How Grammys Execs Used a Golf Cart to Rescue Mariah Carey From Traffic

Nothing was going to keep this butterfly down—not even the rain.

After all, Mariah Carey made a grand appearance on the 2024 Grammys stage to present the first award of the night. However, heavy storms in Los Angeles nearly kept the 54-year-old from the Feb. 4 ceremony at Crypto.com Arena.

"It was about 4:45, we're going live in 15 minutes," executive producer Ben Winston explained on the Feb. 6 episode of Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, "and Patrick Menton, the co-EP who oversees talent, says, 'We're not sure SZA is going to make it back in time for her performance - she went to a hotel to get glammed and she can't get back in. Burna Boy was stuck in traffic, might not make it. And you definitely won't have Mariah, Kacey [Musgraves], Christina Aguilera, and Lizzo. All stuck in traffic.'"

With time running out, the Grammys producers took drastic measures to make sure Mariah made it on time: they grabbed a golf cart to pick her up from her SUV that was stuck in traffic.

Ben explained they even had, "four people running around the side with umbrellas, to make sure she didn't get so wet that she couldn't go on stage."

"We literally drove a golf cart the wrong way up the freeway," he added. "And brought her back so she made it on time."

In the end, the "Always Be My Baby" singer made it in time to present the award for Best Pop Solo Performance to Miley Cyrus, who, while accepting the award, said she nearly missed out on the ceremony.

"I just got stuck in the rain and traffic," she revealed. "And thought I was gonna miss this moment."

"I could have missed the award, that's fine," Miley joked. "But not Mariah Carey."

And they weren't the only celebs to struggle to make it on time. Some didn't make an appearance until after the show had started. For instance, Meryl Streep, who was presenting Record of the Year with son-in-law Mark Ronson arrived during host Trevor Noah's monologue. Meanwhile, Kelsea Ballerini kept fans up to date as she missed the red carpet altogether due to traffic.

"It's pouring outside," she said in a Feb. 4 Instagram story. "Traffic is in gridlock. We're not going to make the red carpet. Maybe we'll make the show? Hopefully by the award."

"What are you going to do? You're just gonna vibe," the singer continued. "We're just vibing."

Keep reading for more winners from the 2024 Grammy Awards.

World Music Radio - Jon Batiste
The Record - boygenius
Endless Summer Vacation - Miley Cyrus
Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Rey
The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monáe
Guts - Olivia Rodrigo
WINNER: Midnights- Taylor Swift
SOS- SZA

"Worship"– Jon Batiste"
"Not Strong Enough"– boygenius
WINNER: "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus
"What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish
"On My Mama" – Victoria Monét
"Vampire"– Olivia Rodrigo
"Anti-Hero" – Taylor Swift"Kill Bill" – SZA

Gracie Abrams
Fred again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Coco Jones
Noah Kahan
WINNER: Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Lana Del Rey – "A&W"
Taylor Swift – "Anti-Hero"
Jon Batiste – "Butterfly"
Dua Lipa – "Dance the Night"
Miley Cyrus – "Flowers"
SZA – "Kill Bill"
Olivia Rodrigo – "Vampire"
WINNER: Billie Eilish – "What Was I Made For

"Thousand Miles" - Miley Cyrus featuring Brandi Carlile
"Candy Necklace" - Lana Del Rey featuring Jon Baptiste
"Never Felt So Alone" – Labrinth featuring Billie Eilish
"Karma" – Taylor Swift featuring Ice Spice
WINNER: "Ghost in the Machine" – SZA featuring Phoebe Bridgers

Kelly Clarkson – Chemistry
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Ed Sheeran – (Subtract)
WINNER: Taylor Swift – Midnights

WINNER: The Beatles – "I'm Only Sleeping" 
Tyler Childers – "In Your Love"
Billie Eilish – "What Was I Made For?" 
Kendrick Lamar – "Count Me Out"
Troye Sivan – "Rush"

Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
WINNER: Killer Mike – Michael
Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains
Nas – King's Disease III
Travis Scott – Utopia

Doja Cat – "Attention"
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice ft. Aqua – "Barbie World"
Lil Uzi Vert – "Just Wanna Rock"
Drake & 21 Savage – "Rich Flex"
WINNER: Killer Mike ft. André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane – "Scientists & Engineers"

Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice featuring Aqua – "Barbie World"
Dua Lipa – "Dance the Night"
Ryan Gosling – "I'm Just Ken"
Rihanna – "Lift Me Up"
WINNER: Billie Eilish – "What Was I Made For?"

Pablo Alborán – La Cuarta Hoja
AleMor – Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1
Paula Arenas – A Ciegas
Pedro Capó – La Neta
Maluma – Don Juan
WINNER: Gaby Moreno – X Mí (Vol. 1)

Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
Metallica – 72 Seasons
WINNER: Paramore – This Is Why
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

WINNER: Boygenius – "Not Strong Enough"
Foo Fighters – "Rescued"
Olivia Rodrigo – "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl"
Queens of the Stone Age – "Emotion Sickness"
The Rolling Stones – "Angry"

Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne
Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan
Tyler Childers – Rustin' In the Rain
WINNER: Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country

Brandy Clark & Jessie Jo Dillon, songwriters, Brandy Clark – "Buried"
WINNER: Chris Stapleton & Dan Wilson, songwriters, Chris Stapleton – "White Horse"
John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin & Ryan Vojtesak, songwriters, Morgan Wallen – "Last Night"
Tyler Childers & Geno Seale, songwriters, Tyler Childers – "In Your Love"
Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters, Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves – "I Remember Everything"

Babyface – Girls Night Out
Coco Jones – What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe)
Emily King – Special Occasion
WINNER: Victoria Monét – Jaguar II
Summer Walker – Clear 2: Soft Life EP

Coco Jones – "ICU"
Halle – "Angel"
Robert Glasper ft. SiR & Alex Isley – "Back to Love"
WINNER: SZA – "Snooze"
Victoria Monét – "On My Mama"