi Ashton, Ashley Cooke, Dasha and Jessie Murph – had more than that one nomination.
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“I’m here to tell you how proud I am of you for being the top nominated artist for the Academy of Country Music Awards this year,” Lambert said in the video. “You are my friend, first and foremost, a fellow dog rescue advocate, you are a co-writer, you are my soul sister in country music and a partner in crime. We are gonna celebrate so big in Dallas, Texas! They ain’t even ready!”
Lambert won in that same category in 2007 – one year after Carrie Underwood took the prize, and one year before Taylor Swift did. (A pretty good run, there.)
This was the second nomination in the new female artist of the year category for both Ashton and Cooke, which means they cannot be nominated in the category again. Dasha and Murph can be, due to the generous policy at both the ACM and CMA Awards whereby new artists can be nominated twice in the category.
Langley, 25, is also nominated for female artist of the year and in four categories for “you look like you love me,” her breakthrough hit featuring Riley Green. The sexy duet is nominated for single of the year, song of the year, music event of the year and visual media of the year. Langley is nominated as both artist and songwriter in the song of the year category and as both artist and director in visual media of the year.
“you look like you love me” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, No. 7 on Hot Country Songs and No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Langley co-wrote all of the songs on her debut album, hungover, which reached No. 11 on Top Country Albums and No. 49 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Zach Top was presented with the award for new male artist of the year on Thursday. The ACM has yet to present the award for new duo or group of the year. The nominees are Restless Road, The Red Clay Strays and Treaty Oak Revival.
Langley will be celebrated for her win at the 60th ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire. The show will stream live for a global audience on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase on SeatGeek.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
The 2026 Critics Choice Awards will air live on E! and USA Network on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 – one week before the Golden Globes air on CBS. “The Critics Choice Association [CCA] is excited to kick off awards season as the first major televised show of 2026,” CCA CEO Joey Berlin said in a […]
Selena Gomez received the Woman of the Year award at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music event on Thursday (April 24).
The Texas-born star wasn’t there in person to accept the honor but expressed her gratitude in a heartfelt speech she delivered via video.
The Woman of the Year award is presented to a female artist who has demonstrated exceptional success, leadership and cultural influence in the music industry and beyond. Previous Women of the Year honorees at Latin Women in Music include Shakira and Karol G.
Below, Selena Gomez’s full speech:
Thank you so much to everyone at Billboard. I wish I could be there with all of you, but I’m filming in New York. This means so much to me as a Latina. I have been working most of my life and to be seen, supported and celebrated by women who share our roots is truly, truly powerful.
Growing up, I was extremely proud of my Mexican heritage. I didn’t see a lot of women who looked like me at the center of the story or onstage and it was just rare. Our stories, our voices and our cultures deserve to be celebrated.
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Releasing my EP Revelación was one of the proudest moments of my career only because it felt like I was creating music for something that I had wanted to give my heritage and my family, and for myself. Not only did it give me another opportunity to highlight my culture, but also I knew it would make my abuela very proud.
And finally, to my fans, I can never say it enough: It’s because of you that I’m able to do what i love. And thank you all for supporting me for all of these years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all, te amo.
Hosted by 2024 honoree Ana Bárbara, the third annual edition of the Billboard Latin Women in Music special was broadcasted live exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean via Telemundo Internacional.
The 2025 honorees also included Selena Gomez as Woman of the Year, as well as Celia Cruz (Legend Award), Olga Tañón (Lifetime Achievement Award), Belinda (Evolution Award), Natti Natasha (Unstoppable Artist Award), Anitta (Vanguard Award), Chiquis (Impact Award), and Ha*Ash (Unbreakable Award).
For the Billboard Latin Women In Music 2025 executives list, click here.
Ana Bárbara and Yahritza y Su Esencia delivered an unforgettable performance of “Besos Robados” at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music event on Thursday (April 24). The collaboration created a magical moment that honored the past, present and future of regional Mexican music.
The stage transformed into a luminous desert landscape, complete with glowing cacti and a full moon, setting the perfect atmosphere for the emotional ballad. Ana Bárbara dazzled in a crystal-encrusted cowboy hat paired with a fur-trimmed top, exuding iconic glamor, while Yahritza brought a contemporary edge in her relaxed, baggy attire. Together, their powerful vocals soared, sending chills and leaving an indelible mark on the night.
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The duet between the iconic regional Mexican singer-songwriter and the rising sibling trio showcased the beauty of intergenerational artistry and celebrating the profound impact of women in Latin music.
Released last Friday, “Besos Robados” is a heartfelt ballad that delves into themes of heartbreak, longing and the bittersweet process of letting go. “You, who inspired me so many, many melodies/ You left my heart so empty/ I’d better say goodbye (I wanted you by my side, but today they are stolen kisses),” they sang in Spanish.
In addition to being one of the evening’s performers, Ana Bárbara also took on the role of host for the prestigious gala. Last year, she received the Lifetime Achievement award at the gala.
The third annual edition of the Billboard Latin Women in Music special is broadcasted live exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean via Telemundo Internacional.
The 2025 honorees also include Selena Gomez as Woman of the Year, as well as Belinda (Evolution Award), Natti Natasha (Unstoppable Artist Award), Anitta (Vanguard Award), Chiquis (Impact Award), Ha*Ash (Unbreakable Award), and Celia Cruz, who, on the centenary of her birth, is posthumously recognized with the Legend Award and featured in the new Billboard Español cover story.
Watch coverage on the pink carpet during Billboard’s livestream here.
For Billboard’s Latin Women In Music 2025 executives list, click here.
Three superstars of Latin music — reggaetón icon Ivy Queen, salsa legend La India and merengue star Olga Tañón — paid vibrant tribute to Celia Cruz during the third edition of Billboard Latin Women in Music, broadcast live on Thursday (April 24) via Telemundo.
In a colorful number very much in the style of the Queen of Salsa, with background visuals that went from a tropical jungle to a colorful carnival, Tañón opened the set with a fiery version of “Yerbero Moderno,” Ivy Queen followed with a vibrant rendition of “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and La India honored her godmother Celia with the dazzling classic “Quimbara,” before all three united in a masterful final chorus.
In honor of the centennial of Cruz’s birth, which is being celebrated this year, Cruz — born in 1925 and passing away in 2003 due to a brain tumor — was posthumously awarded the Legend Award. The honor was presented by Cuban singer Goyo, who spoke about how, as a child, she had the opportunity to meet the Queen of Salsa and sing for her. A video featured scenes from Celia’s life and impact, with testimonies from Gloria Estefan, Ivy Queen, Olga Tañón, and La India about the influence the “Guarachera de América” had on their lives and careers.
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Cruz was also celebrated this week by Billboard Español with a cover story featuring testimonials from Emilio Estefan, La India, Randy Malcom, and Goyo.
Known for timeless tropical hits like “La Vida Es un Carnaval,” “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” and “Ríe y Llora” — and celebrated for her iconic “¡Azúcar!” catchphrase, her vibrant personality, and her flamboyant outfits — the Cuban superstar is recognized as a cultural icon and one of the most influential vocalists in history, with nearly 40 albums recorded.
Each of the artists in Thursday’s tribute has been honored at Latin Women in Music: Ivy Queen received the Icon Award in 2023, La India was recognized with the Pioneer Award in 2024, and Tañón received the Lifetime Achievement Award this year.
Hosted by 2024 honoree Ana Bárbara, the third annual edition of the Billboard Latin Women in Music special is broadcasted live exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean via Telemundo Internacional.
The 2025 honorees also include Selena Gomez as Woman of the Year, as well as Belinda (Evolution Award), Natti Natasha (Unstoppable Artist Award), Anitta (Vanguard Award), Chiquis (Impact Award), and Ha*Ash (Unbreakable Award).
For Billboard’s Latin Women In Music 2025 executives list, click here.
Mexican-American duo Ha*Ash showcased its signature Latin pop sound with country influences at the third edition of Billboard Latin Women in Music, broadcast live on Thursday (April 24) via Telemundo.
Hanna and Ashley, the Louisiana-born sisters of Mexican descent, shined while performing a medley of songs including “Perdón, Perdón” and “Estés Donde Estés,” showcasing the power of their voices and harmonies, each carrying her own guitar. Moments later, they received the Unbreakable Award from bachata star Prince Royce, who called them “two women with talent on another level.”
“This award is a celebration and a reminder that there is strength in unity, and our strength has been being sisters, partners in crime, and never letting go through thick and thin,” Hanna said while accepting the award.
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“Our career has been like a chain; each person is a link,” Ashley added, thanking her team, her family, and her fans, whom she called “the strongest link” and her “greatest source of love.”
Recognized for their resilience, innovation, and empowerment, Ha*Ash made an impressive debut in 2004, earning their first top 10 hit on the Latin Pop Airplay chart with “Estés Donde Estés,” which reached No. 9.
Over the years, the duo has showcased its staying power, racking up a total of 16 entries on the chart, four of which landed in the top 10. Recently, the sisters made a notable comeback with “El Cielo Te Mandó Para Mí,” a standout track from their album Haashville, which climbed to No. 7 on Latin Pop Airplay. They are currently on their Haashville Tour across the U.S. and Canada.
Hosted by 2024 honoree Ana Bárbara, the third annual edition of the Billboard Latin Women in Music special is broadcasted live exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean via Telemundo Internacional.
This year’s honorees also include Selena Gomez as Woman of the Year, as well as Olga Tañón (Lifetime Achievement Award), Belinda (Evolution Award), Natti Natasha (Unstoppable Artist Award), Anitta (Vanguard Award), Chiquis (Impact Award), and Celia Cruz, who, on the centenary of her birth, is posthumously recognized with the Legend Award and featured in the new Billboard Español cover story.
Watch Ha*Ash on the pink carpet during Billboard‘s livestream here.
For Billboard’s Latin Women In Music 2025 executives list, click here.