AppleTV+ Releases First Trailer for “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special”

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is bringing the Magic this holiday season…

AppleTV+ has release the trailer and key art for the half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, which will start streaming on December 4.

The show will feature Carey, the unofficial Queen of Christmas, with Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris, as well as Carey’s 9-year-old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe.

The special finds the world faced with a holiday cheer crisis, which the North Pole knows only one person can solve: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey. Combining musical performances, dancing and animation, the show finds Carey saving the day.

The soundtrack single and new music video for “Oh Santa!,” co-written by and featuring Carey performing with Grande and Hudson, will be distributed by Sony Music and released on Apple Music and other streaming platforms December 4.

The companion soundtrack to the special will include Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri as additional musical guests, in addition to a new version of “Sleigh Ride.” The soundtrack will be available exclusively on Apple Music on December 4, and all other platforms December 11.

The Apple TV+ subscription service is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com.

Carey is the bestselling female artist of all time, with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles (18 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. She recently published her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Mariah Carey’s New Holiday Program “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” to Premiere on AppleTV+ in Early December

Posted on November 19, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey will be celebrating Christmas in a special way this year.

AppleTV+ has revealed the premiere date, special guests and musical appearances for the 51-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning songstress and unofficial Queen of Christmas’ holiday special.

Hitting the Apple streaming platform on Friday, December 4, Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special will spread holiday cheer with an all-star lineup of guests including Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris.

While the special touts an impressive list of pop culture figures, the holiday show wouldn’t be complete with equally impressive musical guests.

Set to join the singer are also Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, who will perform alongside Carey for their holiday number “Oh Santa!” The song and music video will be distributed by Sony Music and released on Apple Music and other streaming platforms on the special’s premiere date. Carey had previously teased the special collaboration on social media, sharing a shot of three directors chairs with her, Grande and Hudson’s initials printed on them.

Accompanying the AppleTV+ holiday special will be the Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special soundtrack full of new versions of holiday classics. Snoop Dogg, Jermain Dupri will also appear on the soundtrack available exclusively on Apple Music on December 4, and all other platforms on December 11.

Following the premiere of Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, AppleTV+ will release an exclusive interview between Zane Lowe and Carey. In the conversation, Carey will share her favorite holiday songs, talk new music and her memoire and more.

Hamish Hamilton and Roman Coppola direct, and also serve as executive producers for the Caroline Fox-written special.

Mariah Carey to Be Honored as Part of Genius’ Next “Genius Level”

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is a genius…

The 48-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer will be honored in Genius‘ next installment of Genius Level, its conversation-based series that highlights artists, songwriters, and executives who’ve shaped today’s music industry.

The event will feature Carey discussing her extensive career with Rob Markman, veteran music journalist and Genius’s Head of Artist Relations.

“People know Mariah Carey is a voice for the ages, but not as many people realize she’s also one of our greatest songwriters. Her work behind the scenes and on stage set a new bar for solo artists, and her collaborations with everyone from Walter Afanasieff to Jermaine Dupri broke new ground in music,” said Elizabeth Milch, Genius’s director of content of the recent Songwriters Hall of Fame nominee. “Mariah is responsible for lyrics, melodies, and arrangements that we love to sing… albeit not always in five octaves. She’s the pinnacle of a genius-level artist and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate her artistic impact.”

Genius Level, inspired by the song encyclopedia’s collection of in-depth discussions with today’s top artists, has hosted a number of icons including Grammy award-winning artist and songwriter The-Dream, producer DJ Premier, and Nicki Minaj.

The event will take place in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 14 in front of a live studio audience of Carey’s biggest fans. A social media contest to win tickets to the show will take place at noon EST on Nov 12. If you can’t see the conversation in person, it premieres on Genius on November 16, the same day as release of the singer’s 15th studio album, Caution.

Carey Releases New Single “I Don’t,” Featuring YG

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is singing through the pain…

The 47-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer has released the emotional ballad “I Don’t,” her new collaboration with rapper YG.

In the video, which is about her breakup from ex-fiancé James Packer, the Grammy-winning star dons bridal lingerie while seductively singing in the back of a car with YG. After changing into an equally sexy red cutout gown, Carey flings a wedding dress over a fire pit and watches it burn.

Carey briefly discussed the track during a recent Facebook Live session, noting that she and YG worked on it with Jermaine Dupri.

The song was teased on the January 29 season finale of Carey’s reality series Mariah’s World.

“But I’m tired of cryin, no more tears/Pity party of the year/Cold at night cause you’re not here/Leaving you was my worst fear,” Carey sings.

Carey said during her Facebook Live stream that she’s keen to do more single releases like “I Don’t”, rather than release a full album.

Her 14th and most recent LP was Me. I Am Mariah…the Elusive Chanteuse, which dropped in 2014 and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Carey Hires New PR Representation & Management Team

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey has new representation…

A day after the 45-year-old half Venezuelan singer and her longtime publicist Cindi Berger parted ways, Carey announced her new PR and management team.

Chris Chambers of the Chambers Group, who’s worked with Lil Wayne, Drake and many other artists over his long career, will her as her PR agent. Her fifth set of managers since 2013: TV producers Brian Sher and Stella Bulochnikov.

Carey’s new managers have worked together on several projects, most recently E!’s Christian Milian Turned Up and VH1’s T.I.’s Family Hustle and Tiny & Shekinah’s Weave Trip. Sher, who has worked as T.I.’s agent since 2004 and his co-manager since 2009, has been credited with helping to rebrand the rapper’s image via the television shows.

Sher began his career as a production assistant before beginning his career in ICM’s mailroom. He rose to the role of agent in 2000 and left in 2008 to form Category 5 Entertainment, where he begin working with T.I., Michael Vick (executive producing The Michael Vick Project for BET) and partnered with Kelsey Grammer in Grammnet NH.

Bulochnikov is a producer and writer who’s worked with Sher on Boss, T.I. & Tiny and Larry the Cable Guy’s Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza. She has a long history as a producer with Viacom shows dating back to 2001, including VH1 Divas, I Love the ‘80s and ‘90s, and several Paris Hilton Specials.

The moves come ahead of several big projects for the singer, who has stumbled in recent months with the poor sales of Me. I Am Mariah … The Elusive Chanteuse, the lowest-selling non-holiday studio album of her career and several wobbly live performances. On May 6, she begins a Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, the same venue where Celine Dion will return on Aug. 27 after a year-long hiatus. Also expected later this year is a newly repackaged greatest-hits set called #1’s, the first release in her new deal with Epic Records, to accompany her Vegas show. She also has a Christmas movie on the horizon, according to Deadline.

Among other chart feats, Carey holds the record for total time spent at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, 79 weeks total, and also holds the record for longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 single (for 1995’s “One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men, 16 weeks at No. 1), although she hasn’t had a Top 10 single since 2009’s “Obsessed.”

Carey had three management teams in 2013 alone, beginning with a Randy Jackson/Irving Azoff partnership, then Bruce Eskowitz of Red Light Management and then Jermaine Dupri, who produced some of her biggest hits including “We Belong Together.” Dupri gradually gave way to Kevin Liles, who semi-officially took the reins in August of 2014 but recently dropped out.

The news was first reported by Page Six and confirmed to Billboard by Chambers Group.

Carey to Visit Australia for a Rare Coast-to-Coast Tour

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is heading to the land Down Under…

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer is planning to visit Australia for a rare coast-to-coast tour.

Carey’s Elusive Chanteuse Show this November is scheduled to make seven stops Down Under, where she’ll play arenas and exclusive winery dates.

Mariah’s Australian trek starts on November 2 at Sandalford Estate in Perth, then moves on to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley and wraps-up Nov. 16 at Sirromet Wines on Mt Cotton, south east of Brisbane.

It’ll be Mariah’s first national Australian run since her Butterfly world tour stopped in the country in 1998, though she did play three shows on the east coast in January 2013.

General admission is priced at Australian $109.90 ($98.60) plus booking fee, and tickets at the top-end (platinum) cost Australian $259.90 ($233) plus booking fee. Tickets for all shows go on sale Sept. 26, and pre-sales open September 24 at the official websites for Live Nation and A Day On The Green.

Mariah’s latest album Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse, her 14th studio album, debuted at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart in May. It was her 13th top ten appearance on the Australian chart, and her first since Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel back in October 2009.

In the U.S., The Elusive Chanteuse opened at No. 3 with 58,000 sales. The album, which features production from Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, Hit-Boy and Mike Will Made It and guest appearances from Nas, Wale and Miguel, was tentatively earmarked for a release in March 2013. The set was then pushed to July 23, then to May 6, 2014 and finally May 27.

Carey Teases New Single “The Art of Letting Go”

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is thisclose to mastering the art of letting go…

The 43-year-old half-Venezuelan singer is preparing to release the second single off her upcoming album The Art of Letting Go; and the Grammy winner is offering her fans a teaser video for the new single, which happens to be the title track of her fourteenth studio effort.

Released via Carey’s Facebook page, the black-and-white clip features the singer in a recording session with Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins and composer Larry Gold. The former American Idol judge is also seen rehearsing with the members of an orchestra.

“I guess there’s a lot of curiosity about the title The Art of Letting Go,” she says of the song in the nearly one minute clip. “People are like, ‘What does that mean to you?’ And I’m like, ‘I just want it to mean what it means to you.’ ”

“Music has saved my life, and there’s certain things that I still can’t let go of even if I try so hard, I still can’t let go of them and I know there’s other people in the world that feel the same way,” she continues. “If there’s just one person that I help get through a situation with this song, then that makes my life and that makes me know that I can get through pretty much anything.”

“The Art of Letting Go” will premiere on Carey’s Facebook page on November 11 at 11:00 am EST. Meanwhile, her album of the same title is expected to arrive later this year.

Carey Releases “Almost Home” Music Video

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is having a great and powerful moment…

The 42-year-old half-Afro-Venezuelan singer has released the official music video for her latest single “Almost Home,” the theme song for the film Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Recorded by the American Idol judge for the Sam Raimi-directed film, which opened this weekend, the “feel-good record” was co-written by Carey.

The clip, directed by David LaChapelle, captures the singer belting out the song alone, while dressed in a black gown. The photographer-director intersperses footage from the Disney adventure fantasy film throughout the 3 1/2-minute clip.

“I’ve always just loved Disney, and now especially having two little babies – like all we do is watch animated movies, even though they’re so little, they still love them, especially Roc, my little boy,” said Carey, revealing how her twins Moroccan and Monroe had inspired her to write the song.

Carey is currently in the studio working on her next album, which is due in May. The album will include production by Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Big Jim Wright, Hit-Boy, The-Dream, Rodney Jerkins and contain a “lot more raw ballads than people might expect,” says the singer.

Carey Releases Full Version of Her New Single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)”

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Newly appointed American Idol judge Mariah Carey is officially back in the music game…

The 42-year-old part-Venezuelan American songstress—who could experience a massive Jennifer Lopez-like comeback in the next year now that she’ll be sitting at the judges table on Fox’s singing competition series—has released the full version of her brand new single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em).”

The track, which features Rick Ross and Meek Mill, has Carey singing positive inspiration. “Can’t fall down, stay triumphant, keep on living/ Stay on your toes/ Get off the ropes/ Don’t let ’em ever count you out/ Realize all things are possible/ In your heart who’s the greatest/ Reach for the stars, be all that you are,” she sings in the chorus.

“Working with Ross and Meek on the same record was incredible,” said Carey on a conference call Thursday. “Obviously Ross is a star and everybody loves him. I’m a fan of his music. I really, really wanted to work with him.”

She continued singing praises for both Ross and Meek, “I love the tone of his voice. I think the contrast of his voice and mine would be something special. I always like to do collaborations that people might think are different. Meek adds an excitement, a newness to the record that is pretty rare right now.”

Brian Michael Cox, who co-wrote and co-produced the single along with Carey and Jermaine Dupri, told MTV, “This song is kind of inspirational. It’s close to her heart, and I think her fans are going to really, really be emotionally attached to this song.”

Cox adds, “I expect that this record’s going to be a huge record. I expect that this is going to be one of her bigger albums.”

“Triumphant” will be featured on Carey’s upcoming album, which is still untitled.

“I’m collaborating with a lot of my favorite people but the main thing is [that] I’m not trying to follow any particular trend,” said Carey about her highly anticipated new album. “I want it to be well received. I want to stay true to myself and the music that I love and make the fans happy.”

Carey’s Next Single: “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)”

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is celebrating her latest triumph… some highly anticipated new music.

The 42-year-old part-Venezuelan American singer, rumored to be the top contended to replace Jennifer Lopez on American Idol, has announced that her latest single will be coming out this summer.

“So I can finally announce to you that my new single is coming out early August! It’s called TRIUMPHANT (Get ‘Em) ft. Rick Ross & Meek Mill,” tweeted the Grammy-winning singer on Saturday.

Carey also hinted that the new single could have inspirational lyrics, much like her other popular songs like “Hero.” In a separate tweet, she said, “I wrote TRIUMPHANT when I was going through a difficult time & it helped me get through it. When u hear it, pay attention 2 the lyrics.”

Carey, who will receive the BMI Icon award later this year, co-wrote and co-produced the new single with Jermaine Dupri and Brian Michael Cox, who also worked with her on her singles “Shake It Off” and “Don’t Forget About Us.”

The new single reportedly is a part of the summer treat that the star announced in June through Twitter. She previously teased that she had been “mixing up some concoctions.” She ended the message with the hashtag “MCSummer2012,” the same tag seen on her “Stay Triumphant” note.

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