Janet Jackson<\/a> doesn\u2019t make many public appearances but she took the stage May 8 at the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala to celebrate the induction of her landmark 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814 and share a poignant rally for peace, unity and positivity. <\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful to relive the memories attached to this project that is so, so precious to me,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThough I don\u2019t see Rhythm Nation as a phenomenon that lived in the past. I believe it\u2019s alive and well in 2026,” she said, taking the stage after an extended standing ovation and introduction by Jimmy Jam – who with partner Terry Lewis produced and co-wrote most of the album that earned seven nominations and won for Best Long Form Music Video at the 32nd Grammys.<\/p>\n
Noting the album \u201cstill resonates on a deep and profound level,\u201d Jackson said, \u201cIt\u2019s an ongoing force that fights bigotry and promotes understanding. It cannot be stopped. It\u2019s 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\u2019s remember that it transcends all borders, nationalities and faiths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you hear the music of Rhythm Nation, I hope you hear my heart\u2019s desire when we first created this suite of songs,” she said. “More than ever, my hope is that we might live in a world free of fear and despair. The prayer driving this Rhythm Nation remains exactly the same\u2014that peace prevails. Peace the world over, peace among our nations, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our homes. May the music of Rhythm Nation continue to bring us together in peace. And may that peace allow us to celebrate this precious gift of life that God has given us. All praise to God.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jackson didn\u2019t perform, the Grammy Gala featured several high-octane performances, notably Heart\u2019s Ann and Nancy Wilson performing a trio of hits\u2014\u201cMagic Man,\u201d \u201cDreamboat Annie\u201d and \u201cCrazy On You\u201d\u2014to mark the induction of their powerhouse 1976 album Dreamboat Annie. Norah Jones, who was honored with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award, took to the piano with beautful renditions of two Charles classics\u2014\u201cSeven Spanish Angels,\u201d which Charles performed with Willie Nelson, and \u201cHallelujah, I Love You So.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lucinda Williams delivered \u201cCan\u2019t Let Go\u201d and the title track from her 2026 inductee album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. She also delivered some inspiration to rising songwriters. Williams thanked \u201cthe people who supported me when my music fell in the cracks between country and rock\u2026 which later became known as Americana. Don\u2019t worry if your music falls into the cracks, that\u2019s where it\u2019s supposed to be.\u201d <\/p>\n
Isabel Marie performed Selena\u2019s \u201cNo Me Queda Mas,\u201d in tribute to Selena\u2019s Amor Prohibido being inducted this year, and George Clinton was joined onstage by Erykah Badu and Blackbyrd McKnight to perform \u201cMaggot Brain\/Can You Get To That,\u201d in celebration of the album Maggot Brain. Teddy Swims delivered a moving performance of \u201cMister Know It All\u201d and \u201cLose Control\u201d as part of the Warner Records tribute that concluded the evening, which also included Josh Groban and Take 6 vibing on \u201cStand By Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Complete list of 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Inducted Recordings<\/strong>
All Eyez On Me, 2Pac
Amor Prohibido, Selena
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
Dreamboat Annie, Heart
\u201cJesus Gave Me Water,\u201d The Soul Stirrers
Journey In Satchidananda, Alice Coltrane
Maggot Brain, Funkadelic
OK Computer -Radiohead
\u201cOrange Blossom Special,\u201d The Rouse Brothers
Paid In Full, Eric B. & Rakim
Pink Moon, Nick Drake
Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson
\u201cTrouble In Mind,\u201d Bertha \u201cChippie\u201d Hill
You\u2019ll Sing A Song and I\u2019ll Sing A Song, Ella Jenkins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Janet Jackson speaks onstage during the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala Getty Images for The Recording Academy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477100,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[264],"tags":[28917,208940,18,117,208942,208939,19,17,46769,208938,337,9492,39998,208941,153549],"class_list":{"0":"post-477099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-2pac","9":"tag-ann-and-nancy-wilson","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-george-clinton","13":"tag-grammy-hall-of-fame","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-janet-jackson","17":"tag-jimmy-jam","18":"tag-music","19":"tag-radiohead","20":"tag-selena","21":"tag-take-6","22":"tag-teddy-swims"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116547560110766518","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Janet](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778374529_282_0x0.jpg\")
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