Mariah Carey thanked her late mother for giving her the “gift of music” in her speech at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
During the ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday night, host LL Cool J presented the superstar with the Icon Award.
Amid her acceptance speech, Mariah offered a brief tribute to her opera singer mother Patricia Carey, who died last August at the age of 87. The Believe hitmaker’s older sister, Alison Carey, passed away at the age of 63 on the same day.
“On this St. Patrick’s Day, I want to honour my mother Patricia Carey for giving me the gift of music,” she said.
Mariah didn’t add any further comment.
But in a fun moment earlier in her speech, the singer made one of her signature jokes about the lighting onstage.
“Is the lighting OK? ‘Cause I don’t like bad lighting,” the 55-year-old asked, giving producers a moment to adjust the spotlight.
Mariah also thanked her fans, known as Lambs or Lambies, for their continuing support.
“As a kid I used to listen to my favourite artists on the radio and dream of being on the airwaves myself,” she continued. “Now, for those of you who may not know what airwaves are, think of it as the non-WiFi of streaming. Even now, I still get excited when I hear one of my songs playing on the radio. It never stops being magical. And to my fans, my Lamb-ily, you’ve been with me through every step of this journey. Your love and loyalty are the greatest gift, and I’m endlessly thankful for each one of you.”
Earlier in the show, Tori Kelly and Muni Long each serenaded Mariah with pitch-perfect versions of some of her greatest hits.
However, during Tori’s rendition of Always Be My Baby, the popstar was filmed making a serious facial expression.
It’s not known exactly what Mariah was reacting to, but the moment quickly went viral as a meme on social media.
