Billy Idol has insisted there is no guarantee he will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Billy Idol has insisted there is no guarantee he will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rebel Yell hitmaker was announced this week as one of 17 nominees for this year's honour, but after failing to make the cut on his first nomination last year, he doesn't see his induction as a foregone conclusion.

He told Billboard: "I started to realise you don’t always get in on your first time; that’s quite unusual, I think.

“It’s a process, and I can see why. There’s quite a large number of people involved in deciding who gets in. It’s no guarantee.”

However, Billy, 70, admitted it would be particularly "incredible" if he receives his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year because of it being the 50th anniversary of him starting his career with his band Generation X.

He said: "It’s really exciting. It would be incredible this year. This is 50 years ago when I started (with the band Generation X), so it would be really incredible.

"It would cap off an amazing 50 years … When I walked through that door that punk rock opened up, you really didn’t know if you’ve got the goods; only over time you see I really did have the goods, and I think the songs I’ve made are lasting, the recordings are still good.

"I had great people around me to get to where I wanted to go.”