On Wednesday night, Mariah Carey—the women, the myth, the legend—received the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards. To cap the whole thing off, not only did Carey perform a medley of her greatest hits, she also gave a breathtaking speech that left the audience moved. Here's the transcript of Mariah Carey's Billboards speech, because you know you wanted to read it in full:
Thank you Billboard for letting me grow up on the charts with you, and for this incredible honor. Icon? I really don’t think of myself in that way. I started making music out of a necessity to survive and to express myself and I just wanted to create something so I could feel worthy of existing. And if I’ve learned anything, anything at all in this life, it’s that truly all things are possible with God. Without getting into all the drama, all the ups and downs of my career—we’ve all seen them, we all make mistakes, there’s been a few memes—I guess I’ve always felt like an outsider, as someone who doesn’t quite belong anywhere. And I still feel like that lost interracial child who had a lot of nerve to believe that I could succeed at anything at all in this world.
But, and this is the truth, but I did believe because I had to. The truth is that I’ve dedicated my life to my music, my saving grace. And to my fans, who are unlike any other entity that I’ve ever known. They’ve lifted me from the depths of hell and brought me back with their devotion and love. I want to thank all the people who’ve been with me on this journey, through the highs and lows, through the struggles—through your struggles and mine. To anybody who doesn’t allow themselves to be broken, and keeps getting up and keep holding on and keeps standing tall and keeps on believing and keeps rising, I celebrate you tonight. And to anyone who’s ever told me that a song I wrote helped save their life, I thank you. Because you saved mine, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that. I love you. Thank you so much.
We are all Taylor Swift in this moment, am I right?
Here's the full video of Mariah's speech. Watch, enjoy, sob a little (just me?).
#IconMariah began trending during the speech, with much of Twitter raving about her performance and speech.
Ly always, Mariah.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
