Flowers: Mariah Carey & SZA Talk Here For It All & Unreleased Grunge Album | Apple Music

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are live on Apple Music right now, and you are about to witness something very, very special. Are the Lambs in the building? Yeah, I had to get a vibe check. Had to get a vibe check. I told Mimi I would. Listen, our beloved Mariah Carey is dropping another album. She has given us so much, so many songs, so much beautiful music, and of course, her beautiful voice. She's an author, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a producer, and of course, an amazing songwriter. So, yeah, you can give our girl a round of applause. One thing you gotta know tonight, don't hesitate to emote and feel and all the things, right? All the things. We're here to give flowers. That's the whole point. We're here to celebrate Mariah Carey. Now, I got some notes because her accolades are astounding and it's a hefty list, so I wanna make sure I hit them all. She's the best-selling female artist of all time. More than 200 million albums sold to date. 19 Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, and 18 of them she wrote. More than any solo artist in history. Inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Grammy Award winner. We all saw this year the 2025 MTV Video Vanguard recipient. We saw the 2025 BET Icon Award recipient. And Billboard's Artist of the Decade. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you're gonna see a conversation between another amazing songwriter and Mariah Carey. You may have heard of her, SZA. A young lady who's like, listen, I need to come out there and give Mariah Carey her flowers because without Mariah, there's no me. So give it up for SZA. Give it up for our girl, Mariah Carey. They are here for it all and I hope you are too. Ladies and gentlemen, Mariah Carey and SZA on Apple Music Flowers. Bro, I love you back. I love you, Mariah. I love you more. That would be me. Hi, queen. Oh my gosh. This is so amazing. It really is. No, like literally it's so amazing because you are everything. You are beyond, beyond an icon. Whether it's the ball gowns and the looks, the hyper-beautiful femininity, the storytelling in your songs and your music. But wait, what are the ball gowns and the looks? I wear ball gowns? Oh, I know. So for me, it's like, actually I want you to tell me. What's that about? Talk to me about your fashion. I find you to be like the queen of femininity and like very dainty, you're always be down, always down. Even in the studio last night, you were be down, you were sat down. What did I even have on last night? We spent last night together in the studio. We did. Yes. We did. It was amazing. I felt it was amazing because I love her music and I got to know that she's actually a really good person, like a great person as well. Thank you, you're a good person. And you're so cool. You wouldn't know why I'm gonna say. Wait, wait, I have so many questions, but I wanna know your style. I wanna talk to you about like, where does that hyper-feminine, super girly, like the ideal princess, where does that come from? Wait, what type of princess? Like the ideal, the ideal like hyper-feminine princess. I love a princess moment, I really do. A queen moment. A queen moment, yes, okay. But sometimes you get princessy and that's your vibe then, you know what I mean? May I ask you to define the word diva for me? Diva, well, oh, they're defining it for me. Oh, period. Because that's what I would also agree. I just wanted to know how you see yourself. I feel like you're constantly being told how people see you, but how do you see yourself? Well, so my mom was an opera singer. She actually made her debut at Lincoln Center. And yeah, so I was always around music since I was little. And she was also a diva because she was an opera singer. And that's the definition of the word if you're gonna look it up. And so she would say like, so-and-so is very much the diva. And I had to learn what that meant on my own, but I think I'm probably very much a diva. Can you tell me the traditional meaning that you learned from your mother? What is it? A singer, a singing woman that's, you know, sometimes it's a difficult woman. Sometimes they say that. And I don't love that because I don't think that's the actual definition. It's a woman who sings typically a soprano. Okay. Yeah. Oh, you are the diva. Yeah, understood. So last night we were in the studio. Yes. And two seconds ago, I just said, oh, you're so cool. I wanna tell y'all why. So you told me that you recorded a secret album in 96 or was it 97? Around there, yes. And you blessed me enough to hear a couple of things from the secret album. He's got the album cover. Oh my gosh. I have to show this to you. Wait, wait, wait, wait. That's Someone's Ugly Daughter. Wait, wait, tell us the title. Say the title out loud. Say the title. Is that Chick? Yes. Oh, I need one of these because I have to show you soon. Are you gonna, and then the title of the band? Am I gonna- Someone's Ugly Daughter? Someone's Ugly Daughter, yes. But look at this. I did the album cover myself. Oh my God. You're so crazy. Come on, man. It's a roach. So now you gotta imagine. Okay, so it's a roach that was killed, not by me, I don't kill things. And the smooshed lipstick, it's there, the lip imprint on the paper and my writing with the lipstick and Someone's Ugly Daughter. In the back, we have this. What do you imagine, what do y'all imagine this to sound like? Grunge, rock, cause I was shocked out of my mind. I was shocked out of my mind. It was the coolest thing ever. And I begged her if she would play a couple of snippets of it today. I'm just trying to, I wanna play them. I just, I don't know what, you guys maybe can help me know what to do. Wait, can I pick? Can I pick? I remember, I remember everything. My favorite? Joe is one of them, yeah. So my favorites, I like Joe, Hermit, Malibu, Prom Queen. I like, I like, Love is a Scam. Love is a Scam is good. Look at her remembering this. Because it was that good, I'm not even kidding. It was the most like refreshing thing I've heard all year. It was so beautiful. Like you are- I wanna put this out though, what do I do? Please, so I begged her to put it out. If you're seeing this, you know how this works. We have to, bullying works, I'm joking. It doesn't work. But ----, we have to let everyone know that we need this. I promise you, I heard it. We need this. Trust me that we need this. But you know, it's up to Queen Mariah. If you wanna let them hear anything at all. It's just little moments, you know. Yes. But the inspiration behind something so grunge, you said that you were making this while you were making Daydream. And it's such a juxtaposition and a departure. And so would it be like, always be my baby, someone's ugly daughter. Yeah, so okay. You know. So was it like every night that you would make something in Daydream's section, you would go juxtapose and be like- And I would sit down and write, you know, the little lyrics that we were talking about. Love is a scam. Just like, just letting out all the anger. Cause at that point I was going through so much and I really needed something like this. You're so cool. Okay. They gave me questions, but it's like, I wanna ask you my own question. But it's, cause I'm really a fan. Oh, okay. Wanna talk about Here For It All? Yes. We absolutely should. Okay. Cause I'm here for it all. I'm everything old and new. Then now, okay. So I also heard some beautiful songs from Here For It All last night. And then can you tell me about your favorite song? About my favorite song? On this whole project. On the whole project. It is Here For It All. Okay. That's my favorite. And that's why I named the album Here For It All. Cause I didn't want people to pass it by, you know, cause I was gonna put it as the end song. And then I did. Just to make sure that people heard it, see it, hear it, you know, all that. That sounds so interesting. You have a faith, like you ingrain faith into a lot of your work, especially the recent work. And on Here For It All, you actually have a section that goes, it's very like, it's very faith centric. In addition to a song that I heard with the Clark sisters. Yes. I love that one. That is called Jesus I Do. And it's with the Clark sisters who I've been worshiping for years and years. Even though I don't know time, I don't know what that is. We can tell you're aged. Thank you, darling. But yeah. No, so I was, I was so excited to be able to work with the Clark sisters and our song is Jesus I Do. And it's the second to last song on the album. Yeah. I wanted to ask you, talk to me about your faith and how God influences your work, because I really feel so connected to God when I hear your voice and it feels very anointed and you adding so much of that into your music. I would love to know like your relationship with God and faith. Talk to me about that. Well, obviously, there's no way to really tell my full relationship because it's a private relationship with God. And always, God has gotten me through everything I've ever gone through. And so making music and especially kind of gospel tinged songs, it's something that's just uplifting and faith is everything for me. And I'm glad that you felt that way. That really means a lot. Literally in every song, it's like even the songs that aren't even faith centric, it's a frequency in your voice that really takes me to that place, takes all of us to that place. It carries us. It's just so incredible. And as do you, your voice is amazing. Thank you so very much. And the music itself, I love it. I lose my mind. Thank you. I do, I really do. I'm so honored that you're here doing this today. I literally wouldn't miss this for the world. This is so incredible to me. Even last night, it was so ironic. The first song, when we sat down, that you were like, oh, do you want to, let's play some music. And the first song you played was a song from my childhood with my childhood best friend, Ashley. Shout out to Ashley, A-L-M-A. Shout out to Ashley. She's from Harlem. But hey, she's from Harlem and she lives in Maplewood, New Jersey. But so, Underneath the Stars. Okay. That song has brought me to so many tears and it was so weird and spiritual that you were like, let's play this song. Out of all songs. I just thought we could do something like that. That'd be like it, but not exactly like it. It's like when I hear some of your songs, like Snooze particularly, I'll be like, there's some kind of a thing about it that gives me that Underneath the Stars kind of feeling, but yet it's different. I don't know. I'm incredibly honored. But that song literally shaped in my mind so many of your runs, your melodies, your pocket choices, your songwriting. I would love to talk about your songwriting. So, what is your biggest driving inspiration? When it comes to a song, I asked you about how you were working on Chick, right? I said, did you freestyle this? Yeah. Were you writing it down? I guess it was freestyle. What did I say? You said it was partial freestyle. You said you were freestyling it and then you would walk up to the bandmate and go play. And then you would say, okay, now I'm going to say this over that. So it was like, you were like working in like this simultaneous like wind tunnel of creativity where it's like, you're freestyling a little bit, you're producing as well. You're going over here and directing. It's crazy. Simultaneously. That's what we were doing. Well, yeah, it was. So, and for some reason that, it's not a spiritual album at all for certainly what most people would think is a spiritual album, but it gave me this kind of feeling like a freedom. It allowed me to feel free while I was really not free yet in my life and the stuff that was going on in my life. But yeah, I do love that album. I love it too. Honestly, please clap for Mariah. Man, I wanted to ask you something else interesting that you told me yesterday. When I think about relationships and being an inspiration, so for here, for it all, when I asked you about, I came with my best friend to the studio and I was like, well, what's your best friend? And you were like, I don't have a best friend. And I was like, oh, that's real. I respect that. But I wonder, but you clearly experienced so much love and connection. May I ask, so all that inspiration that sounds like relationship, inspiration of all kinds, platonic, romantic, I'm sure your children offer that. Please talk to me about how love inspires your life and inspired this album and even whatever your greatest inspiration is for here, for it all. Is it your children or the relationships in your life? What's important? Well, you mentioned my children. They're the most important people to me. And I wanted them to come tonight. They couldn't be bothered. So we just hung out for a little while before I left the place. And they're great. They make me so happy. Like, you know, it's, do you have kids? I don't, but I want kids really badly. Really? Yeah. Recently I just like really started thinking I really want kids. Yeah. I don't know that time clock. It'd be like, hey, do something like that. Be like, hey. But it's just, your children are so beautiful. Thank you. I wanted to also talk to you about loving relationships. What, what do you look for in a relationship of any kind that attracts you or that makes you feel like this is somewhere I want to be. This is a relationship I want to build. What's that? I'm going to have to say it's the Lambs. Oh, period. It really is. It really, it really, really is because there's never been anything like it for me. The relationship I have with the Lambs, the fans, however you want to say it. You guys, is it the Lambs? Yes. The Lamily, exactly. That's the best one. The Lamily. Because, I mean, I don't even know how to explain it, but it just, ever since I've met like, the first time I ever met a fan or a Lam, I realized, oh, I actually have people that like my music and want to hear me and stuff. I didn't know. And that, it's in my book. It's in my book. Buy the book. Please buy the book. I got you. So, a seven-year hiatus. That's not a little bit. There was other stuff going on too. Talk to me. What was going on? Where were you at? The other stuff was not as exciting for me as making a new album, but it was still, you know, going and doing things that were important for my life. So, yeah. Can we get a taste? What were some of those things during the seven years? Well, I needed to do more of this during the seven years. I mean, like, I can't believe it's been seven years. Exactly. It doesn't exist. It's been seven seconds. Milliseconds. Yes. You got to help me with all these time references. I don't know them. Speaking of a season, speaking of timing. So, this is an independent season in your life. Tell me how it feels to be moving in independence with Gamma and doing your own thing. It feels great to be feeling independent with Gamma. It really does. And even last night, Larry was with us and that was so fun. Like, you know, sometimes it just feels like a corporate situation and that's not what this is with Gamma. It feels really good, really comfortable. Just, you know, it's pretty great. Larry cares about the music. He does care about music, but I've just gotten to know Larry as well. You know, I mean, a few, a little while, you know, but I think he's great. And I think working with Gamma has been amazing and hopefully we'll continue to do so. I'm so excited. So, I'm curious, okay, are we going to get to hear any of Here For It All? Or is that, should I not ask that in front of company? I don't know. Are we allowed to do that? Do you want to play actual Here For It All? Sorry, sorry. I think that you should do whatever your favorite song is. Okay. And I think that we should play like a little, tiny bit of, just like a little bit. You want me to play Here For It All? Okay. All right. You know what's interesting? You're like a little bit, you're not shy, but you're like, so like, demure and sweet and soft. And like, I don't know, should we do it? Should we not do it? But you're just such a powerhouse. And it's so interesting that like, you're so like gentle. And I think it's beautiful. You gotta be gentle sometimes. I'm not always gentle. You're an Aries, so I believe that. Typical Aries. Yes. Aries. Come on with the Aries. Yes. Oh, here we go. It's Here For It All from the new album, Here For It All. The glory, the shame. I guess we're waiting until. Wait, what about the gospel breakdown? They can't hear the gospel break? Okay. Nevermind. I mean, we think they can. Yeah. We can't play the whole thing. Okay. No, no. I'm sorry. I'm a fan and I'm fanning out. I'm sure your music director knows what's best. There's a gospel section, y'all. I think he would like to play that. Do you hear that no choice? Do you hear that delivery? Do you feel that spirit? You're just, it's definitely my favorite. So anointed. You're so anointed. Thank you, my darling. I really do want to talk to you actually about your note choice because you really have a style, right? Like outside of you going into Whistle Tone with ease, you have a pocket choice and a note choice. Who are some of your favorite like writers and melodicists? Is that a real word? Not melodicists. Maybe. I don't know. It's something. Where does that, do you feel like your note choice is just innate? Like this is what it feels like to respond to the music you're receiving or like where does it come from? Like where does that style, where was it born? Where you notice, oh, these are my note choices. Well, it's interesting because a lot of it's born when I'm writing the song, you know, and there's a melody that is just come to me and it stays in the song. And it, you know, when the song becomes whatever it's going to become, that's it. But your ad-libs though. Like, you know how last night I knew your ad-libs, like just like I knew your words. It's like just- She did. Come on, cause you're amazing. But it's like, your ad-libs are literally just as memorable as if they had words attached to them. So I was wondering like, that choice is so Mariah. You know what I mean? That's so funny to say that. Effortless. No, I, you know, I don't know that I think about it. It's just something that comes to me during the moment of creating the song. So it's all one thing is what I was trying to say before. I didn't really articulate it properly, but yeah, it's all one moment for me. What would you say is the most important thing that your mother taught you about life and about music and singing in general? Well, we had a very interesting relationship and then she just passed away last year. So sorry. I think one of the main things that she said, one thing she said to me and it was clear and it was right there. She said, don't say if I make it, say when I make it. Yeah. So, you know, I'm gonna get emotional. Literally, we love you. And a mother is everyone's most precious gift, just as you are the most precious gift to your children, just as you've been a mother to all of us. I hope I'm their precious gift. Oh, you are. You are. And all of your feelings are completely valid. May I hug you? I'm sure she's incredibly proud of you, of how you're mothering and carrying yourself in the world. You're just, you're doing an amazing job. Thank you so much. I want you to stay sparkly, stay glitter. I had to watch Glitter again. You know what was so interesting that I always wanted to know? I was watching Precious, right? Uh-huh. I know it's so random, but you were like, you stole that, that, I was captured by you. I was captivated. Where did you go? Like, where did that come from, that like deep, yeah, where did you go? She went away and I became Miss Weiss. Okay. That was her name. And Lee Daniels was like, sweetie, no makeup. You will have no makeup. You're gonna have this hideous wig and blah, blah, blah. So he was, he came over to my face and went like, just to see if I was wearing makeup. I was like, Lee, I'm not wearing makeup. And he made me wear this prosthetic nose and then I took it off. It was horrible. But I did love that scene with the ladies. I cried too because the character cries, but then wipes it away. Honestly, seeing your tear just now took me back to that place because it captured me and I was, it's such a contrast to the high glam and the high femininity. That whole thing, that outfit, oof. But I think it's also a nod to your ability to juxtapose yourself and that people don't know you. Like the fact that you can make chicken, I know y'all haven't heard it, but it's like, that makes that Miss Weiss make a lot of sense to me. But I like to imagine the character from Chick. Who is she? She's definitely more colorful, you know what I mean? And yet, just out of her gourd. Would you say she's still in there? Like you feel like she's a part of your inner self that's always with you? When I hear the music, she is. I gotta put it out. I really keep saying this. Come on! We have to. Can we just play a little bit of Love is a Scam? Or a little bit of Malibu? Or a little bit of Prom? I feel like Love is a Scam or Malibu. Hermit? Or Hermit. I love Hermit. Or Joe. Malibu is so cute and silly. Since I'm putting this on for everybody, I think I should choose the song. I agree! I agree. I have my opinion. Okay, so Hermit. Okay, let's do it. Thank you. We were debating whether the next last little piece we'll let you hear is Love is a Scam or Malibu. Don't you feel that way? Because isn't Love a Scam? Heal us, Mariah! I feel you. Love is a scam. But Malibu's so cute. I don't want to be your doormat. I don't want to clip your toenails. And don't. I just feel like it's so interesting to hear you speak to such a raw, visceral, honest part of humanity. Not just women, but just a feeling in this project is so like, it was so like, **** y'all, excuse my language. And I just love to see that departure because it really let me know, wow, I don't even know the full pantheon or monologue of who you are as an artist. And it's such a gift to have treats undiscovered. They're definitely, they're treats for me. Because that gave me like, that was my treat. Like I had nothing else to do and I was just doing other music. Can it be a treat for us? Yes. But it was a treat for me. Like honestly, being around you at all and like seeing you sing in person. Why? The records are playing, you're just a treat. Like everything about you is such a treat. Ooh. The album can be called Treat. Because if we made a group, it would be Treat. Okay, wait, wait, wait. Or Treats. Oh, I love that. Wait, this other song that I heard from your album last night from Here For It All. Feelings. Is it In Your Feelings? I wanna, can we also play that? I love it. No. How do you? I love that song. I just, I just, I'm upset. Or, but also you don't have to play anything you don't wanna play. Is there anything else from your album that you wanna play? No, that one's good. That's, I like you picking the songs. I'm just passionate about you. That is good. Just, and I can't relax. We was young. Pretend, so I didn't know for sure. I thought we could. Guess you're probably scared I'll let you go. Myself for them. Why I feel so estranged. Pain from my heartache. We're back where we started. I can't keep playing these games. I think you might be getting a little bit Feelings. I might spare a moment for a picture. And you can take it as I'm leaving, yeah, yeah. It's snippets. I guess it's just snippets. I think you might be getting a little bit. I love that. I think you might be getting a little bit too. I love that about you. As a songwriter that, I think you might be getting, like you, the way you, for real, like the way that you just like syncopate. Like your syncopation and the way you just kind of like wade into a phrase or a melody. It's just, I love it. Thank you, darling. I'm so excited for this album. I'm so excited for everything. Yeah, she never left. I love you guys, seriously. You make me happy. You save me. You really, really do. You saved us over and over again in different moments of our lives, different albums of yours. So thank you so much for providing that shelter and that space for us with your voice and your energy. And thank you for allowing me to talk to you. I had one tiny question. I was wondering, out of all your albums, this is me actually just wanting to ask the things I always wanted to ask Mariah. Which album did you feel like, nah, this is the most me? Like this is Mariah and you felt the most free? Butterfly. Period. That's good, because I wore my butterfly attire today. Yes, you did. In that spirit. I love it. And I wore it last night, too. This is my month of Mariah. This is my year of Mariah. Well, it's our year of Mariah. Period. Was there anything else that you want to tell us about this album? No, I just hope you guys like the whole album when you're able to get it. And the whole thing, because it has its own different vibes and places that it goes and stuff like that. And I had such a good time making it for you. I can't wait for y'all to hear everything, the unreleased, the finna be released, the things that we're gonna work on, I'm sure, are gonna be so amazing. And let me tell y'all, she can hang. It was after midnight and she was like, so you ready to start writing or what? You ready to go? And I was like, oh, period. I'm a late night person. I like that. Deep respect, all my love for you. Deep respect to you, darling. Thank you so much. Thank you. Here for it all. Go get that. Give it up for Mariah Carey. Also, give it up for our girl, SZA. What an amazing interview. Yes. I was so nervous. I'm like sweating. We love you, gorgeous. Ladies and gentlemen, shout to Jazz at Lincoln Center. Shout to Gamma. This new series, Flowers. Mariah Carey's new album, Here For It All. Make sure you get it Friday. Thank you for coming out tonight. Sorry, I was talking about my lover, y'all.