Before becoming one of Puerto Rico’s most iconic singer-songwriters, Tommy Torres was working as a general assistant at Sony. On Monday (December 12), Torres reflected on the time he helped Mariah Carey get into the Christmas spirit while she was recording her holiday album.
Torres has experienced great success as an artist and a songwriter for other acts. He produced one of Ricky Martin‘s biggest songs “Tal Vez” in 2003. Torres also co-wrote the smash “¡Corre!” by Mexican duo Jesse y Joy in 2011. Torres’ biggest hits include “Perdame En Ti” and “Quédate” with Kany García. Last year, he returned with the album El Playlist De Anoche that he co-wrote and co-produced with Bad Bunny.
On Twitter, Torres revealed in 1993 and 1994 that he was a general assistant as Sony’s studios. His duties included getting coffee for the artists and cleaning up the cables in the studio. His favorite memory was getting the recording studio ready for Carey who was in the midst of recording her 1994 album Merry Christmas.
Por ahí, en el 1993-1994 yo trabajaba en los estudios Sony en NY como asistente general. Además de buscar café y recoger los cables al final de las sesiones, un trabajo en particular siempre se quedó en mi memoria. Cada cierto tiempo venía Mariah Carey a grabar al estudio A…
— Tommy Torres (@Tommy_Torres) December 12, 2022
“She had a particular request, that we decorate the studio for Christmas,” Torres recalled. “In other words, a full Christmas tree, decorations, spray snow, and wrapped gift boxes. Since it was almost summer, she wanted to feel the Christmas atmosphere while singing.”
Carey would go on to record the global hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in that recording studio. Looking back on the impact of Carey’s Christmas album, he now applauds her creative choices.
“What seemed like a diva request turned out to be a very good artistic decision,” he wrote. “Every time I hear ‘All I Want For Christmas,’ I am brought back to that time as a shy but happy boy living in the big city, where Christmas is magical, watching great recordings being made, and learning quietly from a corner.”
Earlier this month, Torres released his bachata-infused love song “Mi Secreto.” Carey returned to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week with “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”