Mariah Carey on new music, Rihanna, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and her
lost grunge album
[April 12, 2025]
By MARIA SHERMAN
NEW YORK (AP) — It may be hard to conceive of now, but there was once a
lull in Mariah Carey’s superstar career. In 2001, her film “Glitter” was
a commercial flop; the album that followed, 2002’s introspective “Charmbracelet,”
was met with a muted response. She was at a crossroads.
And then everything changed. Carey released “The Emancipation of Mimi”
in 2005. It joined her athletic R&B-pop with synth-y hip-hop and fun,
flirty, enduring hits — she was now only belting when she wanted to,
thank you very much. She sounded free, as the title suggested, and the
world embraced her for it once again.
On Saturday, the album turns 20. To celebrate, Carey is gearing up to
release deluxe, expanded editions of the album on May 30, featuring
bonus tracks, new remixes and much more — including the official release
of “When I Feel It,” a song fans have been waiting for since 2005. It
was originally planned for “The Emancipation of Mimi” but was ultimately
shelved because of clearance issues with its sample of The Dynamic
Superiors’ “Here Comes That Feeling.”
“These are new gems, as far as I’m concerned,” Carey says. “It's
exciting to me.”
Carey discussed “The Emancipation of Mimi,” her recent nomination to be
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rihanna and plans for new
music with The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for
clarity and brevity.
AP: Has your relationship to “The Emancipation of Mimi” changed over the
years?
CAREY: It's still one of my favorite albums that I’ve done. And, you
know, back then when it first came out, everybody was calling it a
comeback album. ... I didn’t really agree, because you never think
you’ve gone anywhere. You know what I mean?
I just always really loved the songs and the performances. People seem
to really be into it. And new fans came from that album.
AP: I hear a lot of creative freedom on that album. Do you think it
revitalized your career?
CAREY: I do think it’s got a fun feeling to it and it definitely feels
free. I guess it sort of revitalized my career. I spent a while making
that album ... working with some great people, some great collaborators.
... It was an experience that I’ll never forget, creating that album.
AP: In June, you'll celebrate another anniversary. Your self-titled
debut turns 35. When you think back on that time, did you envision this
career?
CAREY: I don't know. I really was just so involved and entrenched in
making the music and this new career that I was embarking on. And it was
amazing. I mean, it’s what I had wanted to do for my whole life. And
then I was doing it.
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Mariah Carey appears at the third annual Recording Academy Honors in
Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
 AP: You're also a 2025 Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame nominee.
CAREY: That’s a huge honor. I don’t know if I’m going to win it, so
I don’t want to get too excited about it. So, I just want to say
that, again, it’s a huge honor and I guess I didn’t expect it. I
wasn’t really thinking about it. And here we are.
AP: It seems like the Rock Hall has become more
fluid in their definitions of genre over the years. Missy Elliott
was inducted in 2023, for example.
CAREY: I don’t really know if genre matters. I feel like people are
more open to all different genres, much more than they were, you
know? But I feel like a rock star sometimes.
AP: You know, after Dolly Parton was inducted, she released a rock
album. If and when you are inducted, will you finally release your
'90s grunge album? Fans have been waiting.
CAREY: I mean, I really want to, but I want to do videos, and I have
just so many ideas for that.
I don’t think I’ll be able to pull it together by the summer (before
the Rock Hall ceremony) but maybe, maybe I’ll release a few songs
from it.
AP: During your Christmas Time tour last holiday season, your
children Monroe and Moroccan joined you onstage. They played guitar
and drums; they were really rocking. Would you ever consider a
family rock ’n’ roll album?
CAREY: I would love to. They just have a lot of their own things
that they’re doing, and I don’t want to force them to do anything.
AP: And at your final date in Brooklyn, Rihanna was in the front row
of the audience. Would you ever work with her?
CAREY: I would love to. Did you see what happened? She wanted me to
sign her breasts. I was trying to do it neatly, and it didn’t come
out right. So, I tried.
AP: Your last album of original music, “Caution,” came out in 2018.
It's been a minute! Are you working on a new album?
CAREY: I'm not supposed to talk about it. ... But I'm working on
something. We won't say what it is, but something new.
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