My first-ever cassette tape was Visions of Love and I’ve been a big Mariah Carey fan ever since. I was really excited when she announced that her first album since 2018’s Caution is coming out next month. Here For It All drops on September 26. So far, two singles have been released from the album: “Type Dangerous” and “Sugar Sweet feat. Shenseea & Kehlani.”
Mariah is currently doing a world tour. She’s in the UK and will soon head to Brazil, Las Vegas, Thailand, and Japan. Harper’s Bazaar sat down with Mariah the morning after her performance at Wembley Stadium for the Capital Summertime Ball. They really got into the weeds, but Mariah kept it as real as always. She talked about her staying power, new music and aging.
The staying power of her song Hero: “It’s funny – someone just showed me a clip of me doing that song back in the early Nineties, and there was a little girl in the audience I hugged. And then last night, I gave a stuffed toy to another child who was watching. It’s amazing, really, to think of these two girls from different times, both about five years old and both hearing my music.”
Her new music: Type Dangerous … is a synth-driven, R&B-heavy record with a catchy chorus and playful lyrics referencing various categories of unsuitable man (Mr Player, Mr Racer, Mr Dealer and so on). “We wanted to have a laugh – it’s tongue-in-cheek,” she says, adding quickly: “It’s not like I based the characters on anybody…” At the other end of the musical spectrum, she had joined forces with two other powerhouse singers, Barbra Streisand and Ariana Grande, to record the stirring feminist anthem One Heart, One Voice for Streisand’s latest album. As for her own, fans can expect “an eclectic mix” of styles and songs, from fast-paced and mid-tempo to ballads that sound “sad yet triumphant”.
It’s easier to get famous now: While it’s still a highly competitive industry, Carey thinks that aspiring musicians today have an easier shot at making their dreams come true. “Now, people can buy a microphone and light themselves and film themselves. Anyone can be their own celebrity by just going viral.” Back then, by contrast, “if you wanted people to hear your music, you had to get a record deal.”
Her favorite diva: Indeed, Carey – a five-time Grammy winner who has sold more than 220 million records worldwide and has 19 number-one hits to her name (second only to the Beatles) – is unlikely to be dethroned any time soon. She has embraced, and reclaimed, the term ‘diva’ so wholeheartedly that, when I ask her which female divas she admires, she responds decisively: “I’m going to have to go with me!”
The new artists she likes: Later, she reveals that she enjoys the songs of Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo – but only because she likes to keep up with what’s on her teenage daughter’s playlist. Other than music, her children are, she says, the major loves of her life.
Her persona is her ‘job’: The degree to which she cleaves to her persona – the holiday spirit, the diva mentality, the head-to-toe designer gear – is impressive, but doesn’t it ever get exhausting? “It’s part of my job,” she retorts. “What’s the point of a disguise? Just get up, get dressed, go out. If I don’t want to be seen, I’ll stay home.”
About aging: “I don’t allow it – it just doesn’t happen. I don’t know time. I don’t know numbers. I do not acknowledge time – I have a new song that starts with that line…”
”I don’t allow [aging] – it just doesn’t happen. I don’t know time.” I pictured Mariah saying that last part in the same, ”I don’t know her” voice that she used when talking about Jennifer Lopez back in the day. I believe her, too. This isn’t the first time that Mariah has been vocal about her refusal to acknowledge aging. She is committed to it, and her mindset has won me over. Age ain’t nothing but a number. Yeah, it’s coming for all of us, but what if we all lived like Mariah? At the very least, we’re anxiety-free.
I love that Mariah is unabashedly a diva, and she’s kept this persona up for 30 plus years now. Of course she’d play it safe and name herself as her favorite diva. It’s so on brand. You know what they say: Often imitated, but never duplicated. It works because she has the talent to back it up. I like that she considers being a diva to be her “job.” It’s also nice to see her give shoutouts to younger female artists. J.Lo aside, Mariah has always been good at giving credit and collaborating with other artists. On that note, I’m looking forward to her new album. When Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy last year, she gave Mariah her flowers (pun intended). I would LOVE to see a Mariah/Miley duet on Here For It All.
photos credit: Avalon, Mattpapz/Backgrid
When I turned 24 (years ago) I stopped counting. My cakes would say happy 24 (I was born on the 24th of December) . I would be asked how old I was and got it wrong a few times because I didn’t count anymore. Now I know exactly how old I am and I just don’t give a crap anymore. I wish her luck with aging not happening.
I love her spirit. She’s always been this person who is confident and comfortable in her divadom. She’s a gorgeous woman and has aged well, but her youthfulness that is most attractive about her. On a more shallow note, I will say that the black and white cover of her on Harper’s Bazaar is stunning. I know that Alexi photographed her for HB and I will say he deserves an award or accolade for the amazing work he does.
Aw, I’m a Mariah fan forever. I can agree that it’s easier to get famous but it can also be harder to make actual money from music alone.
I will never forget watching Mariah Carey on Arsenio – she sang Vision of Love – and blew everyone away.
She knows Jlow’s deal and Mariah’s disdain is warranted.