NEW YORK (AP) — MusiCares, an organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance, will honor Mariah Carey as its 2026 Person of the Year.
The organization announced Tuesday that it will honor the five-time Grammy Award winning artist for providing support to many different underserved communities. Those efforts include providing relief for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic as well as founding Camp Mariah to support underserved youth and advance health, education and social welfare.
Carey will be honored at the 35th annual Person of the Year benefit gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Jan. 30, two nights before the 2025 Grammy Awards are held at the adjacent Crypto.com Arena.
The announcement arrives on heels of ““Here for It All,” her first studio album in seven years, out last month.
“I think songwriting has definitely been my outlet for what I need when I’m ever going through something,” Carey told The Associated Press in September. “Whenever I’m feeling like the need to express myself. It’s definitely songwriting.”
“Mariah Carey’s influence extends far beyond her remarkable artistry,” MusiCares executive director Theresa Wolters said in a statement. ”Her work exemplifies the values at the heart of MusiCares: creating systems of care that lift people up and ensure music professionals and communities can thrive."
Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, described Carey as “a true creative force and once-in-a-generation talent,” in a statement. "Her artistry and her voice have helped shape the sound of our times. We look forward to celebrating her remarkable career on this very special night.”
Last year, MusiCares honored the Grateful Dead as its 2025 Persons of the Year for their philanthropic efforts, their unique ability to foster community through concerts and for their impact on American music on their 60th anniversary. The year prior, Jon Bon Jovi was honored.
Mariah Carey poses for a portrait on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)
One of soccer’s historic powers has reached a once-unfathomable low.
Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup after getting beat in a penalty shootout with 10 men at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs on Tuesday.
Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th to send the game into extra time.
The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.
The latest ouster means that the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.
Italy’s World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Although the Azzurri did win the European Championship in 2021.
Italy’s last World Cup knockout match was when it won the title in 2006 by beating France in a penalty shootout.
The only other World Cup that Italy did not qualify for was in 1958.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bosnian fans celebrate after Haris Tabakovic scored his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Bosnia's Ermedin Demirovic celebrates after Bosnia's Haris Tabakovic scored his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's Francesco Pio Esposito reacts during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Turkey's players celebrate after winning the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Kosovo and Turkey in Pristina, Kosovo, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Poland's Przemyslaw Wisniewski, left, and Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres during a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Sweden and Poland in Stockholm, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Jonas Ekstromer/TT via AP)
Bosnia supporters light flares as they watch from an apartment building just outside the stadium during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Italy's Moise Kean, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Bosnia's Ermedin Demirovic celebrates after Bosnia's Haris Tabakovic scored his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso directs his team during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Referee Clement Turpin shows a red card to Italy's Alessandro Bastoni (21) during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. . (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso walks on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
From left to right, Italy's Matteo Politano, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Manuel Locatelli walk on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Bosnia's captain Edin Dzeko gestures during the training session ahead of the World Cup playoff final soccer match against Italy, at the Butmir training centre, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's Marco Palestra, right, walks on the pitch ahead of Tuesday's World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia, at the Bilino Polje stadium, in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso listens to the questions of journalists during the press conference ahead of the World Cup playoff final soccer match against Bosnia in Zenica, Bosnia, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
