Mariah Carey thinks she has a long way to go before reaching legendary status.
The five-time Grammy winner, who has been named the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year, declined the label of “legend” in a new Billboard profile. As the publication recalled, Carey’s extremely rare 1988 demo tape was recently auctioned by Wax Poetics, being won in a bid for $54,050.
Two years following the tape’s recording, Carey released her debut self-titled album. On the demo were seven songs written and produced by Brenda K. Starr, who also provided background vocals for the Songbird Supreme early in her career.
“Everybody has their own little meanings for what things they say,” Carey told Billboard. “But I don’t call myself a legend. I’m just still working, still trying hard.”
As producer Arthur Baker recalled hearing Carey sing, the vocalist sounded like “Madonna meets Whitney,” cementing her legendary status early on. “She writes like Madonna, sounds like Whitney. This is it, I’ve discovered gold,” he explained.
If Carey’s five-octave vocal range wasn’t enough, she’s also the only female singer with the most number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 19 entries, which is preceded by Rihanna (14) and Madonna (12). Carey is also second to The Beatles with the most number-one songs on the chart.
Elsewhere in the Billboard article, Carey prided herself in having a strong work ethic, because she wanted to be “here for a long time.” “The one lesson I’ve learned is to just be true to yourself,” she added. “And I was fortunate enough to be able to do that. There were some things along the way that weren’t ideal, you know, but here I am.”