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The iconic Elusive Chanteuse talked to BuzzFeed about her past, present, and infinity.

Let’s be honest, Mariah Carey probably needs no introduction. The singer, songwriter, actress, pop icon, diva, is not only the biggest-selling female act of all time (selling over 54 million albums), but also one of the most successful musical artists of all time. She’s had 45 singles land in the Billboard Hot 100, and of those, 18 have hit No. 1 — the most for any solo artist ever, and second overall only to the Beatles for most number ones (who have 20). Mariah recently compiled those career-spanning 18 number ones for her new greatest-hits album, #1 To Infinity, as well as for her new Las Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace. In celebration of her album and show, Mariah talked to BuzzFeed (at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland) and answered questions about everything from her career to which Mean Girl character she’d most like to be.


1. What do you love most about your career?
Mariah Carey: I love being able to do what I love for a living most about my career. It would suck to be stuck doing something I hated.

2. What, so far, has been your favorite career moment?
MC: Wow, I’ve been blessed and had so many moments. It definitely has to do with the Lambilys. My fans have made all my career moments special for me. They are the ones that have gotten me through every single thing — good times and bad, they are who I go to and lean on. I am very thankful for that.

3. Do you have a favorite moment in your new Vegas show?
MC: I love performing “Infinity” in Vegas because to see the people singing along to such a brand-new song — I just wrote and recorded it three months ago — it’s one of my favorite things. I love performing all the songs, but to sing “Infinity” after the 18 number ones is pretty cool.

4. Do you have a personal favorite off your #1 to Infinity album?
MC: Hmmm, a friend of mine told me last night that his favorite song was “My All,” and I have had lot of people tell me that’s their favorite song. And that song is based on a real moment; I wrote in the album credits for #1 to Infinity that was the first time I fell in love with love, and it’s true. I went to Puerto Rico and had MOMENTS; they weren’t severe moments, but they were moments for me, Miss Goody Two-Shoes, and out came “My All.” But, I am not going to claim it as my favorite ‘cause I love “Fantasy,” as well as the newer songs “We Belong Together” and “Touch My Body.”

5. Is there an artist that you’d like to collaborate with whom you haven’t worked with yet?
MC: I want to collaborate with me ‘cause I’ve done so many collaborations that after a certain point unless you’re really working with a certain caliber of an artist, there’s no point [to collaborate]. It just becomes, ‘Oh, let’s throw these two people together,’ and that’s what I feel is wrong with some of the collaborations that happen today and, dare I say, I helped paved the way for some of these little collaborations that happened today.

6. Do you have a favorite look from one of your music videos? One that you would want to frame in your house?
MC: I have a lot of different ones framed in my house from different moments, things like Divas Live framed — not necessarily from the music videos — but moments for me. Like, it was a huge deal for me being on stage with Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross; these different moments were milestones for me.

7. So this is a new chapter for you, what do you want to accomplish next?
MC: I have so many dreams that I haven’t yet realized. I would say that there is a lot of things in the acting world that I want to do. And I am so grateful to people like Lee Daniels, and even Brett Ratner, for having fun, working with me, and pushing me to limits where I definitely would not have wanted to go.
There are a lot things I have on the horizon that I’m going to be doing: acting, singing, even writing for movies. I think I’d even like to score a movie — I don’t know why that hasn’t happened yet, clearly someone isn’t on their game.

8. What is Bianca [from the “Heartbreaker” video] up to right now?
MC: Dahhling, I don’t know, she’s really hard to pin down. I really wanted to bring her here today, so it’s only really her essence that could be here today. But I hope BuzzFeed and I can get Bianca off her arse.


9. Do you think Bianca will ever make a cameo in a future music video?
MC: I want her to make a cameo — maybe she could do an interview with BuzzFeed. The only thing is that she’s a DIVA and over the top. Like, my glam squad is nothing compared to hers, nothing.

10. What’s your No. 1 selfie tip?
Get the proper angle and the best lighting that you can.

11. Are you for or against a selfie stick?
For a selfie stick! That way I can control it. I don’t need to take a selfie with someone from their bleak angle; I don’t care for that.

12. Instagram: filter or no filter?
It depends: If I’m feeling “Bleak” then we might throw a filter on.

But sometimes I am #NoFilter and I am proud of that. When I used to take pictures with the babies and I would just be waking up and it’s just this natural moment that is emanating inside — it’s not a ‘let me go put on a ton makeup and go tra-la-la’ type of thing.

I do love a good filter, though.

13. What is your favorite thing to do to make you feel fabulous?
I don’t know dahhling but it must be feeling “festive.”


14. Coffee or tea?
Tea.

15. What’s your go-to Starbucks order?
I’m not a subscriber to walking into large corporate entities that I have to walk into and be waiting in line, because then I have to stand there and be like, “Hi,” and people look at me and what I’m going to buy. If I do get something, I usually have someone deliver it to me and it’s usually tea.

16. Which Plastic (from Mean Girls) would you want as your BFF?
Regina George — you have to be on her good side. Honestly, I would just want to be her; she’s the best.


17. Do you cook at all?
I’m actually a really good cook and people don’t believe this about me! When I was pregnant I needed to make sure I was getting my nutrients, so I just started cooking a lot. I always cook on the holidays and on Christmas Eve. I cook my dad’s recipe for linguine and white clam sauce — he left that recipe for me; he was a great cook.

I love to cook; I get creative. It’s fun and something totally different from what I do every other day of the year.

18. What’s your top three emojis?

— LOL crying face.
— The heart.
— And the kisses.







19. Favorite curse word?
Stop trying to make it happen…

20. Champagne or wine?
Right now I’m not trying to have either one of them. But if I had to, it’s all about the glass, so I would have to go with the champagne flute — it’s the best look.

21. Favorite board game?
Taboo, and I love Balderdash too. I’m actually really good at Balderdash and no one wants to play that game with me. Especially the movies category; I don’t want to give away my secrets, but I am pretty good at that category.

22. What are you binge-watching right now?
Scandal, I have to admit. I was binge-watching How to Get Away With Murder and Veep. It’s freaking hilarious, I live for Veep.

23. NSYNC or One Direction?
Oh come on, oh come now. Do you really expect me to answer that question?

24. Hello Kitty or Lisa Frank?
I don’t think I’m equipped to answer that question. I’m going to have to have my friends handle that for me. But Hello Kitty, how many great moments have we had!

25. Which is better: a pink unicorn or a winged dolphin?
WOW. I guess I’m going to have to go with the winged dolphin.

26. Favorite Disneyland ride?
Tower of Terror. I love the Tower of Terror. I have to say the Disney World Tower of Terror is the best one, ‘cause you get a different surprise every time. I am also a record holder for one of the people who has ridden that ride the most.

27. Favorite Disney Villain?
I’m not for the villains, I’m only for the princesses. I mean it’s fun to have Jafar or whatever; I didn’t even remember their names ‘cause they’re not important to me.

28. Favorite Disney Princess?
I love Rapunzel — she’s genius. Also Tangled is my daughter’s, Monroe’s, favorite movie. So I kind of go with what they love.

29. Which do you prefer: Five Guys or Shake Shack?


30. In-N-Out?
Someone tried to get me with that the other day and I had to tell them stop.

31. What are you obsessed with right now?
I’m obsessed with humidifiers, because being in Vegas is so dry. I literally have, like, 10 humidifiers around my bed.

32. What is one thing that a true diva could not live without?
I guess a smart remark every now and then, a good sip of water.

33. Where is your favorite place to spend Christmas?
Typically I like to spend Christmas in Aspen [Colorado], but as long as it’s a snowy place, I don’t care. It has to be a white Christmas. And then we have to go somewhere warm and tropical for the new year.

34. What do you get someone who has been naughty?
Coal in the stocking — isn’t that the traditional thing?

35. Favorite Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
My favorite Christmas gift is to have a relaxed Christmas and to give gifts. I love giving gifts. It’s almost like I don’t open my gifts until, like, three days after Christmas, ‘cause I want to give everyone else their presents. Especially now having my own little babies, it’s all about them.

36. Do you decorate your tree?
We decorate like a Charlie Brown tree. I have a decorator who helps me ‘cause I only have a few days when I get there [Aspen] to decorate, because I do a show at the Beacon Theatre [in New York City] for Christmas.

37. What one ornament has to be on your tree?
The angel on the top of the tree, dahhling.

38. Favorite holiday movie?
My favorite holiday movie has yet to be filmed. Brett Ratner and I have a new movie and we’re working with New Line Cinema and we’re very excited. It was my idea, I brought it to them, I am executive-producing it. I am not the star of the movie, but my music is the star, and I have a very integral part in the movie. And it’s exciting.

But I live for Elf. Also, in general I love movies like Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life; I like the classics. Have to say Elf is my favorite, so good. If I could be a female version of that character I would be that Will Ferrell character. It’s the best classic of the last 15 years.

39. Do you have cookies on Christmas?
We make cookies, gluten-free Christmas cookies. My other favorite additional treat is hot cocoa and butterscotch schnapps. We go on a two-horse open sleigh and bring that drink and it’s so good. I had only had the peppermint schnapps and then someone introduced me to the butterscotch one and it’s the best.

40. What’s your favorite song to sing at Christmas?
I have to go with my own, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” I still love it. Even though it’s not my favorite vocal performance, or the best thing I’ve done in that way. It’s just for fun, it’s… moments, dahhling.

I’m the queen of festivities, that’s all I can say.



Source: BuzzFeed

It's a simple fact of the holiday season: Christmas isn't about a tree, or presents, or family. Christmas is about Mariah Carey.

The science: In a 2007 study of our brains, researchers examined how people felt while listening to excerpts of popular music they had heard in the past. If a song was playing during any big first — a kiss, a college party — that song will later cause certain brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex, which is integral for retrieval of long-term memories, to light up, essentially transporting you back to that moment.

Essentially, the science suggests that "All I Want for Christmas," or any other holiday music, may make our brains high on nostalgia.

"Music is such a strong stimulus," said Megha Sharda, a researcher at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research at the University of Montreal. "Most people have positive associations with holiday music ... so when you hear it, the brain releases hormones that give us pleasure, same as when we eat chocolate, which reinforces the memory, making the positive association stronger.”

Christmas music may also spark positive feelings based on experiences burned into our brains that we don't consciously remember. In a 2013 study, psychologists discovered that people preferred music that was popular when they came of age and music from their parents' heyday, which was probably playing during happy moments in participants' childhoods, even if they didn’t explicitly recall it.

As Pacific Standard reported, "The researchers report that the presence of personal memories associated with specific songs was 'closely related to whether they made participants feel happy or energized.' This suggests we're not responding so much to the music per se, but rather to the events and feelings it triggers in our brains."


Once you feel connected to a song, hearing it more only intensifies the love. Songs we like activate the brain's "default-mode network," which is involved in self-aware, "mind-wandering" thinking, like imagining the future. But listening to our favorite songs, according to a study recently published in Nature, has the added effect of increasing connectivity between sound-processing regions and the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and social emotion. Basically, songs we like provoke thoughts, but songs we love also give us the feels.

Furthermore, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" may excite our brains in large part because we know every word of the song. Neuroscience research shows that we get more pleasure from familiar songs than unfamiliar songs (whether or not we claim to like them). In a 2011 study of self-described "music lovers," cognitive scientists from Johns Hopkins University used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to observe neural responses to popular songs. Hearing familiar songs sparked activity in the reward networks and emotional processing areas of participants' brains, regardless of their opinions of the songs.


The nostalgic high we get, paired with the increasing joy we feel every time the song floods our ears, points to one thing: "All I Want for Christmas Is You" isn't going anywhere, and you're going to be absolutely fine with it.

Source: Mic.com

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