The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has a Mariah Carey problem

Axios

05-05-2025

The resume speaks for itself — 19 No. 1 hits, a vocal range for the ages, a blueprint for the modern pop diva and that holiday song that won't go away.
Why it matters: Mariah Carey is the latest female artist to be surprisingly snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an institution that has struggled to honor women to the same extent it's honored men.
The big picture: The Rock Hall has inducted nearly 400 artists since its inception in 1986, including about 80 women as individual artists or members of female-fronted groups.
The museum will add Cyndi Lauper, Meg White (of The White Stripes), Salt-N-Pepa and Carol Kaye to that list as part of the class of 2025.
How it works: To be eligible, an artist had to release their first official recording at least 25 years before induction.
Each year, a committee of music industry bigwigs creates a ballot. Then a voting pool of more than 1,000 music historians, journalists and previous inductees selects the honorees.
💭 Troy's thought bubble: This is all, of course, subjective. However, I can't see how Carey isn't more deserving than 2025 inductees like Chubby Checker, The White Stripes or Bad Company.
One argument against Carey would come from rock purists who think the Hall should exclusively honor guitar-driven music. But that didn't stop Outkast from earning induction this year.
What's next: Carey has been eligible since 2016. History suggests she will be inducted, but will likely wait longer than her male counterparts.
By the numbers: Of the 56 acts that have been first-ballot Hall of Famers only six have included women.
Believe it or not, acts like Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Ruth Brown, The Supremes, Fleetwood Mac, Joan Jett and Janet Jackson needed multiple nominations to earn induction.