(AP) – Dua Lipa, in a figure-hugging dress, opened the Rock & Roll Hall Fame induction ceremony Saturday night by singing Cher’s “Believe” but gave way to the actor-singing icon, who emerged to loud screams. The two held hands during their brief duet, an intergenerational connection that the Hall always hoped to highlight.

This year’s nominees, in addition to Cher, Kool & the Gang, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Dave Matthews Band, the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, Alexis Korner, the late John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton.

Zendaya introduced Cher. “Where do I even start? Cher is not one person,” the actor said. “Her name is as legendary as her legacy.” Zendaya noted that Cher is the only woman to have had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts in each of the last seven decades. “Cher has the goods,” Zendaya said.

Saturday’s induction ceremony will be held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, where the Hall has promised to return every few years. The film will stream live on Disney+ and a performance highlights special will air on ABC on January 1.

The Hall says the Dave Matthews Band, Blige, Foreigner, Frampton, Kool & the Gang and Warwick will perform live. When the names of the nominees were read out before the broadcast, it was the Dave Matthews Band that got the biggest cheers in the room.

Cher — the only artist with a No. 1 song in each of the past 60 years — and Blige, with eight multi-platinum albums and nine Grammy Awards, will help increase the number of women in the Hall, which critics say is too many. low.

Artists must have released their first commercial recording for at least 25 years before they are eligible for induction. The nominees were voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals.

John Sykes, president of entertainment businesses at iHeartMedia and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said Saturday that he and the Hall are trying to return the inductions to rock’s roots, not expand the category.

“What I’m trying to do is bring the aperture back to the level of the late 1950s, when you had Brenda Lee and Hank Williams, right next to Fats Domino, Elvis Presley and the Beatles. It was an artists’ gumbo at the time. It has become somewhat smaller over the years. All I can do is bring it back to its original roots.”

There had been a huge push to get Foreigner – with the hits ‘Urgent’ and ‘Hot Blooded’ – into the Hall, with Mark Ronson, Jack Black, Slash, Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney all publicly supporting the move. Ronson’s stepfather is Mick Jones, founder, songwriter and lead guitarist of Foreigner.

Warwick arrives just a few days after attending a memorial for her longtime friend and collaborator, Cissy Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Jennifer Hudson and Teyana Taylor will help her settle in.

Other members of rock, pop and hip-hop royalty will be on hand to introduce the class, including Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Lucky Daye, Mac McAnally, Method Man, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar, Slash and The Roots.

Julia Roberts will help introduce the Dave Matthews Band. A self-proclaimed superfan, she appeared in the band’s video for the 2005 single “Dreamgirl.” Dua Lipa will do the same for Cher, and Busta Rhymes will perform with A Tribe Called Quest.

Although no country act will be inducted this year, country artists will be featured. Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally will team up to pay tribute to Buffett, while Urban will play in honor of Frampton. Meanwhile, Hagar revealed that he will be part of the team that will introduce Foreigner and sing “Hot Blooded.”