Cher Dedicates Her 2024 Rock Hall Induction to Women Around the World

Cher was officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night (October 19), and she set expectations early on: “This speech is going to be an adventure — I wrote it the other day, and then I rewrote it tonight Because of it, I’m dyslexic,” she declared.

It wasn’t an adventure – during her speech at the annual awards ceremony, Cher stunned the Rocket Mortgage Arena crowd with performances of “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Believe” – ​​the latter of which featured special guest Dua Lipa stars – then abandons Zendaya to take the stage, where she introduces her idol with aplomb. “Where do I start?” said the actress, who wore an outfit inspired by one of Cher’s many Bob Mackie looks. “There is no one in this room, in this country, in this world who does not know the name of the artist I am honoring here tonight. She was so iconic, she just needed a name.

In a tribute video, stars appeared to pay tribute to Cher, including Cyndi Lauper, Shania Twain and P!nk, who made it clear that the unknown singer was A “fucking rock star.”

But once her speech began, Cher made it clear that her induction would never be guaranteed: “It’s easier to be divorced from two men than to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” she said. “I want to thank my guardian David Geffen because he wrote a letter and sent it to the directors and now, haha, here I am!”

While the singer occasionally pokes fun at herself (“I’m a OK Singer, no great singer,” she said), who doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the impact she’s had over her decades-long career. In a particular highlight, the star reflected on how some of her biggest songs almost didn’t happen.

“[With] “Believe,” I changed the sound of music forever, and it was an accident. I got into an argument with my producer, and my producer said, ‘Cher, do better,'” she recalled. “I said, ‘Man, if you want something better, get a different singer.’ He called me later and said, ‘Cher, I’ve been messing around with the pitching machine and I think I’ve found something. ” I went back and listened to it, and when we were done, we all jumped up and high-fived each other. And then my record label guy said, “We can’t do this because no one will know it’s you.” ” I said, ‘Yeah, that’s it! That’s the best part!

Cher also recalled the advice her mother gave her as a child that has guided her career to where it is today. “She said to me, ‘You may not be the most beautiful, you may not be the smartest, you may not be the most talented, but you are special,'” she said. “She always instilled in me this philosophy: ‘If you’re down and out, you’re going to get back up again.'”

Cher smiled at the crowd, making sure the women in the audience heard her. “One thing I never do is I never give up. I’m talking to women, okay – you’re on your own,” she said with a laugh. “We were in trouble, but we kept trying, we kept moving forward, we were important. As my mother said, we were special.

Cher was just one of the icons honored at Saturday night’s event, with other inductees including Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band , The Foreigner and Peter Frampton.