In a night full of surprises at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland on October 19, Dua Lipa and Cher teamed up for a breathtaking rendition of the 1998 classic ‘Believe.’ Backed by The Roots, Lipa began the iconic track solo before being joined by Cher herself on stage. The duo’s powerhouse vocals harmonized as they held hands, delivering a truly unforgettable performance.
Cher's long-awaited induction into the Rock Hall came after years of being snubbed, despite her monumental impact on music. The pop icon, who has achieved No. 1 hits across seven decades, had previously expressed her frustrations over being overlooked, declaring that she "wouldn’t accept it, even for a million dollars." However, last night’s ceremony saw her in high spirits as she embraced the honor.
Zendaya, paying homage to Cher in a glittering Bob Mackie dress, gave a heartfelt introduction, praising Cher’s ability to navigate a multitude of musical genres, define new ones, and reinvent others. After the induction, Cher took the stage again for a powerful performance of ‘If I Could Turn Back Time,’ reminding everyone of her legendary status.
In her speech, Cher reflected on her resilience and career, saying, “The one thing I got from my mom is that I never gave up. I’m lucky, I’ve had really bad things happen – I was dropped by four labels.” She credited her groundbreaking use of Auto-Tune in ‘Believe’ for transforming the sound of pop music. “When it was completely over, I did ‘Believe’ and it was like, “yes!” I’ve just been really lucky, and I have had number ones for seven decades, which surprises me, because I’m a good singer [but] I’m not a great singer. You know what? I’ll take it. And also, I changed the sound of music forever, all right? And and ‘Believe’ really changed the sound of music,” Cher proclaimed.
The induction comes on the heels of her new album ‘Forever,’ released in September, and ahead of her highly anticipated two-part memoir, with the first installment set to drop this November.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
