Glitter-encrusted diva Mariah Carey has been making with the announcements a lot lately. First, she revealed her struggles with bipolar disorder, then she unloaded the double whammy of a new album and a new residency in Las Vegas.
The 48-year-old diva told PEOPLE that the fan support she’s received since sharing her personal issues “was really nice,” adding, “I say things off the cuff, but sometimes you have to be serious about things. It’s life. Everybody has their own stuff. As long as I don’t have to stop being myself, it’s just who I am.”
Mariah also reveled plans for her new Las Vegas show, “The Butterfly Returns.” She insists the new show, which debuts at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on July 5, will be a departure from her last show, stating, “It’s not like one of those extravaganza [shows].” This is promising news, as Mariah doesn’t seem to be a fan of choreography, as we’ve seen in the past. She’s promising a more intimate experience, which should be interesting to achieve in the massive, 4,300-seat venue.
Mariah said she hopes to perform more “fan favorites” this time around, describing the show’s vibe as “more like ‘Here we are, we’re together. Oh, you want me to do this song tonight?’ Maybe I’ll take a request from the audience. My band are such great players and singers.” She added, “It’s something else for me to feel connected with the fans through the songs.”
Despite her wanting a more scaled-down show, don’t expect Mariah to give up her over-the-top, cleavage-showcasing costumes. Just chalk it up to her desire to be herself. As she confessed to PEOPLE, “I kind of can’t help myself.” She went on to kid that, “I don’t know when I’m understated. Maybe in my sleep, and even then it’s not understated! I know who I am and I go with what works for me.”
According to RADAR, the Vegas gig is doing wonders for Mariah’s well-being. A close friend told the website that “Mariah is determined to turn this all around and the only way that she knows how to do this is through her music and her fans.” The source added that, “Not only is she working on new music, but she has been working out non-stop in the gym and the studio because she wants to look and sound her best for this upcoming residency.”
I guess you’ve got to give Mariah credit for sticking to her guns and unapologetically maintaining her brand, like it or not. I’m curious to see how this pared-down, non-extravaganza of a show works in Las Vegas – although I don’t think her fans are going to care.
Photos: WENN.com, Getty Images
I remember her mtv live album. She didn’t tour originally. That show was so beautiful. I know her voice isn’t as strong as it once was but that direction makes so much more sense for her and her music.
If she exercise and take care of her voice that’s all she needs to do a great show.
and stop drinking champagne lol she looooves her champagne
I love her. Her early albums were classics and ‘All I want for christmas’ should get old but never does. She’s OTT but works it. she kind of just stays in her lane so i feel like she doesn’t have that many haters?
She really doesn’t have that many haters when you think about it…because…she’s ALWAYS been like this…and because she is DEVOTED to her fan base…which stays growing and they are DEVOTED to her!
Still love Mariah- Always have. Good for her. I enjoy her antics and I hope she does great with her LV residency.
I feel like people hate on Mariah a lot for her antics, but she’s someone who seems completely true to herself. Instead of being a diva behind the scenes and fake humble to the public Mariah acts the same behind the scenes and in front of the public. I think it’s her best quality. Her determination to be herself no matter what others may think. A lot of people don’t have that kind of confidence.
Her best quality is her voice. Being truly and proudly an obnoxious diva is not .
One thing is for sure: she knows music and the industry and has worked constantly that’s why the public loves her and don’t forgets about her and accepts her. She is who she is all the time. Also I have seen a video where she was in the studio preparing for a concert and she was rearranging her music and she knew exactly what she was doing. She was asking the DJ (???!!!!) change that, lower that, more of that and in that instance I realized that she was in control of her music and very professional, she wasn’t joking around . She may have lost her voice as have other singers but she hasn’t lost her knowledge of the art of music.