Foo Fighters teamed up with Taylor Momsen to revive a pair of nearly-forgotten grunge songs recorded by Mariah Carey in the 1990s at the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala.
On Friday (Jan. 30), the music industry gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center to honor Carey as MusiCares’ Person of the Year. During the annual fundraiser, the Dave Grohl–fronted rock band joined forces with the Pretty Reckless singer for one of the night’s most memorable performances, delivering electrifying renditions of two tracks from Carey’s secret grunge album, Someone’s Ugly Daughter.
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The project, which Carey discussed in her 2020 memoir The Making of Mariah Carey, was recorded in 1995 under the pseudonym Chick, with her friend Clarissa Dane handling lead vocals and Carey singing background vocals.
During the gala, Foo Fighters and Momsen powered through the heavy “Hermit” and the poppier “Love Is a Scam.” The trashing performance also marked the return of Foos guitarist Pat Smear, who had been sidelined with a broken foot when the band played a benefit weeks earlier.
Grohl and Momsen last teamed up on stage in 2022 during a Los Angeles concert celebrating the life of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. During the show, Momsen joined Grohl, Pat Smear, Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, and Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron for a haunting cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” The performance served as a tribute to both Hawkins and the late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.
Other homages to Carey at this year’s MusiCares benefit included performances by Jennifer Hudson, who opened the show with a medley of the pop star’s hits, as well as Adam Lambert, Teddy Swims, Charlie Puth, John Legend, Maggie Rogers, Laufey, Kesha and Billy Porter.
Carey, who follows past honorees such as Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Dolly Parton, called the evening “overwhelming in the best possible way.” She later looked around the room and remarked how blessed she felt to be surrounded by “so many friendly and familiar faces, people I’ve worked with, people I’ve long admired, even people I thought I’d never see again,” adding the last part with a laugh.
