To celebrate LEGACY is a breath of fresh air in the current state of the music industry. With changing algorithms, sporadic moments of 15 minutes of fame, a continuous scroll of “pops new it girl,” it’s great to be reminded that art and what an artist has to say truly does craft an undeniable cultural impact.
The Grammy Museum and Recording Academy threw the third Annual Grammy Hall of Fame Gala to remind us all of timeless recordings on May 8, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton.
The Grammys is music’s biggest night, but the Grammy Hall of Fame Gala highlights award-winning artists and sounds that have stood the test of time.
I walked into the marble halls of The Beverly Hilton like a romcom heroine after the makeover scene. The Devil may wear Prada, but a rising popstar is renting blossom yellow Ronny Kobo, Oscar de la Renta gold dangle earrings, and other blinged bobbles. Anything to help promote the newest single.
While I was in my little loaner Lexus, I got the final master for “How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days.” I was blasting it through the speakers on the drive from Santa Monica to Beverly Hills. It’s a song I wrote inspired by my chaotic romantic experiences and my refusal to shrink myself down for a man, because if he’s not the one, you can lose a guy in 10 days. How I styled my red-carpet look was to pay homage to Kate Hudson’s famous yellow dress.
As an upcoming pop artist and songwriter, the landscape right now is changing at a velocity that we haven’t seen before. With a lot of the industry focused on social media, I, along with other artists at my level, am constantly getting fed what trends to tap into, what sounds to emulate, and what aesthetic to utilize. The whiplash a girl can get from the suspected next big thing!
When everyone is fighting for a spot to be relevant, it reminds me that I want to be timeless. And that’s what the records getting honored tonight are: TIMELESS.
As a returning attendee, I ran into some familiar faces, Linda Duncombe (On the board of The Grammy Museum, SAG AFTRA), Joshua Curtis Friedman (writer/director), along with Elijah Grae (producer/guitarist) and Sali Krazy (manager). After taking a few turns on the red carpet, I ran into the stunning Isabel Marie, who would later be performing her rendition of “No Me Queda Mas” from Selena’s Amor Prohibido. She and I both popped over to The Lounge Booth after the carpet.
Once I wrapped the photos and press room, it was over to hobnobbing during the cocktail hour. This year, it was in a lush outdoor garden setting.
After connecting with some of the academy members and meeting friends of friends, we were guided through a series of chimes to the main ballroom. Sparkling lights in every direction draw a spotlight to the grand honor of the evening.
As I was getting settled, The Soul Stirrers opened the night with a performance of “Jesus Gave Me Water,” inviting the audience to clap along with the harmonizing male vocalists. My table, along with the room, erupted into song. Proving in practice the ageless melody and how gospel music is meant to be sung with a choir. With the entire ballroom being industry folk, you couldn’t ask for better voices or a more on-time clap.
The list of the 2026 inductees was as eclectic as the group of people I was with at Table 37. A manager of a performing vocalist, Forbes journalist, blockchain entertainment investor, and iHeart Radio reporter. Like a singles table at a wedding, we went around introducing ourselves and giving each other little vignettes of our lives.
In my life, I’ve had a multitude of influences, but one of the performances reframed the way that I perform. The music school I attended in high school is owned by Charlie Lagond, one of the saxophonists of George Clinton and heavily involved in the Funkadelic Family. During my most formative years of performance, I’ve watched playback of Funkadelic, Erykah Badu, Bootsy Collins, and Michael “Clip” Payne. I had to take notes on stage presence, audience connection, and costume choices. It was such a full circle moment to see George Clinton and Erykah Badu joined onstage by Blackbyrd McKnight to perform “Maggot Brain/Can You Get To That,” in celebration of the album Maggot Brain.
One of the first albums I ever received was a gift from my mom after Norah Jones won Best New Artist at the Grammys. Seeing her honored with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award was another full-circle moment. Come Away with Me is a celebratory album in my parents’ house. She brought her emotionally raw phrasing, like what I’ve always heard on “Come Away With Me,” to Ray’s “Seven Spanish Angels,” which Charles originally performed with Willie Nelson, and “Hallelujah, I Love You So.” The performance was timeless and intimate in a way that only Norah Jones can.
Great music doesn’t just capture an emotion; it encapsulates the human life experience. It becomes the sentiment of the times. From across the decades, and one song, “Trouble in Mind” by Bertha “Chippie” Hill is exactly a century old. As someone who is woven together by pop music, I love celebrating songs that are the bedrock of pop. A blues song being added to the Hall of Fame 100 years after its release is such an important addition.
As a lifelong fan of Heart, I saw them live for the first time with my parents at the Jones Beach Theater in 2019, and the vocal power of Ann Wilson is a sound and sight to behold. That vocal performance, along with the high kick, cements that female rock stars are ageless. The entire room was on the edge of their seats for the trilogy performance of “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie,” and “Crazy On You.”
A very rare appearance by Janet Jackson was made celebrating her highly influential, groundbreaking 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814, “still resonates on a deep and profound level,” Jackson said, “It’s an ongoing force that fights bigotry and promotes understanding. It cannot be stopped. It’s simply too strong and too positive. Rhythm Nation is a movement of people of all reaches and backgrounds seeking to give and receive love free of judgment. As we celebrate tonight, let’s remember that it transcends all borders, nationalities, and faiths.”
One of my favorite quotes was from Lucinda Williams, whose inducted record Car Wheels On A Gravel Road paved the way for the genre we now know as Americana, “my music fell in the cracks between country and rock… which later became known as Americana. Don’t worry if your music falls into the cracks, that’s where it’s supposed to be.”
A recurring theme I was taking away from watching the performances of the night was the honesty in the records. Each artist was so steadfast in their truth. Truth paves the way for legacy. I want to be an artist who is so committed to learning who she is and examining myself with unhindered vulnerability. Sometimes, being an artist on the rise, you’re so in the trenches you can’t see the end of the road. Living in LA when you’re renting a house, renting a car, damn, I even rented my dress. The idea of object permanence seems like something so intangible. And sure, there’s no guarantee that your music is going to get the prestige of The Grammy Hall of Fame, but I fully believe there’s so much you can learn from the greats on becoming an unmovable force within the music industry.
Complete list of 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Inducted Recordings
All Eyez On Me, 2Pac
Amor Prohibido, Selena
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
Dreamboat Annie, Heart
“Jesus Gave Me Water,” The Soul Stirrers
Journey In Satchidananda, Alice Coltrane
Maggot Brain, Funkadelic
OK Computer –Radiohead
“Orange Blossom Special,” The Rouse Brothers
Paid In Full, Eric B. & Rakim
Pink Moon, Nick Drake
Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson
“Trouble In Mind,” Bertha “Chippie” Hill
You’ll Sing A Song and I’ll Sing A Song, Ella Jenkins
