The announcement of the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class is almost upon us. Music lovers can find out in real time who makes it in by tuning into American Idol on ABC (or streaming on Disney+ and Hulu) at 8 pm ET on Monday, April 13.
Will there be some surprises? Likely. Even though New Edition won the fan vote, for instance, their induction would be odd. They created some good tunes, but not enough of them, and the boy band wasn't influential enough to be worthy of a Hall case.
Others seem like no-brainers, but that might not be the situation. Why isn't Iron Maiden in already? Below are the five artists that AudioPhix thinks will get inducted later in 2026.
Five musical artists most likely to be inducted as part of the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class
Phil Collins
Collins has already been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis. While he has been eligible for induction as a solo artist, he had never been nominated until 2026. Forget his 14 top-10 singles, though. Collins deserves to be inducted, even by just his high standard of drumming and how that was recorded. Many other bands have tried to mimic the sound and failed.
Mariah Carey
Carey has been nominated three times, and while she is not a true rock performer but more of a pop queen, the Rock Hall often forgets what genre it is honoring. Is Carey worthy solely because she has had 19 No. 1 songs on the Billboard charts? Maybe, but that she co-wrote all those hits speaks to her brilliant prowess as a songwriter, too.
Iron Maiden
Thankfully, the Hall has been a bit more welcoming of metal bands recently, including inducting Judas Priest in 2022. Priest is great, of course, but they aren't Maiden in terms of influence. Thrash exists in part because of the existence of the English rock gods. They sold albums, sure, but it was their impact on future bands, such as Metallica, that makes them Hall-worthy.
Luther Vandross
Vandross was one of the more underrated legends throughout his career. He had an elite voice, of course, but he could take other people's tunes and improve them just with his singing. He's already been inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, and he remains influential on other artists, though he died more than 20 years ago.
Kendrick Lamar's song, "luther," is an homage to Vandross. That song earned Lamar the Grammy for Record of the Year in 2026.
Wu-Tang Clan
Public Enemy, Run-DMC, and A Tribe Called Quest are already inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and keeping Wu-Tang out would be criminal. Their importance spanned different genres, and they performed at an elite level. Plus, the collaboration with System of a Down, "Shame," is epic.