Mariah Carey proved her voice is ageing like a fine wine with a sensational Valentine’s Day weekend performance of her classic hit We Belong Together during Friday’s (Feb 12) instalment of ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’.
The star stopped by the show for a stripped back live rendition of the No. 1 hit, taken from ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, recorded at the star’s home.
Accompanied by keys, guitar and drums, Mariah showcased her full vocal range – including her signature whistle register – for a version of the tune that’s been heralded as the most complex ever.
Carey produced, arranged and sang background vocals for the ‘Mimi’s Late Night Valentine’s Mix’ of We Belong Together – and she’s teased an extended mix could be on the way.
Taking to social media, the star penned: “Happy early Valentine’s Day! Hope you enjoyed ‘We Belong Together’ on @LiveKellyRyan which we did after a late night jam session!
“We actually recorded a 7 minute version of this song thinking of putting it out for the lambily!”
We Belong Together was featured on Mariah’s 10th studio album and earned four Grammy nominations in 2006, including Record and Song of the Year, and eventually won for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Speaking of the new meaning the song has taken on amid the pandemic, Mariah explained: “Now dealing with the pandemic and dealing with everything that we’re all dealing with, We Belong Together is really even more of a message than it was when we first wrote this song, because we do belong together, meaning all of us.
Happy early Valentine's Day! ?? Hope you enjoyed "We Belong Together" on @LiveKellyRyan which we did after a late night jam session! ???? We actually recorded a 7 minute version of this song ?? thinking of putting it out for the lambily! ?? https://t.co/bEfatStmoB pic.twitter.com/8bR2PcZJTc
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) February 12, 2021
“So hopefully a little later, as things are getting in terms of the pandemic, we’ll all be together again.”
The performance comes off the back of a busy year for the star, who released her top-selling memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, and celebrated three decades since the release of her debut album.
Along with vinyl reissues of her entire discography, up until 2014’s Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse., she also released The Rarities – an album of outtakes, B-sides and live cuts.
In our review of the album, Retro Pop said Mariah “more than proves she’s earned her ‘icon’ status” across its 15 tracks.
