Def Leppard are among the nominees announced for possible induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2019. Singer Joe Elliott spoke with Billboard about the nomination.

With his band having been eligible for nomination since 2005, Elliott isn't complaining about the 13-year wait. "You're looking at the likes of Todd Rundgren (23 years) and Roxy Music (21 years) and Devo (15 years), and it took them long enough to get a nomination," he says. "So I don't feel so bad now that we got overlooked when you see people like them, people I was out buying their records when I was 12 years old. So it's alright. It's kinda cool."

Elliott first caught wind of Def Leppard's nomination after the group wound up its tour with Journey on Sunday (October 7th) in Los Angeles, when managers told him, "it was definitely gonna happen... I'm on vapors 'cause we've just done 60 shows all over the US, I've got a glass of chardonnay and I'm thinking, 'As one door closes, another one opens...' I mean, it's not really gonna change my life, really, one way or the other - but Jon Bon Jovi has been telling me for at least 12 months that yes, it will."

Read more at Billboard.com.

With the Fan Vote for the new class underway now, artists who receive the most votes will be revealed in December, with the induction ceremony schedule to take place on March 29th, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The 2019 nominees include:

- Def Leppard
- Devo
- Janet Jackson
- John Prine
- Kraftwerk
- LL Cool J
- MC5
- Radiohead
- Rage Against The Machine
- Roxy Music
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
- Stevie Nicks
- The Cure
- The Zombies
- Todd Rundgren

Fans can vote daily, read official nominee bios and download curated playlists featuring the recommended discography of each nominee, here.

Def Leppard join a long list of legends to receive this coveted nomination in addition standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the impressive “Class of 2019.” With sales eclipsing 100 million albums and a reputation as one of rock’s most enduring and influential bands, this represents yet another massive milestone for the legendary British rock icons.

About the nomination, frontman Joe Elliott said, “We’re honoured and humbled to be nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. This is the highest peak a rock band can summit. For us to recognized by the prestigious panel and rock fans, who also have a vote, is sensational. Def Leppard being considered amongst such a worthy class of 2019 nominees gives us an indescribable feeling of pride…mutually shared between myself and my bandmates. We hope to see everyone at the ceremony!”