Mariah Carey has been living up to her diva reputation by making extravagant demands for her Christmas Time tour, according to sources who claim the hitmaker is ‘being so extra.’
The music icon, 55, has embarked on yet another Christmas concert tour some 30 years after the release of her signature holiday song, All I Want For Christmas Is You – once again cementing her status as the queen of the festive season.
In what has come to be expected from the self-confessed diva, members of production have been ‘asked not to speak to Mariah or take photos with her’ – while the star reportedly decreed that she would not embark on the tour with any ‘unattractive dancers.’
‘Mariah is just being so extra this year,’ an insider told DailyMail.com. ‘She is getting paid an insane amount of money. Rehearsals started at the end of September as she wants it to be the grandest tour yet.
‘One of her requests was that her main backup dancers are all “hot” men. She did not want any unattractive dancers.’
Elsewhere, the star made it clear that she doesn’t care about costs after demanding a full glam squad for early rehearsals.
Mariah Carey has been living up to her diva reputation by making extravagant demands for her Christmas Time tour, according to sources who claim the hitmaker is ‘being so extra’
Sources believe Mariah, 55, managed to secure a paycheck in the ‘millions’ for the 21-date tour
The insider continued: ‘She also requested hair and makeup for the rehearsals.
‘Everyone who is directly involved in the production has been asked not to speak to Mariah or take photos with her.’
Sources believe she managed to secure a paycheck in the ‘millions’ for the 21-date tour.
The Fantasy hitmaker’s tour was announced in August as the world celebrates the 30th anniversary of her timeless holiday hit and her beloved debut holiday album.
The star has made a jaw-dropping $70 million from the hit Christmas track that has reached number one in over 30 countries, earning around $3million per year, according to the New York Post.
The continued success of the track has led Mariah, who takes an estimated cut of 20 per cent in her royalties, to fully embrace all things Christmas.
Each year fans wait with baited breathe for November 1 when she shares the all-important declaration: ‘It’s timeeeeeee.’
From that moment on Christmas season begins in full swing and sees her famous track climb up the charts once again.
The source said: ‘One of her requests was that her main backup dancers are all “hot” men. She did not want any unattractive dancers’
They added: ‘Everyone who is directly involved in the production has been asked not to speak to Mariah or take photos with her’
Speaking about the beloved track in 2020, Mariah admitted it was ‘kind of an accident.’
She told the LA Times: ‘When I did that first Christmas album, “Merry Christmas,” it was pretty early in my career.
‘But in this case, I was just sitting there, coming up with this melody, in a dark house with a Christmas tree.’
The singer then shared the story behind her biggest release, which she composed with 66-year-old Brazilian songwriter Walter Afanasieff, in a 2023 interview with Parade.
‘I started writing that on a little DX7 or Casio keyboard that was in this little room in the house that I lived in at the time in Upstate New York lifetimes ago,’ she recalled.
At the time, she said, she was ‘just writing down everything that I thought about. All the things that reminded me of Christmas that made me feel festive that I wanted other people to feel.’
Despite widespread reports that the tune took only 15 minutes to write, Mariah said the recording process was not as smooth.
‘We did take some time doing the record because if you listen to all those background vocals and all that stuff, you can’t do it in five minutes,’ she confessed.
Mariah has embarked on yet another Christmas concert tour to celebrate 30 years since the release of her signature holiday song, All I Want For Christmas Is You
Thanks to the long-lasting success of her iconic release, the star has become known as the Queen of Christmas – and has made a jaw-dropping $70 million from the hit Christmas track
‘It’s literally impossible unless you had three choirs.’
The singer, who shares 13-year-old twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-husband Nick Cannon, kicked off her latest tour on November 6 in Highland, California.
The final concert is slated for December 17 in Brooklyn, with the singer often joined by special guests along the way – including her own children.
Mariah’s setlist is rounded out with 26 songs and the concert is around 90 minutes-long.
Audiences will enjoy renditions of the superstar’s biggest, most recognizable songs as well as holiday classics.
