She is one of the most popular voices of the Christmas season.
And Mariah Carey lit up the stage at Madison Square Garden this Friday night as she performed one of her annual Christmas concerts in front of a crowd of adoring fans.
In a crisp white dress, the 52-year-old pop diva floated across the stage and settled into a giant snowflake.
Mimi at work: Mariah Carey lit up the stage at Madison Square Garden this Friday night as she performed one of her annual Christmas concerts in front of a crowd of adoring fans
Her concerts at Madison Square Garden, which took place on Tuesday and Friday, were filmed for a CBS special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To All! filmed.
The concert will be televised next Tuesday at 8 p.m., and fans who miss it can watch it later on Paramount+, Variety reports.
Until recently, Mariah was facing a $20 million copyright lawsuit brought by a writer named Andy Stone, who claimed her seasonal classic, All I Want For Christmas Is You, was “derived” from a song , which he wrote in 1989.
His song was also called All I Want For Christmas Is You, and although the music and lyrics are different, he felt he should have the rights to the name.
Looking fabulous: The 52-year-old pop diva, clad in a sparkling white dress, swung across the stage and perched in a giant snowflake
Repertoire: In addition to numbers from her two Christmas albums, Mariah included some tracks “I’ve never played live before,” as USA Today put it
But she can breathe a sigh of relief when the plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss his lawsuit in November, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
Mariah, who legend has it once had a concert rider who told her not to “do stairs,” is in the middle of a characteristic holiday season.
Last month The Christmas Princess came out, a children’s book she co-wrote with Michaela Angela Davis, who also worked on Mariah’s memoir.
This month brought her annual Christmas concerts first to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and then to New York’s Madison Square Garden.
To make it happen, her concerts at Madison Square Garden, which took place on Tuesday and Friday, were filmed for a CBS special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas Everyone!
Along with numbers from her two Christmas albums, Mariah added some items “I’ve never played live before,” as she offered USA Today.
She hoped to ensure the performances were “as magical as possible,” citing the affection she feels from her fans that has led her to naming her “lambs.”
“A lot of times I didn’t feel loved as a kid or even during earlier parts of my career,” she confessed. “I’ve certainly never felt unconditional love and that’s what I have with my fans: that connection. So I’m very excited.”
Devotion: She hoped to ensure the performances were “as magical as possible”, citing the affection she feels from her fans which has led her to naming her “lambs”.
In the future, she and former Precious director Lee Daniels are working on a TV movie based on her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
As for finding the right actress for her role, Mariah said, “I don’t think it’s about casting ‘the girl who sings the Mariah Carey style,’ whatever that is.”
What she wants is “a great actress with a similar look that just makes sure the acting is there. Because we have the music – they can sing along to it.”
Adoration: She said that “as a kid or even during earlier parts of my career” she “certainly never felt unconditional love and that’s what I have with my fans: that connection.”
Mariah, who shares her 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with her sizzling ex-husband Nick Cannon, has also tailored her personal life for Christmas.
“When I’m not on stage and I’m in vacation mode, there are rules I make. I don’t care who it is – the kids, if I have guests, whatever – nobody gets to play or see anything other than Christmas things,” she said.
“When I wake up in the middle of the night and go into the living room and the music isn’t playing and the lights aren’t on, I just can’t handle it.”
Ahead: Further in the future, she and her old Precious director, Lee Daniels, are working on a made-for-TV movie based on her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey