R&B star Muni Long’s heartfelt tribute to Mariah Carey, followed by the elusive diva’s meme-worthy reaction at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, are undoubtedly viral.
Held March 17 in Los Angeles, the 12th annual ceremony celebrated music’s biggest names, with Muni Long taking center stage to honor Carey, this year’s Icon Award recipient. Joined by powerhouse vocalist Tori Kelly, Long delivered a soaring medley of Carey’s classics, culminating in a show-stopping rendition of the 2005 megahit “We Belong Together.”
The performance earned a standing ovation, but cameras quickly cut to Carey herself, who was spotted slowly turning her head with a poker-faced side-eye as attendees danced around her. The split-second reaction ignited social media, with fans flooding X (formerly Twitter) with memes captioned, “Mariah Carey wondering why everyone’s dancing to HER song,” and “Y’all look at Mariah’s reaction while Muni Long was singing a tribute to her. I am hollering.”
Ever the enigma, Mariah Carey played coy about the moment but leaned into her reputation for perfectionism during her Icon Award acceptance speech. “Is the lighting OK?” she quipped mid-speech, pausing to adjust her mic. “Because I don’t like bad lighting.” The crowd erupted in laughter as the “Queen of Christmas” smirked, adding, “I still get excited when I hear one of my songs playing on the radio. It never stops being magical.”
Y’all look at Mariah’s reaction while Muni Long was singing a tribute to her. I am hollering
— LeTroy Davis (@letroydavis) March 18, 2025pic.twitter.com/RRZqtNgjF1
Though Carey skipped the red carpet, she commanded attention in a floor-length black gown dripping with sequins, paired with her signature cascading curls.
Mariah during her tribute
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Muni Long. Tori Kelly pic.twitter.com/iy65AbDDcW(@bxdchxm) March 18, 2025
Meanwhile, Muni Long had her own victory to celebrate. Her sultry single “Made For Me” won R&B Song of the Year. Later, the Grammy-winning singer shared a few words about songwriters getting the respect they deserve.
“I think we need to understand where the value is. The value is in the song. If there’s no song, there’s no one to sing it, and there’s nothing to play on your platform.
“And I think we need to stop devaluing the most important thing, which is the copyright,” Muni Long continued. “I think it’s a disgrace that some people can’t afford to even get to the studio. They can’t afford gas. They can’t afford Uber. They can’t afford to eat… Something needs to change. It’s not right.”
