Last night, the American Music Awards took place in Los Angeles, welcoming a host of stars from Cardi B to Twenty One Pilots in order to celebrate the last year of musical achievements. During the event, Taylor Swift got political, soul legend Gladys Knight performed a tribute for Aretha Franklin, and Mariah Carey sang her new hit, With You, live on stage.

... Or did she?

While a lot of people thought that the We Belong Together artist absolutely killed her performance, others were convinced that the star was lip-syncing throughout the whole thing.

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Almost as soon as she set foot on stage, Twitter was awash with fans and critics commenting on the quality of her performance.

"Mariah Carey sucks so bad kick her off the stage with that lip sync bulls**t," wrote one person.

"Someone take Mariah to karaoke and teach her how to lipsync better," said another.

And one Twitter user even went so far as to say that the music icon had earned the right to mouth along to her own songs: "Mariah has earned her stripes so if she chose to lip sync tonight’s performance then so be it. Sis gave us “Butterfly” and for that flawless album I will always be grateful."

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Carey has not confirmed or denied whether she was lip-syncing the "live" performance, but a representative did come forward to defend her for all the hard work she's put into her music and her career.

"Wow we can’t even get through five minutes without someone trying to tear her down," they said.

And it's true that Mariah has faced some harsh criticism in the past - but it's also true that she's been known to lip-sync at previous performances.

Nearly two years ago, at a 2016/17 New Year's Eve performance in Times Square, the singer struggled through her performance after mouthing the words to the wrong song. She tried to make excuses for her mistake, saying that she couldn't hear what she was supposed to be singing (though that didn't really explain why her backing track already had vocals on it).

"I’m trying to be a good sport here," she told the crowd. "We didn’t have a check for this song… we’re missing some of the vocals, but it is what it is."

In the end, she gave up on trying to save face and just held out the mic for the crowd, saying, "I’m just going to let the audience sing."

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At least, this time around, there were no obvious giveaways that would suggest Mariah wasn't giving a live performance. So, if she was simply miming along, she's certainly got better at it than she was back in 2016. And if she wasn't - she absolutely killed it!

Dolly Parton may have left many of her biggest fans in awe with her Thanksgiving Day performance - but not everybody was impressed.

The 77-year-old country music star took to the football field yesterday to perform the halftime show for the Commanders-Cowboys game in Dallas.

Performing at AT&T Stadium, Parton paid tribute to the hometown team by donning a blue and white Dallas Cowboys cheerleading outfit over a rhinestoned and sparkling flesh-colored bodysuit. Parton delighted fans with performances of '9 to 5', 'Jolene', and Queen's 'We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You'.

With her glamorous wig, energetic performance, and an outfit that showed off her figure, it's no surprise many viewers had to google how old Parton actually is! Check out her incredible outfit below:

But despite many viewers praising Parton for breaking down age expectations and showcasing her vivacious personality, some social media users actually took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to criticize the singer for her outfit choice.

"She looks RIDICULOUS. And it was horrific lip-synching! She could have wore something similar but that looks classy for her age. She looks like a CLOWN," one X user wrote.

One X user added: "I honestly don't care what Dolly Parton does. I have no desire to tell anyone how to dress. However, if I were asked my opinion then I'd have to say no, she should dress her age. A 77 year old woman shouldn't be dressing like that."

A third asked: "Why does 77-year-old Dolly Parton 'perform' on Thanksgiving wearing a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit? Can't these people age gracefully?"

Another simply wrote: "It is ridiculous. She’s 77. She shouldn’t be wearing that."

Fortunately, there were plenty of social media users willing to explain to the critics that women can wear whatever they darn well please.

"Dolly Parton can dress any way she likes. Why? Because she’s Dolly Freaking Parton — and she’ll look AMAZING doing it," one fan gushed.

A second firmly stated: "Dolly Parton, and any woman, can dress however they want at whatever age they want."

"If I look like that when I'm 77, I'm joining her on the field," one fan added, with another tweeting: "Well, she's 77 years old and pulled it off quite nicely. I can't think of any other 77-year-old out there that could do what she did tonight. She looks amazing for her age!

"Hats off for Dolly, she earned it, kept her image all these years and I have nothing but respect for her."

But in case some of Dolly's critics still aren't getting the message, I'm going to let this tweet be the final and definitive message of the day:

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Featured image credit: Icon Sportswire / Getty

Mariah Carey performed her first-ever duet with her daughter at a Christmas show, proving that talent really does run in the family!

It's that time of year when Mariah Carey, 52, takes center stage as it seems almost impossible to get through the season without hearing 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' - but we aren't against that!

Mariah released the song in 1994 and it has been a staple of the holiday season ever since, with many new versions arriving over the years, including one with popstar Justin Bieber in 2011.

The iconic singer recently took to the stage at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena for her first concert since the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to live performances, per the Daily Mail.

Joining Mariah on stage in front of the sold-out crowd was her 11-year-old daughter Monroe, and the pair performed a rendition of the Christmas classic 'Away In A Manger'.

The footage was shared live on TikTok before it made its way over to Twitter for everyone to get a glimpse of the mother-daughter duet.

Speaking on stage, they revealed this was their first-ever duet together, and they had been busy rehearsing for the big moment.

Mariah announced to the crowd: "This is my baby girl, here. Eleven years ago, I got the greatest gift. You know what, I don’t have birthdays, but the birthing day was the greatest gift ever. This is our first duet."

Monroe proved that her mother's talent has been passed on to her as she held her own next to a seasoned professional. She didn't join in when Mariah did her signature whistle tone as they began, but did whistle with her during the middle of the set, showing she may potentially have inherited her mother's famous five-octave range.

The concert was the first performance of a tour that will see Mariah take to the stage in New York's Madison Square Garden for two shows on December 13 and 16.

Mariah shares Monroe with ex-husband Nick Cannon, who the singer divorced in 2014. She also has a twin brother, Moroccan.

One person on Twitter summed up most people's feelings by saying: "That video with Mariah and her daughter is lovely. There is nothing like a mother and daughter love."

Featured image credit: Everett Collection / Alamy

Mariah Carey has become so deeply associated with Christmas that the holiday season practically cues her annual “defrosting” memes — and the superstar is fully in on the joke.

For decades, the 56-year-old has embraced her role as the unofficial queen of Christmas, regularly speaking about her lifelong obsession with the holiday and the joy it brings her. That authentic love is part of why one of her earliest ideas – a simple melody she started tapping out on a small Casio keyboard in the early 1990s – became one of the most successful holiday songs ever recorded.

Despite her reputation for playfully acknowledging her own talent, even Carey has admitted she remains astonished by how massive 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' has become. “My goal was to do something timeless, so it didn’t feel like the nineties,” she once explained, noting that the song came from a place of genuine affection for the festive season. “I really, truly love the holidays. It’s not fake.”

Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.

A Christmas classic that became a money-making machine

Carey’s instincts paid off beyond anything she could have imagined. 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' is now officially the most streamed Christmas song of all time. Each December, it generates staggering royalties – estimated between £2 million ($2.6 million) and £3 million ($4 million) every year for the singer alone, The Sun reports.

The track debuted in 1994 as part of her album Merry Christmas, and by 2023, nearly three decades later, it was reported to have earned more than £75 million ($100 million) in total revenue. As Hugh Grant's character quips in About a Boy, if you manage to write a great Christmas song, you might never need to work another day in your life – and Carey is living proof of that sentiment.

A holiday season worthy of a diva

Carey doesn’t just sing about holiday magic; she lives it. She has described Christmas as the highlight of her year, explaining that she plans for the season long before December arrives.

Each year, she and her family head to Aspen – a snowy, storybook setting she calls her favourite place to celebrate. “We go on a sleigh ride with the kids and my extended family, I cook, Santa Claus comes over,” she has said. And in true Mariah fashion, she adds that she knows Santa personally. The celebrations often include live reindeer and an over-the-top atmosphere befitting someone long crowned the Queen of Christmas.

Mariah could live off of her Christmas earnings for the rest of her life. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.

How her earnings compare to other festive giants

While Carey dominates the season, other classic Christmas hits also pull in significant royalties. Slade’s 'Merry Xmas Everybody' is estimated to earn between £500,000 ($660,000) and £1 million ($1.3 million) annually. Wham!’s 'Last Christmas' reportedly brings in £300,000 ($400,000) to £470,000 ($627,000) each year.

Christmas songs earn royalties whenever they’re streamed, played on the radio, featured in films or TV adverts, or used in public spaces. Exactly how the money is divided varies with each track’s publishing and songwriting agreements, but for Carey, the yearly windfall keeps growing – along with her status as the reigning soundtrack of the holiday season.

Featured image credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images.

Silence, all. The Queen of Christmas has spoken!

Mariah Carey celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season by smashing up pumpkins after showing off her incredible Halloween decorations.

In a clip shared on the singer's Instagram at midnight on November 1, the 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' hitmaker’s front step was shown covered in autumnal Halloween decorations, including three pumpkins that read: "It's not time."

The clock is then heard striking midnight, after which the mom-of-two appears in a red sequinned dress and glittery heels.

As an alarm goes off, the 52-year-old whacks the pumpkins to pieces with a candy-striped stick, as the opening notes of 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' begin to play.

The clip appeared to get fans in the spirit of the holiday season, with one follower saying: "It's officially Christmas."

"It's time!!! To smash that pumpkin and treat it as pie… cause we still gotta get through Thanksgiving!!!" she wrote alongside the clip shared on social media.

The exciting video also teased some form of an announcement from Mariah, as a card read: "11/5."

Fans asked what the singer was planning for November 5, with the star teasing subtly: "Come back tomorrow, same time and I'll tell you."

Mariah dropped the iconic Christmas song back in 1994, and since then it has become a festive standard and one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Despite its success, it never actually hit number one in the US or the UK, but finally reached the top spot in the States in 2019, 25 years after its release.

It made it to number one in the UK last year, having been kept off the top spot 26 years earlier by East 17’s Stay Another Day.

It reached the top spot following a closely fought battle with fellow festive anthem Last Christmas by Wham!.

In 2019, Carey also posted a light-hearted video celebrating the end of Halloween and the imminent arrival of the festive season.

The clip showed the star waking up in bed wearing red Christmas-themed pajamas while receiving a phone call from Father Christmas.

Featured image credit: Album / Alamy