Queens of the Stone Age and Muse Lead 2023 Rock Hall Candidates
Queens of the Stone Age, Muse and Missy Elliott headline the list of artists who will be eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the first time in 2023.
Formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, Calif., Queens of the Stone Age have blazed a trail as one of the most powerful forces in modern music. Led by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, the group’s only consistent member across its entire existence, QOTSA have created a distinctive sound by blurring the lines between alternative, stoner and hard rock. The group has released seven studio albums, toured all over the world and enjoyed the better part of two decades among the marquee names in rock.
Though their style and backstory is decidedly different, Muse’s Rock Hall resume is equally impressive. The trio – made up of frontman Matt Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard, formed in Teignmouth, England in 1994. Since then, they’ve established themselves as preeminent arena rockers, specializing in soaring guitar riffs and bombastic sounds. The group has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and taken home two Grammys.
Arguably the most influential artist who’ll be eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023 is Missy Elliott. The rapper, born Melissa Arnette Elliott, broke out in the late ‘90s with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly. Hits kept on coming into the new millennium, including "Get Ur Freak On,” "Work It" and “Lose Control.” She remains the best-selling female rapper of all time and has been hailed as a revolutionary artist in hip-hop history.
An artist becomes eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their initial release, meaning all of the 2023 newcomers would have debuted in 1997. Other acts who will become eligible in the new year include Will Smith, Limp Bizkit, Black Eyed Peas, Sia, Destiny’s Child and P. Diddy.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame traditionally announces their nominees in early February, so fans will have to wait and see if any of these newcomers make it on the 2023 ballot. In total, 55 artists have been inducted into the Rock Hall in their first year of eligibility, the most recent being Eminem who was enshrined with the 2022 class.