Kate Bush, George to join Hall of Fame

Kate Bush and George Michael are among the artists who will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at this year’s ceremony, it has been announced. The stars will be joined on the roll of honour by country legend Willie Nelson and singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, reports BBC.

Artists are eligible to enter the hall 25 years after their first single, and rap innovator Missy Eliott makes the cut in her first year of eligibility.

Bush had been nominated three times before - in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

While she has not released new music since 2011, she has seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to the use of Running Up That Hill in hit drama Stranger Things.

The song went viral on TikTok after the Netflix show premiered last year, ultimately going on to top the charts in the UK, 38 years after it was first released.

If the star travels to New York to accept her induction, it would mark her first public appearance since 2014. Most musicians who enter the Rock Hall attend and perform at the ceremony, although some have declined.

Bush’s Hall of Fame nomination prompted some controversy, after one of the voters admitted they were not acquainted with her songs. Bush’s career in the US was never as mainstream as the UK.

Speaking anonymously to Vulture magazine about the 2023 nominees, the voter said: “I’ve got to admit that I’m not too familiar with her music, so I don’t know if I would vote for her. I want to make sure I know the catalogue.”

Their comment sparked an angry response from fellow singer Courtney Love, who tweeted: “Bro! The rest of us have been LIVING KATE BUSH since 1977!”

“Too much power in the hands of IDIOTS,” she added.

The musician noted that only nine of the 31 people on the nominations committee are women, and claimed that 90% of the voters are male.

Of the 13 artists being inducted this year, four are women - with soul legend Chaka Khan receiving the musical excellence award, which recognises artists “whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music”.

Nominees who didn’t make the cut this year included Cyndi Lauper, the White Stripes, Joy Division/New Order and A Tribe Called Quest.

George Michael won a fan vote, which was counted alongside official ballots in deciding this year’s inductees. The former Wham! frontman picked up 1.04 million votes, putting him just ahead of Lauper, who received 928,000 votes and Warren Zevon, on 634,000.