Rylan sat down with pop queen Mariah Carey to speak about the 30th anniversary of her immortal Christmas hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.
The British TV presenter, 36, interviewed the US pop star in Los Angeles for a BBC special set to air on Saturday 7 December, which he began by offering Carey what he called a “real British gift”.
“I like to think of myself as quite a decent gentleman, and it’s [our] first time meeting, and I would love to give you a gift if that’s alright,” he told her.
“Really?” Carey asked.
“Yeah, because that’s what you do, that’s how I’ve been brought up,” he responded. “I’ve been really busy with work, but I did stop at Heathrow and it’s a real British gift. You’ve got a Mariah Carey Toblerone.”
Rylan then presented Carey with the bar of chocolate, which had her name printed on the side.
“Thank you so much, that’s so great,” Carey said. “Maybe as we talk I’ll open it…”
As the interview got underway, the pop singer said she “can’t believe” it’s been 30 years since she released her hit song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.
The track is one of the most successful festive songs of all time, and regularly charts in the top 10 ahead of Christmas Day.
Released in 1994, it is also Carey’s most successful song and made history in 2021, when it became the first and only holiday song to win the RIAA’s Diamond Award – which recognises 10 million sales and streaming units in the US.
After receiving the honour, the pop star said that the continued love for her song “never ceases to amaze me and fill my heart with a multitude of emotions”.
“It blows my mind that ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ has endured different eras of the music industry,” she said.
In the BBC interview, Rylan also spoke to Carey about her career beginnings, her earliest jobs as a waitress, working in a hair salon and then as a backup singer, and her achievements over the years.
The pop star kicked off the festive season last month with an elaborate video that paid tribute to the Addams Family.
Dressed as Morticia Addams, Carey began the clip against a monochrome backdrop with a spooky instrumental cover of her classic hit, “All I Want For Christmas is You”.
Joined by an actor playing Gomez Addams, she dances a tango around a spooky castle ballroom before grabbing a dagger and hurling it into a mirror.
Then, a bell tolls as a wardrobe opens to reveal a Santa Claus outfit as Carey gives a knowing smirk.
The scene cuts to a shot of the pop star now dressed in full festive gear while sitting on a reindeer-drawn sleigh piled high with presents, as she sings: “It’s time!”
Her video plays a clip of the original song as Gomez is transformed into a snowman and the spooky castle becomes a magical Christmas wonderland.
Carey will present a show on BBC Radio 2 on Christmas Day from 7pm.
During the hour-long show, she will thank fans for their support over the years and play a number of Christmas classics by artists who inspire her, from Aretha Franklin to Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.
Mariah Meets Rylan airs on BBC Two on 7 December.
