Mariah Carey may have millions of adoring fans, but it’s her children that keep her going.
“They help to heal me every day. Every time we have a moment that feels real and authentic and genuine and it’s them loving me unconditionally,” the Grammy winner told Oprah Winfrey in a clip from the upcoming episode of “The Oprah Conversation,” which premieres Thursday on Apple TV+.
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Carey has twins with ex-husband Nick Cannon, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe, 9. She opens about her life in her upcoming memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” which comes out next Tuesday
“My fans have been the only ones that I felt I got unconditional love from,” the “Hero” singer, 50 told Winfrey.
Carey said her bond with her fans is reflected in the love her children have for her.
“I had this connection in a way that people feel like they know you. My fans really feel like they’re the only ones who’ve ever known me. I feel that way,” she said.
“Just by the fact that the children provide me with this actual love and they are my actual family and I’m not worried about them trying to hurt me or do any of the things that happened to me when I was a kid. I’ve never had a reference for unconditional familial love until now."
While she's sure to open up about her life in her book, Carey has previously said her kids' childhood differs from her own.
“They have stability,” she told Vulture last month. “That’s what I didn’t have. ... They understand that they are Black. They have a whole lot of self-esteem and self-worth that I never had. And I probably still don’t now. I know that I still don’t.”