Mariah Carey talks life, time and her new album on Keke Palmer's podcast

Global icon and the one and only Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, recently joined Keke Palmer on her "Baby, This is Keke Palmer" podcast and opened up about her fascinating life. 

At the outset, Carey made it clear that she doesn't think about time the same way most people do.

"I was 18 when I decided that time is no longer meaningful, because I cried on my 18th birthday, and I didn't want to have birthdays anymore. Nothing happened, but I was waiting to get my record deal."

Since then, it has only been about the "moods and vibes" she feels in each moment.

Now, the best-selling female artist of all time is back with "Here For It All", her first studio album in seven years. 

Carey described this new project as capturing "the mystery of all the other moments she's had throughout her life."

It’s a deeply personal project, and she even named the album after the last song on it, calling it "the best song on the album and very real."

During her podcast interview, Carey reflected on her journey to fame.

"I wrote my book ('The Meaning of Mariah Carey') because I wanted people to know my story, so that they could stop asking me ... I grew up around people that didn't accept me because of being biracial and things that happened that was upsetting to say the least."

Despite growing up ahead of her time, she always knew that she was destined for greatness. 

"This may sound very arrogant, but I'm just telling the truth, I always knew, from the time I was a little girl, that I was going to 'make it', I just believed it, and my mother actually told me, 'Don't say if I make it, say when I make it', so I took that advice and I just always believed. Strongly believed that I would."

Carey didn’t shy away from talking about the tough times, too.

She opened up about her complicated relationship with Sony Music and its executive, Tommy Mottola, whom she divorced in 1998.

"What I felt before was very controlling, so I dealt with that and wished that I could fly away, but I couldn't; it was really difficult to live in that world. It was not easy, I was scared a lot of the time, I didn't know what was going to happen, and you never know who to trust.

"The thing is that if he (Mottola) let me go to a friend's house every now and then or go to the spa, I would have stayed, but that wasn't the plan."

But things changed around the release of her iconic 1998 album, "Butterfly".

"I felt a big lift. Just being able to write my own songs, that's the era I also wrote 'Breakdown', I finally felt like 'Okay, I'm me'."

As for her current dating life, Carey shared some insights when Palmer asked her what it takes for a guy to earn her affection.

"They just have to be a cool person and understand that I'm a regular person that has jokes and moments and doesn't acknowledge time."

On being called the Queen of Christmas, she said, "I love Christmas so much and people think it's an act, but really I love it so much."

She revealed how her songs became a staple during holiday celebrations, saying she leans into it because, "I'm so happy people are liking this."

Carey also reflected on gender dynamics in music, sharing: "It does seem like men get more acknowledgement than women, maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems like that, but feeling appreciated didn't come from all those awards. I do feel like I got jipped out of some of those awards, but that doesn't matter. 

She also noted how the music industry has transformed over the years.

"Nowadays, I think people have an easier time breaking into the music business because of technology. It's a totally different business from what it was when I started." 

Watch the full podcast below.