Mariah Carey Is Determined to Have a Merry Christmas in 2023: ‘Last Year Wasn’t the Greatest’

Hannah Dailey
·2 min read
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Even the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmaas has a subpar holiday season every once in a while. But in 2023, Mariah Carey is determined for that not to be the case.

“Years? What are years? I’m unfamiliar with them,” the 54-year-old vocalist joked in her Monday (Dec. 4) digital cover story with People, adding that she prefers to live “Christmastime to Christmastime.”

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“I’ve been looking forward to this Christmas for, like, the whole year,” she continued. “Since last year —because last year wasn’t the greatest. I’m thankful for them all, but it wasn’t my most fun version of Christmas ever.”

To make up for last year’s apparent dud, Carey has embarked on a 14-city “Merry Christmas One and All” tour, ending Dec. 17 with a finale show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The five-time Grammy winner is famous for dominating the Christmas music market from year to year, mostly thanks to her evergreen hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You”; the 1994 hit ranks at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Dec. 2 and has spent a collective 12 weeks at No. 1 over the years.

“I’ve been working day and night on this one,” Carey told the publication of her tour. “I’ll be doing songs I’ve never done before, some duets. I’ve got to keep some surprises.”

Her 12-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe, whom she shares with Nick Cannon, are coming on the road with her as featured performers. “Roc,” as Carey calls him, raps during “Here Comes Santa Claus,” while “Roe” duets with her mom on “Jesus Born on This Day.”

In between details about her favorite X-mas decorations, the “Obsessed” singer also opened up to the publication about not shying away from the “diva label. “I still define the word ‘diva’ the way it is in the dictionary,” she said. “It’s a successful singer, usually a soprano, typically in the opera field.”

“So many people that I know that are called ‘divas’ all the time, don’t take offense to it,” she added. “If someone’s like, ‘The diva, so-and-so.’ Who cares? Why is it a big deal? Just take it and be on your merry way.”

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