Six-time Grammy-winning pop diva Mariah Carey obtained her third consecutive nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday after her first two left her empty-handed.
After her first snub, Carey, 56, reacted bluntly.
“My thoughts are: I didn’t get in,” she told the L.A. Times at the time. “Everybody was calling me, going, ‘I think you’re getting in!’ and so I was excited about it. But then it didn’t happen.”
The singer also lamented that her lawyer, Allen Grubman, was inducted before her. The entertainment lawyer was inducted in 2022.
Competing for the coveted spots alongside the “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer are Lauryn Hill, Oasis, P!NK, Phil Collins, Shakira, The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
Collins is already a Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Genesis, but he is nominated again as a solo performer.
An artist is eligible for nomination 25 years after their debut record is published, with this year’s nominations debuting in 2001 or earlier. The 17 nominees are vying for just five-to-seven spots, which have lead to many snubs over the years.
Carey is not alone as a returning nominee—seven of the 15 nominees are returning, including Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, and Oasis.
Carey’s challenges are notable, as the chart-topping pop star follows a long line of snubbed female performers. Since the Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1986, only roughly 80 of its more than 400 members are women or are bands that include a female member.
Many of the music industry’s biggest female artists required multiple nominations to earn their spot in the Hall of Fame. Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, The Supremes, and Fleetwood Mac were all snubbed on their first—or first couple of—nominations.
Carey, who has 19 number one hits, is hoping that, like her pop predecessor Janet Jackson, the third time will be the charm.
The official list of inductees will be announced in April, after a panel of more than 100 judges votes.
Alongside the performing artist inductees, the Hall of Fame also inducts a music industry veteran—like Carey’s lawyer—under the Ahmet Ertegun Award. They will also hand out Musical Influence and Musical Excellence awards, which have previously gone to artists such as Salt-N-Pepa and Jimmy Buffett.
