Mariah Carey Honored at MusiCares Gala by John Legend, Kesha, Foo Fighters
- Butterfly décor and hints of Mariah Carey lavender filled the Los Angeles Convention Center as the Queen of Christmas and R&B legend was celebrated on her big night.
- “Tonight, it’s been sublime to hear my songs reimagined by some of the world’s greatest artists,” Carey said as she accepted her Person of the Year award at...
- She continued,“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be here with all these magnificent artists singing my songs back to me,infusing them with their own artistry...
Butterfly décor and hints of Mariah Carey lavender filled the Los Angeles Convention Center as the Queen of Christmas and R&B legend was celebrated on her big night. The star-studded MusiCares-benefitting tribute brought together artists from across genres — Laufey, Kesha, John Legend,Maggie Rogers,among them — who honored Carey’s incomparable vocals and inimitable songwriting by reimagining her songs in their own styles. Throughout the evening, Carey seemed joyful and as she mouthed along to her own classics.
“Tonight, it’s been sublime to hear my songs reimagined by some of the world’s greatest artists,” Carey said as she accepted her Person of the Year award at the end of the evening. “When I was a little girl scribbling lyrics in my notebook late at night,I could only dream of someone hearing those words and singing them.”
She continued,“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be here with all these magnificent artists singing my songs back to me,infusing them with their own artistry and giving them all new life. This has given me life.”
The concert portion of the evening kicked off with a mini DJ set from Jermaine Dupri of Carey classics (and several unexpected B-sides), before the cascade of performances came in. Jennifer Hudson opened with a vocally driven performance of “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” before continuing into “My All,” and adding even more soul to “Vision of Love,” Carey’s 1990 debut single.
Dave Grohl of foo Fighters and Taylor Momsen perform onstage during 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Mariah Carey on January 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
After Hudson, Taylor Momsen joined Dave grohl and the Foo Fighters and took things from R&B heaven to pure grunge as they played songs from her secret 1995 album Someone’s Ugly Daughter, including “Love Is a Scam” and “Demented.” Carey was all smile as she sang along for what was by far the highlight of the night.
So too was the participation of Laufey, who expertly reimaigined “It’s Like That” as a jazzy bossa nova song completely in her style. Kesha also delivered full pop star energy as she sang along to “Obsessed,” and Maggie rogers performed an unexpected rendition of “Honey.”
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2026 MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Mariah Carey
Getty Images for The Recording Academy
To end the night, and after Carey’s acceptance speech, Jon Batiste served as the final surprise guest, leading a singalong with some of the performers of the evening – and even Gayle King – to ”All I Want for Christmas Is You.” As they all sang along, someone onstage (seemingly Porter) messed up a lyric as some performers paused and looked at each other confused on which verse of the song they were singing.
Then Mariah emerged from backstage to save the song, adding her vocals and closing things out as she greeted everyone onstage. If the Queen of Christmas says it’s Christmas in January… it’s Christmas in January.
Verification & Updates (as of January 31, 2026, 14:43:26 PST)
* MusiCares person of the Year: MusiCares, a branch of the Recording Academy, holds a Person of the Year benefit annually. The event recognizes individuals for their artistic achievement and philanthropic contributions. (Source: MusiCares official Website – About)
* Mariah Carey Honored (2026): Multiple news sources confirm that Mariah Carey was honored as the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year. Billboard reported on the event.
* performers: Reports from the event, including The hollywood reporter, corroborate the presence of Jon Batiste, Jennifer Hudson, Laufey, Kesha, Rita Wilson, and members of Flo (Stella quaresma, Renée Downer, Jorja Douglas).
* Gayle King’s Participation: