On Thursday night (6.16) Mariah Carey was officially inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Returning to New York City’s Marriott Marquis for the first time since 2019, alongside Mariah, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, The Isley Brothers, Steve Miller, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, Rick Nowels and William ‘Mickey’ Stevenson were also inducted into the prestigious Hall.
Following the introduction from Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Carey took to the stage in true diva form stating:
“First of all, thank you so much. Second of all, I need to check out this lighting. My lighting guy, it’s a long story, he couldn’t get on the plane.”
Wearing a pair of sunglasses and playing with her hair, the legendary singer said she became a “hermit” during the pandemic unable to perform, stating “This is my first actual live moment (since the pandemic)” and that that she was “really p**sed” her frequent collaborator Jermaine Dupri was inducted before her in 2018, and noted, “I constantly have to remind people I’m a songwriter.”
Highlighted the lack of women inductees in the organization’s history, Mariah mention that “Out of the 439 total inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, only 32 have been women up until this moment. Now it’s 33. As my father once told me: you did good, kid.”
Other special guests at the event included Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Smokey Robinson, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Batiste. St. Vincent, and Usher.
Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years. Previous inductees include Burt Bacharach, Missy Elliott, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Carly Simon.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: WBLS