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Mariah Carey recently spoke about her viral reaction to Muni Long's performance of one of her tracks, We Belong Together. Carey appeared not to have enjoyed Long's performance, with clips of her reaction going viral online.
In an interview with GQ dated September 23, Mariah Carey clarified her reaction to Muni Long's performance of her song, We Belong Together. Long sang the song at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March this year, with Carey present in the audience. The latter also received the Icon award that night.
During the performance, Carey appeared to be giving Long a side-eye, which many interpreted as the singer not liking the performance. She said:
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"I didn't even hear the cover. I didn't know it happened. No one told me. I love Muni Long! I just didn't know that she had done We Belong Together [as a cover] ‘cause her song was so similar to We Belong Together. I had no idea that she did “We Belong Together."
She added that she is appreciative of Muni Long:
"Well, I'm very honored and flattered that she did it. I love Muni Long, she's a great person, umm, but I just don't like people doing my songs. [Laughs]"
Days after Mariah Carey's reaction to Muni Long's performance went viral, Long claimed that it was Carey who asked her to sing the cover. Released in 2005, We Belong Together marked a musical comeback for Carey after a comparatively unsuccessful period. It was a massive hit, marking the singer's 16th number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.
When Muni Long claimed Mariah Carey asked her to perform her track We Belong Together
Two days after Mariah Carey's side-eye reaction to her performance went viral, Muni Long addressed the controversy through The Shade Room. Long said that Carey herself had asked her to perform the song.
"The people that's got a lot to say, you don't understand how this paying homage and having respect for people. She asked me to do it. You thought I chose to get on TV and sing a Mariah Carey song? You thought that was my choice? Why would I do that? Nobody can sing Mariah's songs like Mariah. Nobody," Long said.
The singer also mentioned that Carey liked her performance and told her the same after the event, claiming she has "footage" of Carey praising her.
"She told me I did a great job, she appreciated it. And that's it. Once again, if she pushed me down the stairs, if she told me she hated it, I would say thank you. That's what I would say."
Mariah Carey also did remixes for Muni Long and Ariana Grande in recent years, both of whom call themselves big admirers of the singer. She featured in a remix version of Long's track, Made for Me, in 2023. She also lent her voice to a version of Ariana Grande's Yes, And? last year.
"Well, when they're already a hit it's kind of difficult to add my thing to it, but I do the best I can. When Muni had her song and I added my verse, I was into it. I really liked it. I remember exactly where I was when I was writing it, I loved it. And Ariana, when she did the “Yes, And?” [remix] and then she opened it up and said, ‘Do you want to be a part of it?’ I loved that, I really did. Because it's the dance music that I enjoy a lot," Carey said.
As of now, Mariah Carey is gearing up for the release of her upcoming album, Here for It All. It is set to release on September 26, 2025.
