It’s been five years since Mariah Carey released an album, but the Lambily won’t have to wait much longer — because the Grammy winner is recording new music.
“I have about 10 songs ’cause me and my writing partner just kept writing and writing,” Carey, 54, told Entertainment Tonight on Monday, November 6. “It’s been fun, because I’ve been like, ‘Oh, I guess we’re making a new album,’ you know? It just happens.”
Carey dropped her last studio album, Caution, in 2018, and last year, she collaborated with Latto on the “Big Energy” remix featuring DJ Khaled. Now she’s focusing on her upcoming Merry Christmas One and All Tour, which kicks off Wednesday, November 15, in Highland, California.
“I’m just super excited to be with the fans and just have an experience with them on the road together,” the “Queen of Christmas” continued. “It’s getting into the frosty weather soon and all that.”
Carey says the show will feature a variety of Christmas tunes as well as many of her classic hits.
“We start with the “[Dance of the] Sugar Plum Fairy” [from The Nutcracker] and go all the way through many holiday hymns and the regular holiday songs, and then some of my songs that I haven’t done in a while,” she explained.
The show will include music from Carey’s eight-times platinum Merry Christmas album, which featured her 1994 classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Carey’s 12-year old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe — whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon — will travel with her and join her on stage during the tour.
“They’re gonna be coming around the country with me and doing their thing, and I’m excited to watch them,” she added.
Earlier this month, Moroccan and Monroe joined their mother for her annual November 1 tradition of announcing the kickoff of the holiday season in spectacular style.
In a whimsical Instagram video, Carey was locked in a time vault, which opened at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday, November 1, to reveal she was frozen in a block of ice. She then emerged in a red Christmas jumpsuit and sang, “It’s time!” in a high-pitched voice.
As “All I Want for Christmas Is You” started playing, she frolicked in the falling snow and was joined by her twins, who also appeared with their mother in 2020’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special and 2021’s Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues on Apple TV+.
Carey is performing 16 shows on her Merry Christmas One and All Tour, which wraps up Sunday, December 17, in New York City. She will then celebrate the holiday in Colorado.
“I’m spending it with my kids and some friends and we’ll be in Aspen,” the “We Belong Together” singer shared. Carey enjoys spoiling her kids for Christmas and knows each year she has to spend more to satisfy their wish list.
“Everything is somehow technology driven, so it’s not necessarily cheap,” Carey told Entertainment Tonight. “Not that I want it to be cheap, but like, you know, I like them to have a lot of presents to open and everything else, but then they don’t care about the other ones. They live for the ones that are a little more on the expensive side.”
Carey also said she is expecting a very special guest to help her distribute the gifts.
“Santa’s coming over as well. You think I’m lying, but it’s true,” she said. “That is my homie, and so he’s gonna be coming over.”
