Mariah Carey Shares What Fans Can Expect From Her Las Vegas Residency (Exclusive)

Mariah Carey is excited to keep her Las Vegas residency, The Celebration of Mimi, going as she extends her performance schedule into February 2025! 

In a new interview with ET’s Denny Directo, the 55-year-old “Always Be My Baby” singer opened up about her mega-successful residency at Park MGM and what fans can expect when they walk through the doors of Dolby Live to hear her sing. 

“It’s a really good time. We’re doing The Celebration of Mimi and you know all about the Emancipation of Mimi and that album and there’s also other songs we do,” she shared. “But this is really about, you know, The Celebration of Mimi.”

The residency’s name derives from Carey’s 10th studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which celebrated its 19th birthday in March. At the time, the project was called her “comeback album” and praised for its more intimate feel — stemming partially from the singer’s decision to use her own sobriquet, “Mimi,” in the title.

Carey — a five-time GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist — announced the Las Vegas stay in February, initially telling fans they would have just two stretches to see her in concert. Due to popularity, however, the residency has been extended with eight new shows added in January and February 2025. 

The “All I Want for Christmas Is You” crooner says she finds it to be an incredible experience to hold a residency in Las Vegas, especially because it lends itself to one killer weekend for fans hoping to make a trip out of the show. It’s not her first residency, of course. Carey previously wowed fans on the Vegas Strip with Live at the Pearl in 2009, Number 1 to Infinity from 2015 to 2017 and The Butterfly Returns from 2018-2020.

For her, this new residency is something special, however, as it has a deeper connection than ever before. She says that the deeply personal album and the real-life inspiration behind everything from the costumes to the hairstyles make it one unforgettable event, especially for the not-so-casual fans who know all the deep cuts. 

“I was telling a story and we do have a lot of deep cuts that are featured,” she said. “Especially since it’s — the whole thing is about The Emancipation of Mimi, by the time we get there, a lot of people didn’t maybe know all those songs, you know? People know ‘We Belong Together.'”

Since so many of the songs are for the most devoted of Carey fanatics, the singer says it has been an incredibly emotional experience for her as a singer and an artist. As The Emancipation of Mimi approaches 20 years old, she is looking back fondly with the fans. 

“It definitely brings back fond memories depending on the song. And with this show, we have a lot of kind of clips from my book that you can read if you’re sitting in the audience,” she said. “It’s a moment where you’re hearing your life story be talked about and then you’re singing the songs.”

While she is looking back with The Celebration of Mimi, she is also looking forward with another new tour on the horizon. For those Carey fans who are already eagerly anticipating putting up their Christmas tree, she has good news. If you can’t catch her in Vegas between now and February, you can always see her on tour as she goes out on a holiday-themed road trip. 2024 marks 30 years since her album, Merry Christmas, released — it’s because of that milestone that she is taking her act on the road. 

Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time will visit 20 cities across the country, kicking off on Nov. 6 in Los Angeles and wrapping up on Dec. 17 in her hometown of New York City. 

“I am cooking up a whole Christmas meal for them and I need them to come and join me,” she said of Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time tour, which also includes stops in Houston, Atlanta, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Boston and more.  

She added, “I’m so excited to be there doing my Christmas show again. I mean, it’s just — it’s just something different about performing songs for the holidays […] I love what I’m doing here but it’s just different.”

Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas at Dolby Live at Park MGM runs through February 2025 and tickets are now on sale. Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time kicks off on Nov. 6.

Tickets will be available starting with Verizon presale beginning Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 10 am, through Verizon Up. Customers will have access to purchase presale tickets for these dates through Aug. 8 at 10 am. The general sale of tickets begins Friday, Aug. 9 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

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