It’s Mariah Carey season. So far this December, the Christmas queen has debuted a new holiday special as well as a single with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. She spoke about both with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in a new interview, during which she also revealed which holiday song “is Christmas” to her: Nat King Cole’s classic rendition of “The Christmas Song.”
Carey acknowledged that it’s not the most upbeat holiday song before describing why she loves it, saying, “I understand why you would feel maybe a bit melancholy with that song. It’s so beautiful, the arrangement is so lush, the production, his voice. It really is Christmas to me. There have been so many other renditions of that song, but for me, I love that one. And I always, always will. Sometimes when there’s a classic, you just don’t need to mess with it. And I don’t get sad when I hear it. It’s like I’m getting goosebumps thinking of it now. That’s how real the whole Christmas thing is to me.”
She also discussed the meaning of Christmas to her, saying, “For me, it’s the birth of Christ. It’s the actual meaning of the holiday, but it’s the meaning of love. And it’s the meaning of I like to feel at peace. I don’t often feel at peace. At Christmas, sometimes I’ll just be by myself, steal a moment, and just be in the room, look at the tree, listen to the music. And there I am.”
Watch the full interview above.