Credit: Wikimedia

Mariah Carey has seemingly confirmed rumours about her dating Anderson Paak. The two artists attended the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards together on March 17th, where Carey accepted The Icon Award.

After being introduced as an “influential singer, songwriter, artist and producer who also happens to be the best-selling female recording artist of all time,” Carey walked onto the stage for her speech as Paak helped her walk up the steps. The pair were also sat next to each other in the audience.

Carey and Paak have been fueling dating rumours for months. In addition to working on new music together, they were spotted holding hands in Aspen, Colorado, in December before grabbing dinner at the Duemani restaurant.

While DJing at the Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment Indie Directors & Creators Lounge in Park City, Utah, in January, Paak played Carey’s hit song ‘Shake It Off’ for the crowd.

At the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Carey went viral for a diva moment on stage, telling the production crew, “Is the lighting OK? ‘Cause I don’t like bad lighting.” During her speech, Carey revealed her excitement about hearing herself on the radio to this day.

“As a kid I used to listen to my favourite artists on the radio and dream of being on the airwaves myself,” she said. “Now, for those of you who may not know what airwaves are, think of it as the non-WiFi version of streaming. Even now I still get excited when I hear one of my songs playing on the radio. It never stops being magical.”

Carey thanked John Sykes, the president of iHeartMedia entertainment enterprises, who was also her first manager. LL Cool J introduced Carey onto the stage with a glowing introduction, recognising her talent and achievements.

“Mariah and I are both from New York City and from the start, it was clear she was gonna rule the airwaves like the queen she is,” he said. “Year after year, decade after decade, Mariah has continued to share her stunning voice, her songwriting and her deeply personal story with millions of fans everywhere.

He continued, “Along the way, Mariah has broken virtually every chart record around the globe, including the record for a solo artist with 19 number-one hits. This is the extraordinary story, a successful story, of a hero, a fantasy, a butterfly, a vision of love who always has us feeling emotions. One of the greatest singers, songwriters of all time, the 2025 iHeartRadio Icon, Mariah Carey.”