Mariah Carey will not be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next month, despite having been on the ballot twice, but another award awaits her. Continuing an annual tradition that has honored everyone from Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and the Grateful Dead to opera singer Luciano Pavarotti and the late Quincy Jones, Carey has been announced as the winner of next year’s MusiCares Person of the Year award.
Scheduled for January 30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the ceremony will honor the singer who, in the words of MusiCares CEO Theresa Woltres, “exemplifies MusiCares’ core values: creating systems of care that elevate people and ensure music professionals and communities can thrive.” Previous honorees include Sting, Lionel Richie, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John and Tom Petty. In an unusual coincidence, the first MusiCares ceremony, which honored the late David Crosby in 1991, took place the same week Carey won three Grammy Awards for her debut album.
In a statement, Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said: “We are honored to recognize Mariah Carey as this year’s MusiCares Person of the Year, a true creative force and once-in-a-generation talent. Her artistry and voice have helped shape the sound of our times. We look forward to celebrating her extraordinary career on this special night.”
The ceremony will take place two days before the 68th annual Grammy Awards. Individual tickets start at $3,000 and range up to a three-table package, with 36 seats, for $225,000. As the organization’s primary benefit gala, the event raises funds for disaster relief, addiction assistance and other services for those in the music business. Carey herself has her share of philanthropic projects, including Camp Mariah, which helps underprivileged children.
Carey, of course, continues to record and play shows; He recently released his latest album, Here for everything. In a revealing 2022 interview in rolling stone music now On the podcast, Carey talked about a series in the works about her life story, for which she would prefer that she herself, and not an actress, handle the singing parts. “Well, that’s one thing,” Carey said. “It’s one thing! I really care more about the acting than the person who is a singer. It really matters that the actress gets that role. I have done my voice, and I can redo any of my voices at this point. It will be an interesting task also because the person who is ambiguous, who looks and is mixed race, will be important to me.”
