Mariah Carey explains how Christmas means a lot to her because of her “very dysfunctional childhood”:

Mariah Carey opens up about her ‘dysfunctional’ childhood and reveals why it plays a role in how important Christmas is to her. W magazine.

The musician, who graces the cover of the publication’s Volume 6 The Holiday Issue, talks about what Christmas means to her. look at her! She’s a very festive, very Christmas girl’ etc. But really, Christmas makes me happy.

“People think I was living this princess-style life. It was like a fairy tale that I just emerged from. ‘Here I am!’ And it’s not like that.” I don’t think I have enough time to write about it all, so I won’t go into it here.

“But what if I could grow up in a messed-up life and make a transformation that would allow me to make my life what I wanted it to be? I want to give you that, and I want you to understand that you can be whatever you want to be.”

READ MORE: Mariah Carey’s kids join her as she sings ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

“Carrie was born in Huntington, New York, to a black father who was an aeronautical engineer and a white mother who was a singer who performed at the New York City Opera,” notes the magazine.

Carey previously opened up about experiencing scenes of violence and substance abuse between siblings in her 2020 memoir. Meaning of mariah carey.

she adds W mug: “It was a very dysfunctional childhood. It was shocking that I was able to get out of it. Clearly mixed people, or fair-skinned or what we used to classify as role models, were No. Just like then, when I was growing up, I didn’t know who to look up to.

Elsewhere in a candid chat, Carey talks about the success of “All I Want for Christmas” and how the track came to be. It was very early in my career and I thought it was a little early for me to do so, but I was like, ‘Well, I love Christmas. I’m always trying to find a bright light there.

“I used to stay up late walking around this house where I lived with my first ex-husband. I had a keyboard. You can, but I prefer to work with a virtuoso piano player because I hear chords. [Knowles] About last night. When you’re listening to chords and you can sing each note to a virtuoso, it’s much easier than sitting there thinking, “Oh, I know, I’m missing one little thing here.” Well… I didn’t. Then it will be classic and timeless. But I never imagined it would become such an important part of my life…”

READ MORE: Mariah Carey Reveals Santa Opening at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: ‘My Childhood Dream Comes True’

The hitmaker also told the magazine about her reputation as a diva: And yes, some of it is real. It can not be helped. For example, what if you grew up with her mother’s opera singer who went to Juilliard and debuted at Lincoln’s Center? So yes, it’s just a whim, sometimes it’s done on purpose, sometimes it’s just a reaction. “