‘It’s Time’: Mariah Carey Set to Perform on the 2023 Billboard Music Awards
Written by djfrosty on November 15, 2023
Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey will take the Billboard Music Awards stage for a festive, Aspen-inspired performance of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which will mark the first time the holiday perennial has been performed on an awards show. Legendary choreographer Debbie Allen will oversee creative direction of the sequence.
Carey’s performance is part of a star-filled lineup of previously announced BBMA performers, including David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, KAROL G, NewJeans, Peso Pluma, Stray Kids and Morgan Wallen. Performances and awards will roll out across BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via BBMAs.watch, on Sunday, Nov. 19, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Carey will be honored with the Billboard Chart Achievement Award for the holiday classic, which has climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 every year since 2019. It has thus far spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s flagship chart, becoming one of three Carey hits to log 10 or more weeks in the top spot. It joins “One Sweet Day,” a collab with Boyz II Men which spent a then-record 16 weeks at No. 1 in 1995-96 and “We Belong Together,” which spent 14 weeks on top in 2005.
Carey holds many Hot 100 records. She has had 19 No. 1 hits, the most of any solo artist. She is the artist with the most weeks at No. 1 (91). She is the female songwriter with the most No. 1 hits (18). She is the only artist to reach No. 1 with her first five singles — “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry” and “Emotions.”
In addition, Carey has made her mark on many other charts. She is the artist with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart (91). She has had 18 top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including six No. 1 albums (Mariah Carey, Music Box, Daydream, Butterfly, The Emancipation of Mimi and E=MC2).
Allen has won three Primetime Emmy Awards for choreography for the TV series Fame and The Motown 25th Anniversary Special. In 2020, she received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, she received a Governors Award at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.
Taylor Swift is the top finalist at the 2023 BBMAs with nods in 20 categories. Morgan Wallen and SZA are runners-up, with 17 entries each. They are followed by The Weeknd (16); Drake and Zach Bryan (14); Luke Combs (10); 21 Savage, Metro Boomin and Miley Cyrus (nine each); Beyoncé and Rema (seven each); Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma (six each); and Ariana Grande, David Guetta, Eslabon Armado, Karol G, NewJeans and Selena Gomez (five each).
The 2023 BBMAs will honor the year’s hottest names in music determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The program, produced by Dick Clark Productions, will deliver a reimagined award show concept that will entertain fans with music and exclusive content. Performances and award celebrations will take place in global locations, in the midst of sold-out tours, and in custom venues.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the BBMAs and Spotify Fans First have teamed up to identify fans who have consumed the most hours of music over the past year and helped drive their favorite artists to the top spots on the Billboard charts. These fans will receive a “golden ticket” granting them access to attend a performance curated by their favorite artists, expressly for the 2023 BBMAs.
The 2023 BBMAs is presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott’s travel program and marketplace. One special BBMAs performance and two exclusive acceptance speeches will be hosted at hotel brands within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy will provide a select group of fans access to attend five BBMAs performances via Marriott Bonvoy Moments. Other sponsors include Lexus, who will surprise one lucky fan with VIP treatment with a private ride in a luxury Lexus vehicle to the one-of-a-kind performance.