We have a musical elephant in the room that I think it’s high time we addressed: what are the qualifications for being granted entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Because artists outside the genre are admitted all the time (see: Dolly Parton), so more and more performers are getting pissed off if they’re not invited (see: Cher, though that’s since been rectified). I guess Mariah Carey saw how well Cher’s public bullying campaign against the HoF went, because now she’s lamenting to the press about her own omission. Mimi was nominated with Cher earlier this year, but didn’t make the final cut, leading her to tell the LA Times last week that “My lawyer got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before me.” Oh, and she’s likewise miffed at the Grammys for them only giving her five awards. Whether it’s a lack of proper recognition or a lack of proper lighting, the struggle continues to be real for Ms. Carey.
“My thoughts are: I didn’t get in,” Carey said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times published on Wednesday, October 30, when asked about the snub. “Everybody was calling me going, ‘I think you’re getting in!’ and so I was excited about it. But then it didn’t happen.”
She then quipped, “My lawyer got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before me.”
Carey was referring to entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman, who has also represented the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022 as a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which acknowledges non-performers whose work has had a lasting impact on the music industry.
In her interview with the L.A. Times, Carey, 55, also spoke about only winning five Grammy awards in her career.
“They gave me two Grammys when I first started out,” she said. “Then one year — huge year for me, career-wise — I had like six nominations with the Daydream album and ‘One Sweet Day’ and ‘Always Be My Baby’ and ‘Fantasy.’ All those songs in a row ended up being so big that you just thought, ‘OK, at least “One Sweet Day” is gonna win best duet or something.’ Then I sat there the whole time and I didn’t get anything. I was like, This is not fun. But what can I do? Be a sore loser and say, ‘F the Grammys?’”
“Whatever. If they give me more Grammys, I’ll like them more,” Carey joked.
Carey recently opened up about her Grammy record during an October 16 episode of the “Las Culturistas” podcast hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
Carey won her first two Grammys in 1991, where she was nominated for five awards. That year, she took home the awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for “Vision of Love.” Her next Grammy wins came in 2006 when she won two awards for “We Belong Together” and the Best Contemporary R&B Album nod for The Emancipation of Mimi.
“They scammed me. They toy with me,” Carey said, adding that she was surprised that her 1997 album, Butterfly, which she told Yang and Rogers was “probably my best album,” went with “zero accolades.”
Well, I did recently ask for some more Mariah Carey giving peak diva behavior during peak Mariah Carey season, so I’ll call this a wish granted! The nerve of the Grammys to scam her with 34 nominations across her career while only giving her five! No, I’m not actually going to defend the Grammy or Hall of Fame awarding guidelines, because both are simultaneously inexplicable and in desperate need of rethinking/restructuring (see: Beyonce). But the arc of popular music reformation is long, so how may we appreciate our holiday queen during her season that comes only once a year for two months straight? How about purchasing items from her Christmas goods line at Amazon! Timed to coincide with the kickoff of her Christmas Time Tour on Wednesday, and to honor the 30th anniversary of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” all Mariah Carey wants is for you to enjoy her merchandise that’s all emblazoned if not with her image, then with her initials. Seriously, “MC” is on everything! Kelly Ripa has choices galore to shop for hubby Mark Consuelos. I thought the throw blanket with Miss Mimi’s portrait was over the top, but then CB directed me to the pièce de résistance: the outdoor lawn inflatable of Mariah-as-Santa driving a sleigh, complete with three reindeer. Just DON’T put it under bad lighting in your yard!!
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I’m not an – inflatable things in my front yard person- but i would totally buy a mini of her in the sleigh to go with my other christmas decor. heading to amazon now.
I kinda love how MC has completely washed off her first marriage to Tommy Matolla of Sony Records. At the time, he was at least 20+ years older and a huge record Ex who started her career.
Her early years and the videos! Love her videos still.
When she just hits the high notes so casually, gotta love it.
Now days? I only think of her bc of that Xmas music that seems to be 24/7 starting at midnight on Halloween. Hard.Pass.
How Nick Cannon ever got her, I do not know.
James Packer too. They struck me as an odd pairing.
And MC is NOT RnR. Dog gone it anyhow. Pop? Yes. Huge star? Yes.
In a Diva sing off? Mariah, Adele, Whitney, Bey, …. WHITNEY. At her prime, Whitney was my fav.
I give MC credit, her family life was tough.
MC, Celine, Shania, Ms. Dolly, all fought up from a rough childhood.
Thanks for some celeb fun with this post. 👍
At least she’s in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. That’s much harder to achieve than winning a Grammy. (For example, Milli Vanilli was initially awarded a Grammy.)
I can’t believe she didn’t win the Grammy for one sweet day. That song was huge.
What?!!! She didn’t!!!!! Yeah, that’s a helluva snub.
I don’t know. I love all things Mariah and her diva-ness. She’s earned that!
I loved Emancipation of Mimi soooo much (probably because it also coincided with my divorce) I need to relisten. As for the Grammy stuff….Tommy Motola
MC and her Xmas routine makes a lot of folks happy. No harm.
In my day, it was Bing, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams for me.
The inflatables are sometimes fun/funny to see.
My fav?
A neighbor has a life size 6′ Keanu Reeves thing he puts a Santa hat on and points it out his deck window.
I’d go for it too, until I saw it was $80. Keanu Forever! But $80? nope.
MC and the “I don’t know her” meme are excellent.
So polite, did not raise her voice = perfect.