With a crowd in anticipation for a star-studded evening at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Dua Lipa took the stage and made it her own as the inaugural performer at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
And for her first-ever concert performance in the city, she paid tribute to one of the most glamorous icons in the industry: Cher, the first inductee of the evening.
Dazzling in a sleek black dress, Lipa gave the Goddess of Pop her justice with a cover of “Believe,” an empowering track that has met her with chart-topping accolades — ones she’s been earning in the past seven decades.
In Cleveland, The Roots acted as the backing track to Dua’s blissful and gusty vocals. To round out the tribute, Cher joined Lipa on stage in a matching black suit of her own.
Courtesy Julia Lombardo
As the final drumroll on Cher's induction, silver-screen star Zendaya joined the lineup to present the award.
“Her name is just as legendary as her legacy — so iconic she only needs one name,” Zendaya began. “There are drag performers all over the world in a makeup chair putting on their best Cher face. She may be imitated but she can never be replicated.”
In her illustrious career, highlighted by 27 albums, a former duo group with her ex-husband Sonny Bono, an Oscar and various film features alongside stars like Meryl Streep, Cher won her bragging rights as she took the stage to accept her award, erupting in a timeless cover of her own “If I Could Turn Back Time.”
“I don’t need to be in a hall to rock, so whatever,” she boasted. “I changed the sound of music forever.”
And she made sure to note it wasn’t an easy ride up. As many women find their footing in the same industry, she offers some parting words of hope.
“I didn’t do well in school. I just couldn’t get it. I couldn’t read; I couldn’t do any of that stuff,” Cher began. “I’m lucky. I’ve had really bad things happen. I never gave up.”
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