Mariah Carey's top holiday moments - from sweet family duets to diva meltdowns

24 December 2023 , 13:00

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Mariah Carey's most iconic holiday performances include some highs and lows (Image: Penske Media via Getty Images)

Mariah Carey is undoubtedly a pretty big deal this time of year - some would say the Queen of Christmas with her unmistakable high notes and iconic festive performances.

Mariah is currently performing her Christmas songs and classics on her Merry Christmas One and All tour. The singer released her Christmas album, Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas in 1994 which features All I Want For Christmas Is You. She reportedly receives $3million (£2.4m) every single year from the song. As fans continue to stream the holiday hit, royalties go up and her earnings are close to hitting the $100million (£84m) mark. She already made more than $60million (£50million) in royalties alone back in 2016, as reported by The Economist at the time.

The Queen of Christmas defrosts every year on November 1 and carols her songs whenever she can. From singing at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to having her kids join her at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, she is ready to spread some cheer.

Here's some of her most iconic moments...

1994 - Mariah Carey sings at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Mariah Carey's performing in 1994 (Youtube)

After releasing her Christmas album in 1994, Mariah Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Liverpool. She had a choir singing back up and sang all the songs featured on Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas.

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Her 1994 Merry Christmas album has sold 15 million copies worldwide and became the selling Christmas album of all time.

2014 - Mariah Carey's vocal fail during the Rockefeller Center Tree Lightning

Mariah Carey performs at the 82nd Annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 2014 (WireImage)

Mariah Carey's holiday performances have included a few strops (WireImage)

Not every performance Mariah has done been a 10 out of 10. Durning the 2014 NBC's Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting special, the singer made headlines when she sang 'All I Want for Christmas is You', on live television but was off beat and could not hold a note. The internet went crazy as the singer struggled to hit her iconic high notes. She wore a red dress with the hair down and a diamond necklace.

2017 - Mariah Carey storms off stage after lip sync fail, technical difficulties

Mariah Carey performs during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve at Times Square in 2017 (FilmMagic)

Talk about starting off the New Year being the main character. On December 31, 2017, the Grammy award winner sang during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and had a meltdown on stage. Mariah was dealing with technical problems and singing a song that she did not have a soundcheck for. The monitors seemed to not work either and said, "I'm just going to let the audience sing." She later was caught by fans when her lips weren't aligning with the pre-recorded song, We Belong Together.

2022- Mariah Carey performs with daughter at sold-out show

Mariah Carey's in an angelic duet (Instagram)

During Mariah's Toronto show in December, the singer was joined by her daughter Monaco. This was their first-ever duet to the classic Away in Manger and Monroe kept up as her mother was whistling and she harmonized. She proved that her mother has been teaching her a few things.

2023 - Mariah Carey sings at the Billboard Music Awards

Mariah Carey performs "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards at Culver Studios in Culver City, California (Penske Media via Getty Images)

For the first time at an award show, Mariah Carey performed her iconic Christmas song, All I Want for Christmas is You, at the Billboard Music Awards in November 2023. She also received the Chart Achievement award at the ceremony. She came in on a ski lift, which brought her to her mic, wearing a white dress with poof on the sleeves and sunglasses on her head.

Jailene Cuevas