Oct. 9 (UPI) --Mariah Carey says her experience with racism has been a "lifelong battle and struggle."
The 50-year-old singer discussed her biracial heritage and how she's encountered racism since she was a child during Thursday's episode of Watch What Happens Live.
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Carey also shares her experience in her new memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, released in September. On WWHL, Carey said racism has been a struggle for her since she first became aware of race.
"The only reason I was aware so early on is because it became a subject of humiliation for me as a child," she said. "In the book, in the chapter 'Coloring Outside the Lines,' when I drew a picture of my family ... and basically got traumatized by the student teachers who thought I had used the wrong crayon because I drew my father with a brown crayon."
Carey also recalled her childhood friend's reaction to meeting her dad, who is Black, for the first time.
"I brought my friend Becky to my dad's house with me, and her parents didn't know I was Black. They didn't know she was going to go to a Black man's house; they had only met my mother," she said. "The girl burst into tears because she was so freaked out."
Carey said such experiences had a huge impact on her as a child.
"It just changes your perspective on things, and it twists it," she said. "I really feel like it's been a lifelong battle and struggle."
Carey also discussed her past relationship with retired baseball star Derek Jeter. She said their shared biracial heritage was "the main thing" that drew her to the former New York Yankees player.
"I talk about it in the book, because what it is, is that just knowing there was somebody else out there that was like me. Because I did feel so ambiguous and like such an outsider, and yet, I was living my dream. But I didn't feel really connected to anybody," the singer said.
"He became a catalyst for me, because all my life when I was little girl, I was like, 'One day maybe I'll meet somebody that's similar to me that won't ... look down upon me because they feel superior to me because I'm not one way or another enough for them," she added.
Moments from Mariah Carey's career
Mariah Carey won Top Pop Artist at the Billboard Music Awards on December 3, 1991. Earlier that year, her album self-titled album topped the Billboard charts. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs in an outdoor concert on "Today" in New York City on November 1, 1999. In 2001, the singer was hospitalized for physical and mental breakdown, then the star revealed her struggle with bipolar disorder in 2018. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
Carey arrives at Capitale in New York City for her "Charmbracelet" CD release party on December 12, 2002. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
Carey shows off her butterfly tattoo before proceeding with emcee duties at the UJA-Federation of New York's Music Visionary of the Year Awards ceremonies in New York City on June 18, 2003. Later that month, she decided she would downscale her concerts to give fans an intimate experience. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
Carey poses at a Best Buy while promoting her album "The Emancipation of Mimi," in New York on April 12, 2005. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard Top 200 chart. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs at the World Music Awards in Los Angeles on August 31, 2005. She also received the Diamond Award from the event, for artists who have sold over 100 million albums. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo
Carey won for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Female R&B Performance for "We Belong Together" and Best R&B Song at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 8, 2006. Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs in concert on the opening night of the "Adventures of Mimi" tour in Miami on August 5, 2006. Earlier that year, she began the process of releasing a fragrance. Photo by Michael Bush/UPI | License Photo
Carey poses from the top of the Empire State Building after taking part in a ceremonial lighting ceremony to promote her chart topping album, "E=MC2," on April 25, 2008. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
Left to right, cast members Robert DeNiro, Grace Hightower, Carey, Lee Daniels and Ben Kingsley arrive for the premiere of "Tennessee" at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 26, 2008. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI | License Photo
Carey holds a special recognition award as she appears backstage with her husband Nick Cannon at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on November 23, 2008. The couple married earlier in the year. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball honoring President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009. Pool Photo by Chip Somodevilla/UPI | License Photo
Carey arrives on the red carpet for the screening of "Precious" at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 15, 2009. She released her 12th studio album later that summer. Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo
Carey (L) and Trey Lorenz perform during the memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles on July 7, 2009. Pool Photo by Mark J. Terrill/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs on "Today" at Rockafeller Center in New York City on October 2, 2009. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on January 21, 2010. Earlier that month, she took home the People's Choice Award for favorite R&B artist. Photo by Michael Bush/UPI | License Photo
Carey (L) and Cannon kiss at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 7, 2010. In early 2011, the couple confirmed she was pregnant with twins. The twins were named Moroccan and Monroe. Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo
Carey participates in a tribute to Whitney Houston during the BET Awards in Los Angeles on July 1, 2012. Later that year, Carey would join "American Idol" as a judge for the 12th season. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs on "Good Morning America" at the Rumsey Playfield/SummerStage in Central Park in New York City on May 24, 2013. Later that month, she confirmed her exit from "American Idol" revealing later she "hated" the job. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Cast member Carey arrives on the red carpet premiere of Lee Daniels' "The Butler" in New York City on August 5, 2013. Photo by Dennis Van Tine/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs during the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the Ellipse south of the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2013. Pool Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo
Carey holds a replica plaque as her son Moroccan Cannon cuddles up during an unveiling ceremony honoring her with the 2,556th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on August 5, 2015. The pop star and husband Nick Cannon divorced earlier that year. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey arrives on the carpet the NBCUNIVERSAL Upfront at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 16, 2016. Later that year, she appeared in the third season of "Empire." Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs at the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration in New York City on December 31, 2016. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Carey and Cannon arrive with their twin children Moroccan (L) and Monroe at the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 11, 2017. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey participates in a hand and footprint ceremony immortalizing her in the forecourt of TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on November 1, 2017. The previous November, she performed in the "VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night" concert. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey performs in Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York City on December 31, 2017. The singer wanted a "do-over" from the year before that didn't go as planned. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Nick Cannon and Carey arrive in matching outfits with their children Moroccan Scott Cannon (in orange) and Monroe Cannon (black jacket) at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Inglewood, Calif., on March 24, 2018. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey performed at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on October 9, 2018. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Carey received the Icon Award during the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 1, 2019. She shared a new video for the 25th anniversary of her iconic song "All I Want for Christmas is You" in November. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo