Mariah Carey Announces Apple-Exclusive 'Christmas Special' & Soundtrack Ft. Ariana Grande

The queen of Christmas soundtracks, Mariah Carey has something special planed again for 2020, to brighten up our moods.

The singer has announced today that Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special will debut globally Friday, December 4, exclusively on Apple TV+. The special will also feature stars like Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris. Extra special appearances will also be made by Carey’s twins, Moroccan and Monroe.

Kendrick Lamar Shakes Up The Super Bowl With Bold Drake Diss And Surprise Guests

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime performance was nothing short of legendary, leaving fans buzzing with surprise cameos and bold moments that took his long-running feud with Drake to new heights. Kicking off with an unreleased song snippet and followed by “Squabble Up” from his latest album GNX, Kendrick immediately set the tone for a game-changing performance. Fans eagerly waited to see if Kendrick would play his diss track Not Like Us, especially with Drake's ongoing lawsuit against him and his label for defamation and harassment. Lamar's performance included an unexpected appearance by SZA and a quirky cameo from Serena Williams, along with Samuel L. Jackson’s comedic interruptions, all building the suspense around the Drake drama. In the middle of his performance, Kendrick turned up the heat, looking straight into the camera and directly addressing Drake with his famous lyrics, “I heard you like them young," as fans held their breath. Despite the tension, Kendrick censored himself when it came time to call Drake a "certified lover boy" and avoided saying “pedophile,” which had been widely speculated. Social media lit up with mixed reactions, with some fans mocking the performance as a "mid mashup" and others noting the intense hostility toward Drake. With the hashtag #KendrickBowl trending, it’s clear that Kendrick’s performance was a cultural moment that pushed boundaries—but has he gone too far, or is this just another chapter in hip-hop history? Only time will tell, and Drake has yet to respond.

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“Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special” is executive produced by Carey, as well as Ian Stewart, Raj Kapoor and Ashley Edens for Done + Dusted. BAFTA Award winner Hamish Hamilton and Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Roman Coppola direct, and also serve as executive producers, and the special is written by Caroline Fox.

Ready?? #MariahsMagicalChristmas @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/paiK2tEL9w
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) November 18, 2020

The first single and music video for ‘Oh Santa!’ featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson will be released on Apple Music and other streaming platforms December 4. The full soundtrack to the special features brand new interpretations, and will also include Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri as additional musical guests, in addition to a new version of ‘Sleigh Ride’.

The soundtrack will be available December 4 exclusively on Apple Music, and all other platforms a week later on December 11.

Apple Music will also celebrate the release of the Apple TV+ special in an exclusive interview with Zane Lowe on December 7, where Carey runs through her personally curated playlist of favorite holiday songs, and talks about her new music and recent memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.”

On December 25, Carey will also appear on Apple Music Hits, Apple Music’s new radio station, for a six-hour Holiday Hits special, featuring the biggest festive songs, including her smash hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You‘, and telling fans about her own holiday memories, with additional artists and hosts sharing their own Christmas messages.