Despite her impressive tally of 34 Grammy nominations and five wins throughout her storied career, Mariah Carey has publicly denounced the prestigious music awards as “overrated” in a series of candid interviews. The superstar vocalist, who has sold over 220 million records worldwide, recently expressed her frustrations with the Recording Academy during appearances on Pitchfork’s Over/Under series and the Las Culturistas podcast in 2023, making no effort to soften her criticism of both the ceremony and the trophy itself.
Grammy trophies look nice on a shelf, but they’re just overrated paperweights in the music industry’s popularity contest.
Carey’s relationship with the Grammys appears to have soured considerably after the 1996 awards ceremony, which she described as a turning point when she felt “scammed” after losing in six categories. The singer recalled watching the ceremony with then-husband and industry executive Tommy Mottola, sarcastically remarking “We love everybody” while privately feeling overlooked.
This disenchantment deepened as she witnessed contemporaries like Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette dominate the awards despite her own commercial success.
The vocal powerhouse, who holds the record for 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, pointed to a noticeable gap in recognition from the Recording Academy, with her last competitive Grammy nomination dating back to 2009. Her most successful Grammy showing came in 2006 when she won three awards for The Emancipation of Mimi. While many musicians focus on diverse income streams to build financial stability beyond awards recognition, Carey’s massive success across multiple revenue channels hasn’t translated to Grammy acknowledgment. Unlike today’s artists who can leverage streaming platforms for both promotion and revenue, Carey built her career in an era with fewer digital opportunities. This extended absence from the nominee list has contributed to Carey’s assertion that the Grammys have “toyed” with her and failed to properly acknowledge her artistic contributions over decades.
In 2024, Carey received the Global Impact Award, an honorary Grammy recognition outside the competitive categories. However, in 2025 interviews promoting upcoming music, she joked about not seeing an actual Grammy trophy “in a long time,” suggesting the honorary award did little to change her perspective on the institution.
Carey’s critique exemplifies broader debates within the music industry regarding how artistic achievement should be honored beyond trophies, particularly when commercial influence and cultural impact don’t align with formal recognition—a discrepancy that continues to fuel discussion about the Grammy Awards’ relevance and criteria. Her new album Here For It All scheduled for release on September 26 will showcase her enduring talent regardless of award recognition.
