Here for Her Still: Why Mariah Carey Deserves Our Honor, Not Our Judgment

Let’s get one thing straight: Mariah Carey is still that woman. Not just the chart-topping, high-note-hitting icon of the '90s, but a living, breathing artist who’s survived decades of industry chaos, personal storms, and shifting cultural tides. And through it all, she’s held on to the two things that shaped her sound from day one: her faith and her freedom.

So why are we still treating her like she has something left to prove?

I remember unwrapping Daydream on my 7th birthday like it was yesterday. That album didn’t just introduce me to Mariah—it introduced me to the idea that pop music could be spiritual, glamorous, powerful, and deeply personal all at once. For so many of us, especially Black queer kids, Mariah wasn’t just a voice. She was refuge.

Fast forward to 2025, and she’s given us Here for It All, a new album that blends gospel, R&B, and quiet strength with her signature whisper-belts and lyrical honesty. She collaborates with the Clark Sisters, Kehlani, Anderson .Paak, and Shenseea, but make no mistake—this album is hers. It opens with the meditative intro "Mi," closes with the soulful title track, and centers its spiritual core on "Jesus I Do" — a soaring declaration of faith recorded in-studio with the legendary Clark Sisters.

And yet... the critiques have come.

Some of them from fans who feel this isn’t "peak Mariah." But let’s ask ourselves: What does that even mean anymore? Do we want her to compete with her 1995 self forever? Are we stuck in nostalgia while she’s choosing growth?

Mariah’s artistry has never been about trends. It's been about truth. And one truth that too often gets lost is this: Mariah Carey has never hidden her faith. Even as pop music became more secular, and religion became a wedge in culture wars, Mariah kept singing about God, about love, about redemption. Not in a preachy way—in a Mariah way. Real. Vulnerable. Unshakeably hers.

That honesty created a bridge between her spiritual foundation and her LGBTQ+ fanbase. It told us we didn’t have to choose between the divine and ourselves. That maybe God lived in glitter and gospel, in heartbreak and healing.

That’s why, here at Icon City News, we’re honoring Here for It All by adding three standout tracks to our ICN Music Playlist:

• "Jesus I Do" (feat. The Clark Sisters) — an instant gospel anthem full of soul and sincerity.

• "Mi" — the quiet, contemplative intro that might be the album's sleeper classic.

• "Here for It All" — a reflective closer that reads like a mission statement for Mariah in her full power.

This album might not break the internet. It might not dominate the charts like Butterfly or The Emancipation of Mimi. But it doesn’t need to. It stands as a reminder: of who she is, what she’s come through, and what she still has to say.

So if this album doesn’t hit like your favorite Mariah record? That’s cool. Go stream the one that does. But don’t use your nostalgia as a weapon. Don’t shame a legend for aging, evolving, or daring to center joy over spectacle.

Mariah Carey deserves our flowers while she can still smell them. She deserves our protection while she’s still walking among us. She deserves our honor, not our judgment.

She’s still here. And she’s here for it all.