Music icon Mariah Carey takes the cover story of W Magazine‘s Holiday 2022 edition lensed by fashion photographer Ethan James Green. In charge of styling was Sara Moonves, with set design from Ian Salter at Frankreps, and production by Hudson Hill Production. Beauty is work of hair stylist Serge Normant for Serge Normant HairCare at Statement Artists, makeup artist Kristofer Buckle at Crosby Carter Mgmt, and manicurist Sunshine Outing for Pipbuzzz to Go.
Darling, look, I know a lot of the time people are like, “Oh, yay! Look at her! She’s, like, so festive and such a Christmas girl,” or whatever. But, really, Christmas makes me happy. People think I had this princess-style life or whatever, a kind of fairy-tale existence where I just emerged, like, “Here I am!” And that is not what it is. I doubt you have enough time to write about all that, so we won’t go into it. But when you grow up with a messed-up life and then you’re able to have this transformation where you can make your life what you want it to be? That is joy for me. That’s why I want my kids to have everything they can have. I want them to be able to understand that they can be anything they want to be.
That’s why she is called “the Christmas Princess.” Not because I think I’m a Christmas princess, or any of those things that I’ve never called myself. I grew up in an all-white neighborhood, and when I was little, no one had my name. No one could even pronounce my name. My substitute teacher would be like, “Oh, hey, Marissa!” Like, they literally didn’t know how to say it. So we call her Little Mariah in this story, because we’re talking about a little girl who rises above her circumstances and ends up helping other people through music. Prince Charming doesn’t save her. Music saves her. Music always saves the day, okay? – Mariah Carey
Photography © Ethan James Green for W Magazine, read more at wmagazine.com
