IDOL Judge Mariah Carey to Be Honored as 'BMI Icon'

Mariah Carey will be honored as a BMI Icon at the BMI Urban Awards, scheduled for Friday, September 7 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The star-studded event draws the entire entertainment community together to celebrate the songwriters, producers and publishers of the most-performed urban songs of the previous year.

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As the 2012 honoree, Mariah Carey will join ranks that include The Jacksons, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Al Green, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, to name a few.

Mariah Carey is one of the most prolifically successful songwriters of the last several decades in any genre of music. With her distinct five-octave vocal range and the finesse with which she scaled it, Carey defined the modern pop performance, delivering the songs she wrote with awe-inspiring grace and power.

Beginning with her career-launching eponymous debut album in 1990, Carey has co-written all of the songs that made her a superstar (with the exception of her stellar version of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and Harry Nilsson's "Without You"), including 30 BMI Urban and Pop Award-winning hits such as “Always Be My Baby,” “Hero,” “Fantasy,” “Vision of Love,” “Emotions,” “Shake It Off,” “We Belong Together,” “One Sweet Day,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Dreamlover” and the timeless holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas is You.”