Mariah Carey is finally getting her due. The Moon Person is set to land in her hands this year, and honestly—it’s about time. Of course, there are always detractors in the corner, muttering that she doesn’t deserve it. But here’s the thing: Mariah isn’t just a voice. She isn’t just the “Songbird Supreme.” She is a visionary who has spent decades writing her own story, singing her own truths, and yes, directing and producing her own visuals.
People forget that Mariah has long been in control of her own narrative. Her first self-directed video, “Fantasy” (1995), was a bold move in an era when directors were rock stars and women were often sidelined in the creative process. Instead of playing nice, she took the reins. Rollerblading through Six Flags, joyful and carefree—it was her idea, her vibe, her statement. A year later, “Always Be My Baby” had her once again behind the camera, shaping a lakeside nostalgia piece that felt more like a short film than just a video. Then there’s “The Roof” in 1998, with its cinematic shots of rooftops and rain that critics still rank among her finest. Fast forward to 2014, and she was still doing it—co-directing “You’re Mine (Eternal)” in Puerto Rico’s rainforest, even dunking herself underwater to get the right shots.
Now, let’s measure this against some past Vanguard winners. Beyoncé is praised for the cohesiveness of Lemonade—a visual album that stitched together identity, culture, and music. Missy Elliott gets celebrated for her groundbreaking, futuristic visuals—space-age looks that felt like nothing else on MTV. Michael Jackson changed the landscape with long-form storytelling in videos like “Thriller.” Mariah’s strength has always been different: she builds intimacy. Her visuals are about emotional worlds—rollercoaster freedom, campfire nostalgia, rainy-night longing. They’re just as deliberate, just as impactful, but in her own language. And crucially, she was doing this long before “visual albums” became a concept.
Her directorial reach goes beyond music videos. In 2015, she directed A Christmas Melody for Hallmark, stepping into full narrative filmmaking. In 2020, she produced Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special with Apple, blending her music with storytelling and spectacle. Those projects weren’t cameos—they were hers. And when you line that up against Jennifer Lopez’s multi-hyphenate artistry, or Justin Timberlake’s forays into film and music video innovation, Mariah stands shoulder-to-shoulder. The Vanguard Award celebrates those who shape pop culture through sound and vision. By that measure, Mariah has been quietly doing the work for decades.
And yet, people want to complain. They say her upcoming album Here For It All won’t debut at number one. So what? That’s not the mission. This isn’t 1995, when Billboard charts were the final scoreboard. Mariah knows the industry has shifted. Here For It All is her experiment—a chance to test the waters in a streaming-first world. It’s not her big comeback. It’s her Charmbracelet moment, the transition record before the renaissance. We all remember what happened after Charmbracelet: The Emancipation of Mimi exploded. So if history is any guide, MC17 will be her firework show.
Even now, the numbers prove her relevance. In 2020, she had around 21 million monthly Spotify listeners. At the start of this year, 29 million. Right now, with the buzz surrounding Here For It All, she’s sitting at 32 million and climbing. That’s not decline—that’s a steady climb upwards, all before the holiday season even hits. And when December rolls around, we all know what happens: “All I Want For Christmas Is You” steamrolls back to number one. That single is practically a holiday economy by itself. And with her eye on breaking the all-time Billboard record for most weeks at number one, Mariah is still shaping the charts, nearly three decades after her debut.
This is what separates her from the haters’ narrow view. The Vanguard Award isn’t about who has the flashiest video this year. It’s about legacy. It’s about artists who understand music as an entire world—songs, stories, images, feelings. Michael told stories, Missy broke the rules, Beyoncé built empires. Mariah? She gave us intimacy, vision, and a career that spans singing, acting, producing, and directing. She doesn’t play for the short game. She plays for eternity.
So when she takes the stage to accept her Vanguard Award, it won’t just be a career highlight. It will be vindication. Proof that Mariah Carey has always been more than the whistle notes. She has been the visionary behind her own legacy—directing it, producing it, and living it. And that is what it means to be truly “here for it all.”
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