Mariah Carey Says the Grammys, Both the Show and the Award, Are ‘Overrated’

Mariah Carey isn’t holding back what she thinks about the Grammy Awards.

The legendary singer appeared on Pitchfork’s Over/Under series on Thursday (Aug. 14) to weigh in on pop culture symbols like Labubus (“rated”), Christmas (“underrated”), and Crocs.

“It took me a minute to start dealing with Crocs,” Carey said of the divisive footwear. “But they’re very comfortable on the foot, and I care about that, but nobody knows that. Everybody loves Crocs, but they’re not my first shoe of choice. Rated.”

But a particularly honest moment came when Carey shared her opinion on the Grammys. She's received the award five times since 1991, when Carey won best new artist and female pop vocal performance.

“Ha, I think the Grammys are overrated,” the Touch My Body artist said, clarifying Carey meant both the show and the award itself.

“But we love everybody,” she added.

The 56-year-old has been nominated 34 times in the past four decades, and she took home three gold-plated gramophones for The Emancipation of Mimi in 2006. Carey has been a staple performer in the awards show and won the Recording Academy’s Global Impact Award in 2024 for her contributions to music culture and industry.

When Carey accepted the special award, previously given to Dr. Dre and Jay-Z, she noted she hadn’t seen a “real Grammy” in a very long time.

“It’s weird,” she said onstage. “I don’t know. We’ll figure out what this is later.”

It’s not the first time Carey has called out the industry and its opinions on her music. Earlier this year, she told People that she initially resented that The Emancipation of Mimi was called her “comeback album.”

“But now I’m just like, ‘Oh yeah, my comeback album. It’s like, how many comebacks do I have to have?’” Carey said.

Carey also agreed with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, who said on their Las Culturistas podcast that the songstress doesn’t “have enough” Grammys. Carey, with her signature sass, said the Recording Academy has “scammed” her out of winning more awards.

“They toy with me,” she said.

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