The ‘Big Problem’ With Cher’s Induction Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Cher is finally being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), over 60 years since her recording career began.

The legendary singer is one of 16 artists to be admitted in 2024, after previously hitting out at the RRHOF for snubbing her.

“You know what, I wouldn’t be in it now if they gave me a million dollars,” Cher declared during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December. “I’m never going to change my mind. They can just go you-know-what themselves.”

Whether it’s a case of reverse psychology, or the RRHOF finally embracing the pop icon’s brilliance, Cher will be honored in a ceremony at the foundation’s Ohio Museum in October.

Newsweek has reached out to Cher and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for comment via email.

As a Grammy winner with 100,000 million records sold worldwide, why has it taken so long for the 77-year-old to get the recognition she deserves?

According to Joel Smith, founder of music hub AllAxess.com, it’s likely down to sexism.

“The music industry hasn’t always recognized women’s achievements as much as men’s,” Smith told Newsweek.

“Stevie Nicks being the only woman inducted into the RRHOF twice shows the major challenges famous female artists like Cher have faced, simply because they are women.”

Out of the RRHOF’s 719 inductees, only 61 are women—just 8.5 percent—which Smith calls a “big problem.”

“It took a long time, over 30 years after she could have been nominated, for Cher to finally get recognized,” he said.

To be included, artists must have released their first recording over 25 years ago. Cher’s first single, “Ringo I Love You,” came out in 1964, although it was released under the name Bonnie Jo Mason.

Her first single to chart on the Billboard 200 was “All I Really Want to Do,” peaking at number 16. Her first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 was “I Got You Babe,” her duet with then-husband and producer Sonny Bono. In 2003, Rolling Stone included the track in its list of the “500 greatest songs of all time.”

Perhaps her most successful single, her 1999 hit “Believe” was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a month, but stayed in the chart for 31 weeks in total. The track also made Cher the oldest female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 at 52-years-old.

In 2017, she was given the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards, followed by a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018. You can find her handprints in cement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, and visit a star with her name on it, alongside Sonny Bono’s, on the Walk of Fame.

Despite her legendary status, Andy Malt—founder of the industry website Complete Music Update—said sexism is not necessarily to blame for Cher’s omission.

“Her nomination and induction is certainly a long time coming, [but] it’s hard to say why it’s taken until now for her to be inducted, or even nominated,” Malt told Newsweek.

“Maybe the Hall thought that Sonny & Cher weren’t quite as influential as other acts, or that her solo career has been too pop-focused.”

However, Smith disagrees that Cher’s music is too “pop” for the RRHOF.

“Her music crosses many genres, but a lot of it has a rock base, even her disco hits and pop ballads,” he explained. “Moving between genres like this fits the spirit of rock and roll. Rock has always been about breaking rules and Cher’s career shows that perfectly.”

Sexism may not be the reason why Cher has been excluded from the RRHOF, but Smith acknowledges the discrepancy between the number of male figures that have been inducted since its founding in 1983, as well as a lack of diversity.

“The Hall doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to its gender balance,” he said. “It does seem to be diversifying in terms of the artists and genres it lets in, something that comes with as much praise as it does criticism.

“It’s interesting to see discussions around this about what counts as ‘Rock and Roll.'”