Famous for her Grammy Award-winning multi-octave vocal range and gargantuan entourage, Mariah Carey is Queen of pop royalty. In our exclusive interview she reveals why this Christmas will be so very special...Mariah Carey is talking Christmas. "It's my favourite season!" she beams happily, flashing her radiant smile around the lobby of a stunning hotel deep in the fashionable SoHo district of New York. "Seriously, you're talking to Little Miss Christmas here. What I love to do is to bring everyone - friends, family, extended family, everyone - to my house in Aspen, where we hire Santa Claus to come round with real reindeer that look like they're going to fly off into the snow at any moment. It's totally over the top and beyond festive, and I just love it. When I was a kid, I'd spend the whole of winter thinking 'I really hope it snows,' because without snow, Christmas just doesn't feel right to me."
Not so surprising then that Mariah has taken inspiration for her brand new album of festive songs, Merry Christmas II You, from classics such as White Christmas. Yet her genuine enthusiasm is infectious, her eyes lighting up as she talks about how and why she's put this special album together. "After the success of All I Want For Christmas Is You back in 1994, I wanted to give this new album a timeless quality. To give it a retro feel with a modern twist. I've included traditional Christmas songs like The First Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful, but written new songs too. Oh Santa has a very 60s retro vibe going on, while Christmas Time Is In the Air has a cosy 50s feel."
The image Mariah paints is one of warmth, happiness and families. It's true to say that the 40-year-old singer, songwriter and record producer now has children firmly on her mind after the rumours were finally confirmed that she and her husband of two years - actor, multi-millionaire TV host and CEO of Teen Nickelodeon network, Nick Cannon - are expecting their first child. Both were said to be "emotional" at the announcement, but refused to be drawn on the due date, "I'm superstitious," declared Mariah, after revealing she had suffered an earlier miscarriage. Nick has said he thinks Mariah will take to motherhood like a duck to water. "She's very nurturing," he told an American magazine recently. "She's nurturing with me and makes me breakfast at any time - that's my favourite meal. It will be, like, three o'clock in the morning and she'll make me some waffles. She'll be the best Mom."
Hold on a minute - is this Mariah Carey he's talking about? The same legendary diva who famously barely sets foot outside the house without her team of bodyguards, stylists, and publicists; who is rumoured to travel with pairs of shoes into triple digits, all with sky-high heels; who allegedly once arrived 90 minutes late to an awards show because she had, um, broken a fingernail?
"Ohhhh," she laughs, and shakes her head, sending her famous mane of butterscotch coloured hair flying around her caramel toned face. "I don't even know what a diva means these days - it seems everybody's a diva! You can be a diva of anything - even cupcakes! Hey, maybe that's what I am - the Diva of Cupcakes!"
Do not for one second be fooled by the exterior of Mariah - the jokes, extravagant behaviour, impeccable make-up, the glamorous clothes and jewellery. Beneath all the fluff lies a steely - and highly intelligent - businesswoman. She is one of the world's best-selling musicians - of either sex - with sales of more than 200 million albums, CDs and videos. She has had more number one hits in America than any single artiste, living or dead. She keeps a beady eye on the financial side of things too - she was one of the first to use Twitter and Facebook for publicity purposes, and about a year ago she more or less reinvented the business face of modern music single-handedly by cutting deals with food and drink companies and retail shops. She is famous all over the world and is worth, probably, millions. How does she do it all?
Source:Candis