Mariah Carey sends holiday cheer to Filipino ‘lambs’

Mariah Carey delights her Filipino fans with a festive greeting on Christmas Day. FILE PHOTO (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)

Aside from Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas in Our Hearts” and ABS-CBN’s 2009 Christmas Station ID “Star ng Pasko,” one song continues to be a holiday staple in the Philippines.

Undoubtedly, it’s a tune everyone can sing along to as soon as the “BER” months begin.

Pop superstar Mariah Carey, often hailed as the “Queen of Christmas,” delighted her Filipino fans with a festive greeting on Christmas Day. 

Her timeless holiday anthem, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” continues to shatter records globally which resonates strongly in the Philippines. 

The song also makes history as the first song to achieve 20 million single-day streams on Spotify globally in three different years.

“Merry Christmas to my festive Filipino lambily!!!!” Mariah warmly wrote on her social media.

Mariah has long acknowledged the unique holiday spirit of her Filipino fans. Back in September, as the “BER months” ushered in the Philippines’ famously early Christmas celebrations, the singer joined in the festivities.

Merry Christmas to my festive Filipino lambily!!!! 🇵🇭❤️🎄 https://t.co/7ygfSfX4gk

— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) December 24, 2024

On X (formerly Twitter), she quote-tweeted a post by Sony Music Philippines featuring a Filipino community choir in Pasay City performing her hit. 

The Philippines is known for its extended holiday celebrations, often beginning in September. Last year, when streams of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” spiked early in the country, Mariah playfully acknowledged her fans’ enthusiasm, saying, “I’ll allow it for my Filipino lambs.”

True to tradition, Filipinos wasted no time blasting Mariah’s Christmas classic, causing the song to rack up over 316,000 streams on Spotify on the first day of the month – a 75 percent increase compared to the same day in 2022. 

The track was played 112,040 times in the Philippines on Sept. 1, 2023 earning it a spot as the 82nd most-streamed song in the country for that day, according to Spotify Charts.

As of this writing, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has surpassed 2 billion streams on Spotify.

“Philippines, it’s time (only for you!!),” Mariah wrote this year, expressing her gratitude and excitement at the start of the Christmas season. “I hope you’re all safe and well. Let’s celebrate together.”