NEWS
Mariah Carey performs onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2019 in Las Vegas.
Kevin WinterMariah Carey had the perfect reaction to her latest career landmark. In a celebratory tweet on Friday morning (Dec. 3), the Christmas Queen wrote, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” along with diamond and heart emoji. In a pair of accompanying pics, the singer clutched a Diamond Award from the RIAA for 10 million in sales and streams for her perennial holiday smash, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
MC posed in front of a Christmas tableau for the shot, which was posted just days after “All I Want” topped Billboard‘s Holiday 100 ranking of the top seasonal songs of all eras, marking the 46th week it held that No. 1 position in the 51 total weeks since the list launched in 2011. Mariah’s holiday classic has has topped the tally for 31 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season.
Carey’s 1994 carol crowned all three Holiday 100 component charts (with all surveys dated Dec. 4): Holiday Streaming Songs (17.5 million U.S. streams, up 57%, in the Nov. 19-25 tracking week, according to MRC Data), Holiday Airplay (15.2 million audience impressions, up 87%) and Holiday Digital Song Sales (3,800 sold, up 42%).
Clearly all that holiday cheer is spreading, as evidenced by Mariah’s response to a fan who shared a classic “All I Want” anecdote on Friday morning. “While jamming in my car to @MariahCarey (All I Want For Christmas Is You, of course), a truck full of construction workers next to me at the stop light rolled down their windows & started singing along w/me while waving wildly. The Christmas spirit is alive & well in #Charlotte,” the woman tweeted.
Mariah loved it. “I wish I could see it!!!! Long live the Christmas spirit!!!” she responded, along with a string of appropriately festive emoji.
Check out Mariah’s tweets below.
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
