“It wasn’t me and Mariah Carey, it was our fans,” Love says of any supposed tension between the two singers
Darlene Love wants to put any notion of competition between her and Mariah Carey in the world of Christmas music to rest.
The legendary singer, 83, tells people that most of the supposed tension between her and Carey, 55, vying for the title of “Queen of Christmas” has been fabricated by fans.
“The thing came up with Mariah Carey and I had to deal with that. I said, ‘Listen, I ain’t never thought about being the Queen of Christmas. I think everybody is a Queen of Christmas. Everybody got one,'” Love says. “So we went all through that with the fans and it got so crazy, and it wasn’t me and Mariah Carey, it was our fans. I say, ‘Okay, hold on you guys. Wait a minute. I might make one comment about it, but that’s what I always do. Just one comment and I’m done. This is what I feel. I feel that you guys should not put me in a box. You should let everybody enjoy me.’ ”
In fact, Love shares that Carey gave her kudos directly.
“When all of that was going on with Mariah Carey, she wrote, she said, ‘Listen, as far as I’m concerned, Darlene Love is the Christmas Queen. I grew up on “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home.” That always played in my house.’ So I tell people it wasn’t going on between me and Mariah. It was going on with our fans,” the star says.
The situation between the two artists began when Carey attempted to trademark the “Queen of Christmas” title in 2022, leaving fellow holiday crooners Elizabeth Chan and Love to speak out, with the former even filing legal action against Carey. Love asked in a Facebook post at the time, “Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’? What does that mean, that I can’t use that title?”
Ultimately, when Carey gave Love her flowers on social media, the star seemed to change her tune. “Thank you, Mariah Carey! This just warmed my heart!” Love wrote in response to Carey’s comment of kudos on Facebook at the time. “Love you very much and I apologize if my words towards you were a bit harsh. I’ve always LOVED & ADORED you!! I’m HONORED to share the Queen of Christmas title with you and all the other talented performers on earth!
She then teased, “Maybe we can re-record Christmas Baby for a new holiday release in 2023?”
