Mariah Carey is not holding back when it comes to her thoughts on the Grammy Awards. Despite a career filled with 19 No. 1 hits and record-breaking sales, the legendary singer has only five Grammys to her name. In a candid conversation on the Las Culturistas podcast, hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Carey shared her frustration with the Recording Academy.
“They scaaaaammed me,” Carey, 55, exclaimed during the podcast, expressing her disappointment at the disparity between her monumental achievements and her Grammy recognition. “They toy with me.”
Carey burst onto the scene in 1991 with two Grammy wins, including Best New Artist, setting the stage for what seemed to be a promising relationship with the awards. However, despite her dominance in the ’90s, with a string of No. 1 hits, the Grammy trophies didn’t follow. Her critically acclaimed 1995 album Daydream was nominated for six awards but won none, leaving Carey empty-handed after a standout year, told Us Weekly.
The hosts of the podcast and Carey also discussed her Butterfly album, widely regarded as one of her best works. Despite the album’s significant cultural impact and critical acclaim, it received no major Grammy accolades. “It has zero accolades,” Carey said, shaking her head in disbelief at what she sees as a major oversight.
The Grammy snubs didn’t stop there. In 2006, Carey was up for eight awards for her comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi. While she took home three Grammys that night, she lost in the biggest categories, leaving her once again feeling underappreciated by the Recording Academy.
Carey’s last Grammy nomination came in 2009, leaving both fans and the singer herself questioning why such a powerhouse in the music industry hasn’t been more widely recognized by the prestigious awards. With a career spanning decades and influencing countless artists, Carey’s frustration with the Grammys highlights a broader conversation about how the industry rewards talent.
For someone with a legacy as significant as Mariah Carey’s, her relatively small collection of Grammy Awards remains one of the most glaring snubs in the history of the Recording Academy.