Cop a gander of Mariah Carey!
The diva supreme and Queen of Christmas rings in the reason on the cover of W Magazine‘s latest issue. Aptly the Holiday issue.
Posing it up for stunning shots lensed by Ethan James Green, Mimi also sat down for an interview feature – in which she opened up about her festive classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ her 11-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan, new book ‘The Christmas Princess,’ and more.
Head below for pics and quotes…
On Being Perceived as a “Diva”
“There are things people are not aware of, because this whole quote-unquote ‘diva’ thing is always what people see first,” she said. “Yes, I play into it. And yes, part of that is real. I can’t help it. Like, what do you do if you grew up with an opera singer for a mother, who went to Juilliard and made her debut at Lincoln Center? There’s just a certain amount that is going to emerge. So, yes, it’s just an affectation, and sometimes it’s purposely done, and sometimes it’s just, like, you know, a response.”
On Motherhood:
“People think I had this princess-style life or whatever, a kind of fairy-tale existence where I just emerged, like, “Here I am!” And that is not what it is. I doubt you have enough time to write about all that, so we won’t go into it. But when you grow up with a messed-up life and then you’re able to have this transformation where you can make your life what you want it to be? That is joy for me. That’s why I want my kids to have everything they can have. I want them to be able to understand that they can be anything they want to be.”
On The Music Her Twins Listen To
“Here is the thing: I am always listening to music. When I was pregnant with them, I would put this iPod-like belt thing on so that they could listen to inspirational music and just, like, have different types of relaxing moments or whatever. But once they started listening to their own music, you know, once I allowed the iPad moments to happen, then it became about whatever was going on in a game and certain songs that are more prominently featured in different video games. They’re not on TikTok yet, but I know they are on it behind my back secretly anyway. So songs are just 15-second snippets for them. But I have several different playlists that I play all the time. I try to let them hear some of my favorite artists that they may not have heard or they may never hear if they were just to listen to those snippets. I’ll quiz them and be like, “Okay, who’s singing?” And most of the time, they get it right. It’s typically Prince or Stevie Wonder. It’s Aretha Franklin. There’s Chaka Khan. And I’m like, “You have to listen to the tone of the voice. Listen to how they’re singing.”
On Her New Book, ‘The Christmas Princess’
“That’s why she is called “the Christmas Princess.” Not because I think I’m a Christmas princess, or any of those things that I’ve never called myself. I grew up in an all-white neighborhood, and when I was little, no one had my name. No one could even pronounce my name. My substitute teacher would be like, “Oh, hey, Marissa!” Like, they literally didn’t know how to say it. So we call her Little Mariah in this story, because we’re talking about a little girl who rises above her circumstances and ends up helping other people through music. Prince Charming doesn’t save her. Music saves her. Music always saves the day, okay?”