Photo Credit: Susan Ragan/Associated Press
Mariah Carey is keeping her excitement in check after receiving a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying she was caught off guard by the honor. Speaking to the Associated Press, the 56-year-old music icon said she doesn’t want to get too hopeful, admitting, “I don’t know if I’m going to win it, so I don’t want to get too excited about it… I wasn’t really thinking about it. And here we are.”
This marks Carey’s second nomination after not being selected in 2024. In February, she was once again named among this year’s nominees, alongside artists like Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, Joe Cocker, Chubby Checker, OutKast, and Oasis. While Carey is predominantly known for her pop and R&B catalog, she downplayed the significance of genre in the Rock Hall selection process, saying, “I don’t really know if genre matters. People are more open to all different genres now. But I feel like a rock star sometimes.”
Eligibility for the Rock Hall requires 25 years since an artist’s first commercial release — and Carey, whose self-titled debut album arrived in 1990, qualifies easily. The 2025 inductees will be announced later this month, with a ceremony planned in Los Angeles this fall.
Outside of the nomination, Carey revealed she's eager to release her long-shelved ‘90s grunge project. Though she isn’t sure it’ll be ready by summer, she’s considering dropping a few songs and has “so many ideas” for the accompanying visuals.
Carey also touched on the idea of collaborating with her 13-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, who joined her on stage during her recent Christmas tour. “I would love to,” she said, but emphasized that she won’t pressure them and wants them to enjoy their own creative pursuits.
While her last album of original music came out in 2018, Carey teased that she is working on “something new,” though she’s “not supposed to talk about it.”
Recently honored with the Icon Award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Carey used her acceptance speech to remember her late mother, Patricia Carey. “I want to honor my mother… for giving me the gift of music,” she said, adding that hearing her own songs on the radio still feels “magical.”
