She said: "I was aware so early on is that it became a subject of humiliation for me, as a child."
Carey - who was born to a Black father and a white mother - opened up in her memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey", about an incident when a group of girls locked her in a bedroom and racially abused her.
She wrote: "The venom and hate with which these girls spewed this ... chant was so strong, it quite literally lifted me out of my body.
"I was disorientated and terrified and I thought that maybe, if I held on and just kept crying, surely a grown-up would come and stop the assault. But no-one came."
Carey has recently been sharing her experiences of racism with her daughter, Monroe.
The singer - who was married to Nick from 2008 until 2016 - told "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen": "I let her hear that. And it was really sweet, she goes, 'Mommy, those girls, they feel so bad now. I bet they wish they could be your friend.'"
