Kate Bush and George Michael will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, it has been announced.
The legendary artists will join the class of 2023 and will be inducted in a ceremony in New York on November 3.
The Cleveland-based institution announced on Wednesday which artists and groups will be entering the venue as the Class of 2023, including names like Missy Elliott and Sheryl Crow.
Artists are eligible to enter the Hall of Fame 25 years after releasing their first single, and fellow inductee Missy Elliott has passed her first year of participation.
George’s inclusion came after a fan vote, which was counted alongside official ballots. The late Wham! star beat fellow legends Cyndi Lauper and Warren Zevon.
Legends! Kate Bush and George Michael will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, it has been announced
His introduction also comes on the 40th anniversary of Wham’s debut album, Fantastic, which will also be marked with an upcoming Netflix documentary and greatest hits collection.
George, who died in 2016, was quoted as “paving the way for a generation of proud LGBTQIA+ artists, from Sam Smith to Lil Nas X to Troye Sivan.”
Kate was nominated three times before, in 2018, 2021 and 2022, and was finally admitted despite not releasing any new music since 2011.
Last year Kate saw a huge resurgence in popularity when her song Running Up That Hill returned to number one after appearing in the fourth series of Stranger Things.
If Kate traveled to New York for the ceremony, it would be her first public appearance since 2014.
The hall praised her for “using lush soundscapes, radical experimentation, literary themes, sampling and theatricality to captivate audiences and inspire countless musicians.”
Kate’s inclusion was defended by Courtney Love, who hit back an anonymous voter Vulture he was unaware of her music.
She tweeted, “Bro! The rest of us LIVING KATE BUSH since 1977! Too much power in the hands of IDIOTS.’
Stellar! Last year, Kate saw a huge resurgence in popularity when her song Running Up That Hill returned to number one after starring in the fourth series of Stranger Things.
Ride high! Missy Elliott also made the list during her first year of eligibility along with fellow music legend Sheryl Crow
Acclaimed: George, who died in 2016, was quoted as “paving the way for a generation of proud LGBTQIA+ artists, from Sam Smith to Lil Nas X to Troye Sivan”
Prior to the unveiling, Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said, “If you can go from Link Wray, who was one of the early influencers, to Missy Elliott and Kate Bush and The Spinners and Rage Against the Machine and Willie Nelson, you have a very diverse body of work.
“What we always try to show is that rock ‘n’ roll is a big tent and a lot of people are part of it.”
Missy Elliot has become rockhall’s first female hip-hop artist, calling her “a true trailblazer in a male-dominated genre.”
Other names introduced include The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper and Elton John’s longtime co-songwriter Bernie Taupin.
Nominees Iron Maiden, Cyndi Lauper, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes, Warren Zevon, Joy Division/New Order and Soundgarden did not earn a place in the room this time.
Sheryl was recognized for key songs in the musical canon of the 1990s, such as All I Wanna Do and Every Day Is a Winding Road, while Rage Against the Machine “forged brutal protest music for the modern world.”