Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle Give Jaw-Dropping Performances at the Return of VH1’s Holiday Divas Special
Friday night King’s Theatre in New York City was home to some of the most legendary names in music for “VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night.” The Christmas special celebrated the outstanding talent of Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Vanessa Williams and Teyana Taylor.
The hour-long network special was first produced in 1998 with a Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and more headlining the televised concert. This year, after a four-year hiatus, “VH1 Divas Holiday” is returning to television.
“We brought it back by popular demand,” said Amy Doyle, the Executive Vice President and deputy general manager of VH1 and Logo, who executive produced the show. Speaking on their headlining talent Doyle added, “We knew if we brought the show back, we had to have the quintessential divas.”
Touted as the “Queen of Christmas” by presenter Ashley Graham, Carey opened the show with her chart-topping jolly classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” She was followed by LaBelle, whose dynamic voice was joined by a choir for a jaw-dropping performance of “This Christmas.” Her amazing vocal range had the audience literally screaming.
“I never liked Jingle Bells,” said LaBelle laughingly in a short video that played during the event. “But it was one of the first songs I learned.”
Williams sang her signature ballad,”Saved The Best For Last,” before Taylor put on sultry display of “Santa Baby.” Singers JoJo, Serayah and BeBe Rexha banded together to form a trio performing the upbeat holiday tune, “All Alone On Christmas,” before Khan brought the audience to its feet with her 1983 hit, “Ain’t Nobody.”
“Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan and I have known each other for years,” Williams told Variety. “It’s always great to cheer each other on for our accomplishments and to remind ourselves that we’re still alive and in the game.”
The venue shook with deafening applause once Khan was joined by fellow performers LaBelle, Taylor, JoJo, Rexha, Serayah, Remy Ma and Diana “Wynter” Gordon for the finale, which was Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”
The Christmas special was also highlighted with special appearances by La La Anthony, Jillian Hervey of Lion Babe, Gloria Reuben, singer-actor Tristan “Mack” Wilds and “The Night Of” star Afton Williamson.
“VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night” airs Dec. 5 on VH1.
Related stories
Our Staff Picks: TV Shows to Watch the Week of Nov. 28, 2016
Nina L. Diaz Named Head of Unscripted at MTV, VH1
Get more from Variety and Variety411: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
