As the reigning Christmas queen it’s supposed to be the merriest time of the year for Mariah Carey, but sources say a series of setbacks has the singer in a serious slump.
“She looks depressed, like something is going on behind the scenes,” speculated one fan after the singer’s lacklustre performance at one of her Merry Christmas One And All! shows in the States.
Mariah and Bryan started dating in 2016.
(Credit: Instagram)There’s one glaring omission – her backup dancer boyfriend Bryan Tanaka has been noticeably absent from the tour, sparking speculation the pair have split.
Bryan, 40, hasn’t appeared on the 54-year-old singer’s social media since December 2022, and Bryan hasn’t posted about Mariah since March.
“Is it true she broke up with Tanaka?! So sad. He really seemed to light her up in the recent years,” commented one fan.
“We need Bryan Tanaka back!” wrote another, suggesting the performer’s presence was missed during Mariah’s Christmas concert at the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino in Highland, California.
Indeed, fans have concerns about the star’s performances during her festive tour.
“The way she slowly walked off the stage after Hero had me extremely concerned. When she left the stage, it felt almost tragic. Something was/is definitely wrong,” commented one concertgoer.
“Her energy seems so low. I don’t want anything to happen to her,” added another fan. “She’s one of the last greats we have.”
Andy Stone, aka Vince Vance, has sued Mariah for copyright infringement.
(Credit: Supplied)But a possible break-up isn’t the only thing bringing the diva down.
Sources say the mother-of-two is possibly facing the collapse of her Christmas empire after she was hit with a $30 million lawsuit accusing her of stealing her 1994 mega-hit All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Mariah’s been slapped with legal papers by musician Andy Stone, who claims she ripped off his song of the same name, written five years earlier in 1989.
“This lawsuit couldn’t come at a worse time for Mariah,” says a source of the star, who has made an estimated $91 million from the classic tune over the years.
“She’s already losing it over Cher stomping all over her turf by releasing her own Christmas album and now she’s being cast as a yuletide villain with the legal papers.”
Insiders say the star could be setting herself up to lose her fortune, too.
According to a source, Mariah’s spending up big and there’s no limit on how much cash she’s willing to blow.
“Mariah used to be more cautious with her money,” says an insider of the singer, who reportedly likes to treat herself to everything from crates of champagne to luxury sports cars.
“Now it seems like she just lives her life to spend money.”
And she’s never more frivolous than at Christmas time. “She has rooms full of gifts,” says the source. “She orders things online and gets so many packages she doesn’t have time to open half of them.”
