Superstar Mariah Carey talks about celebrating the nearly 20th anniversary of her album 'The Emancipation of Mimi,' by performing hits like "We Belong Together" and "Shake It Off" tonight during the AMAs 50th anniversary special on CBS. Why the album helped prove her doubters wrong. How she feels seeing the continued success of "All I Want For Christmas," and being crowned the Queen of Christmas.
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00:00How would somebody approach a queen?
00:02Oh, thank you for using the Q word.
00:07We know it.
00:09We know it.
00:10Hey, it's Tetris with Billboard here at the AMA's with the queen of our charts,
00:15Miss 19 No. 1's herself, Mariah Carey. How are you?
00:18I'm well. How are you doing?
00:20Amazing. I'm sitting next to an icon.
00:22Now, tonight you performed two of those No. 1's.
00:25Should be three, but not every queen blocks themselves from No. 1.
00:28Justice for Shake It Off.
00:29How was it tonight? How was it up there?
00:32Justice for Shake It Off, indeed.
00:34It was good. I mean, I felt good with the audience.
00:37It was a good crowd.
00:39And, I mean, we're here to celebrate Emancipation of Mimi,
00:41which is obviously such a special album.
00:43All your albums are special.
00:44But this one kind of came at a time where people, stupidly maybe,
00:47were counting you out.
00:48So how did it feel to celebrate that album 20 years later?
00:51And why do you think it resonated so much with people?
00:54Wow. Well, people had written me off.
00:57And when the Emancipation of Mimi came out
01:00and had the song of the decade with We Belong Together,
01:05I'm like, forgetting the song of the decade.
01:07The song of the decade, darling.
01:09Song of the decade.
01:11It had to be that big a record for me to actually have a comeback.
01:15And it's just the way people are.
01:20You always talk about how you write songs from a personal place,
01:23but you want them to also connect with your fans
01:25so they can feel those emotions.
01:26Yes.
01:27So when you think back to that time, how did you feel emotionally?
01:30Well, I was happy.
01:32That was one of the best times in my life.
01:35You know, loving the fans.
01:37Just loving life and thankful for the album.
01:48The album obviously did amazing.
01:50You had a bunch of good songs on it,
01:52but you ended it with Fly Like a Bird,
01:54the most spiritual song that you performed at the Grammys,
01:56one of your best performances.
01:57Why was it important to end Emancipation of Mimi with Fly Like a Bird?
02:01The spirituality of that song was very important to me,
02:05especially at that time in my life.
02:08And I remember I was in Capri, and I was recording in the studio
02:12and went outside when it was sunrise,
02:16because I was there the whole night.
02:18And I just walked back in, and my engineer,
02:20and he was playing this song down,
02:22and he was like, it's a good one.
02:24It is.
02:26And I mean, let's move on from Emancipation of Mimi a little bit.
02:29You've kind of had these songs that keep reprising themselves in your life,
02:33whether it's the entire Glitter album or It's a Rap Having New Legs.
02:37What's a song you could go back and dig from your past,
02:39delete it from then, but release it now as a brand new song?
02:42Yeah, I don't know how many people heard the song,
02:44but it's a fave of mine, Dedicated.
02:48Do you know that song with Nas?
02:50Yes.
02:51Yeah, I love Nas.
02:53Let's get a Justice for Dedicated moment.
02:55Justice for Dedicated.
02:57Hello.
02:58And speaking of moments, you also give us a lot of viral moments
03:01that I don't even think you try to do.
03:03They just happen.
03:04And I feel like the new I Don't Know Her is
03:07when some paparazzi were bothering you,
03:09and they asked you something about Nick,
03:10and you were like, what is he, my last hope?
03:12He died.
03:13I literally fell apart.
03:15So now I need to know.
03:16No offense to him.
03:17No, of course, no offense to him.
03:20Because the guy kept asking me, oh, you're going to get back together?
03:23He just kept going on and on.
03:26And so that's why I said that.
03:28My last hope is so good.
03:30But how does a guy flirt with Mariah Carey?
03:32How would somebody approach a queen?
03:34I don't know.
03:35I'm very much like, I don't know.
03:38I don't know if I'm shy or if I'm just like, you know,
03:42I'm more of like a friend type of a person.
03:45Okay, so get in on a friendly level.
03:47Yeah, get in on a friendly level.
03:49Start there.
03:50Okay, good advice for the fellas.
03:52I like it.
03:53Not yet.
03:54Sorry.
03:55I want to talk to you about, I called you the queen.
03:57You're the queen of the charts.
03:58You're also the queen of Christmas.
03:59So November 1st, it's not, not yet, but it's coming.
04:02So how does it feel that everybody celebrates
04:04and doesn't even touch their decorations until you say so?
04:08I don't know if everybody listens to that.
04:10I do.
04:11You do?
04:12Queen of Christmas, right?
04:14I think it's an amazing thing that just happened
04:18that I never could have predicted.
04:20Because the song, All I Want For Christmas Is You,
04:23just grew and grew and slowly, though.
04:27It wasn't like an immediate thing, you know?
04:30Amazing.
04:31And then, of course, you're going on tour again.
04:32Yes.
04:33So what can we expect from the Christmas tour?
04:35I'm just finishing up the set list
04:38with my musical director, Daniel Moore, who I love.
04:43We were just finishing up yesterday.
04:45And then we go into all the rest of the trinkets and whatnot.
04:52It's really a fun thing to do, that Christmas tour.
04:56It really is.
04:57Everybody, make sure you go get your tickets.
04:58I can't wait to see you at Yama Vodka.
05:00And I did too much last time when you did It's A Rap.
05:02I was going crazy in the crowd.
05:03But can't wait to see you again.
05:04I need to do that.
05:05Do you think it would be okay if I did It's A Rap again?
05:07Of course.
05:08It's so fun.
05:09I don't know if it's timely anymore.
05:10Oh, it doesn't matter if it's timely.
05:12We had fun with it.
05:13But please don't take Christmas times in the air again.
05:15I just need that every time.
05:16OK.
05:17That's my one request, Mariah.
05:19That's one of my favorites that I've done.
05:21I'll bring you some champagne if I can afford
05:23whatever the type is you drink.
05:25Absolutely.
05:26Thank you so much, Mariah.
05:27This was a great portrait moment as well.
05:29Thanks for hanging out with me.
05:30Thank you for hanging out with me.
05:33Literally every time anybody's asked me my whole life
05:36as a host, what's your dream interview,
05:38it's always been your name.
05:39So I really appreciate this.
05:40We need to do a long, good one.
05:42Oh, like an actual sit down.
05:44OK, so this isn't our last time.
05:46Yay!
05:47Thank you so much, Mariah.