For all those looking for pop star holiday cheer, Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar opened earlier this month in the Mondrian Hotel's Skybar.
The pop-up's Los Angeles debut is infused with the Queen of Christmas' signature seasonal flair: neon signs of her lyrics light up the room, massive portraits of the star fill the space, and every song that plays (Christmas-themed or not) is from Carey's discography. (Disclaimer: “All I Want for Christmas is You” plays every 30 minutes.)
“As long as I've known Christmas, Mariah has always been there. She gives me that childlike wonder and excitement of the Christmas season that reminds me of when I was a little girl,” said Cathy Kwon, who was posing for a photo on the decorative sleigh. “The fact that the song itself [‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’] That it has remained so popular for so long is extraordinary.”
Since releasing her Christmas album, “Merry Christmas,” in 1994, Carey has established herself as a fixture in the holiday season. Every year, the 56-year-old singer wraps up a new holiday for her fans.
Last year, she embarked on Mariah Carey's Christmas Time tour to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary and this year she will perform a residency in Las Vegas called “Christmastime in Las Vegas.” He also previously hosted several Christmas specials for Apple TV and CBS. And almost every year, his modern Christmas classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” rises to the top of the charts.
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar will be open until December 28.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
For its holiday bars, it partnered with events company Bucket Listers to open four locations across the country, in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Las Vegas. The WeHo bar is complete with endless photo ops, including life-size cutouts and large-scale Christmas-themed portraits of the “Obsessed” singer, as well as cocktails with her own liquor company, Black Irish. The bar's pool is filled with candy cane floats, twinkling Christmas trees line decadently down every aisle, and flurries of soapy snow fly through the air (occasionally landing in a cocktail or two).
Bucket Listers founder Andy Lederman says demand for this experience has “exceeded all expectations” the company had.
“She's the queen of Christmas. Other than Santa Claus and the Grinch, I don't know if there's anything more iconic,” Lederman said. “There's really nothing like her during this time of year. It gives you a great feeling to be able to celebrate her and be a part of her wonderland with the people you love.”
Although Carey has since built her Christmas world far beyond her original soundtrack, many of the bar's patrons came to enjoy the nostalgia of the 1994 Christmas album. The record is a 10-track collection of reworked classic Christmas covers and a handful of originals, offering a diverse selection of love songs, traditional holiday tunes, and modernized religious hymns.
Shannon Armah was sitting at the bar, catching up with a group of friends. The Miracle Mile resident grew up listening to Mariah Carey's Christmas album over and over again and describes his earliest memories of listening to her songs in the car seat. For her, it's the perfect balance between “fun, playful music” and music rooted in the religious “reason for the season.”
“We grew up going to a Baptist church, so hearing the gospel influence on the album reminds us of our regular Sunday experience,” Armah said. “It was very relatable. It also taps into '90s nostalgia and brings back that feeling of simpler times.”
María Castillo takes a photo of Amanda Rico at the Mariah Carey Holiday Bar pop-up at the Mondrian Hotel.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Beyond being played in almost every holiday setting, the eternally cheerful earworm has broken another record this year. Despite its release 31 years ago, the single currently sits atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is now tied with Shaboozey's “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Lil Nas X's “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus for most weeks at the top. The song is also Carey's 19th on the Hot 100, the most for any solo artist.
Anthony Escalante, a real estate agent and manager of a luxury retail store, arrived at the Christmas bar dressed in his best Christmas attire: a well-fitted all-white vest and matching pants. He says he admires Carey's Christmas music for its ability to tell a story beyond the typical seasonal festivities.
“She is the pioneer in reinventing modern Christmas songs,” Escalante said. “She speaks beyond a generic Christmas. [‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’] It's about living a vacation without the love of your life. “She sets the tone for something that is more than just a Christmas song.”
People attend the Mariah Carey Holiday Bar pop-up at the Mondrian Hotel.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The song's ability to accumulate popularity year after year is what makes it one of the few contemporary Christmas classics. Dressed in their Carey Christmas clothes, Sara Rushton and Benji Flowers credit the singer for being one of the few pop stars who managed to put a modern touch on Christmas.
“When I was a kid, the whole Christmas thing was old-fashioned. Christmas movies were very old and there wasn't really a new version of Christmas for millennials or post-millennials,” said Rushton, who received her first Carey record in her stocking as a child. “But Mariah was someone who celebrated Christmas in a different festive way.”
Flowers, who works as a yoga instructor, sees the pop star as one of the season's latest hot spots. He proposes that Mariah Carey bars remain open year-round, as Carey's discography may lend itself to more than just the holiday season.
“I think it could be something that lasts all year and could have seasonal changes. She has a song for every moment of life. She has slow romantic songs and heartbreak. She has hip-hop and old disco. I mean, I can go on and on,” Flowers said. “Not a bad idea. At night, it could be EDM remixes of their songs.”
Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar will be open until December 28.
