No One Knows How Old Mariah Carey Really Is — ‘I Don’t Count Years But I Definitely Rebuke Them’
How old is Mariah Carey?
It seems like a simple enough question on the surface. But a quick visit to Wikipedia reveals the Grammy-Award winning singer was born on March 27, 1969 or 1970. And if you asked the “Dream Lover” crooner herself, she wouldn’t give you an answer anywhere near that.
Carey reached a point in life where age is irrelevant and attitude is everything. She still honors her birthday each year — sort of. The legendary artist doesn’t count years or decades but rather insists on celebrating “anniversaries” of being more glamorous than the rest of us.
Mariah Carey was destined for a musical life
No matter the year, Carey entered the world as the youngest child of opera singer Patricia (née Hickey) and Alfred Roy Carey. She was named after the song “They Call the Wind Maria” from the Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon, according to Vogue.
Recognizing her daughter’s vocal talent, Carey’s mom urged her to experiment with opera singing. But that path never felt exactly right to the future pop star. Eventually, Carey moved to New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional singer.
She says she’s ‘eternally 12 years old’
To hear Carey tell it, she’s never aged into her teenage years. The singer jokingly says she’s “eternally 12 years old” and has maintained this stance for years. Meanwhile, only her mother and her birth certificate hold the key to Carey’s true age.
In March 2020, Carey celebrated what was potentially her 50th birthday with images reiterating her stance on birthdays.
Mariah Carey celebrated her ‘birth anniversary’ on social media
The “All I Want for Christmas Is You” composer took to social media to acknowledge a milestone birthday in 2020. At least, it probably was.
“Spent 3.27 at home with my family and virtually with fans and friends from all over the world,” she wrote on Instagram in the photo caption. “Thank you for all the love.”
The cake in the image said, “Happy Anniversary Mariah,” because again, she is against celebrating birthdays. “I don’t count years but I definitely rebuke them,” she told Observer in 2014, according to oprahmag.com. “I have anniversaries, not birthdays because I celebrate life.”
And the candles on the cake offered no indication of whether March 27 was Carey’s 50th or 51st birth anniversary. The number candles on top said “12” and the hashtag said, “eternally12.”
She isn’t afraid to be her authentic self
Over the years, Carey has embraced her inner diva and is not even slightly ashamed of who she is. During an interview with The Guardian, the singer addressed all the rumors of her high maintenance behavior over the years.
“You know what? I don’t give a sh*t. I f*cking am high-maintenance because I deserve to be at this point. That may sound arrogant, but I hope you frame it within the context of coming from nothing,” the Grammy winner said.
“If I can’t be high-maintenance after working my a** off my entire life, oh, I’m sorry — I didn’t realize we all had to be low maintenance. Hell, no! I was always high-maintenance, it’s just I didn’t have anyone to do the maintenance when I was growing up!”
She’s an unapologetic diva, she doesn’t have birthdays, and she’ll always be 12. And that’s why so many fans love Mariah Carey.
