{"id":43660,"date":"2025-09-26T02:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T02:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/43660\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T02:48:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T02:48:12","slug":"10-things-we-learned-from-mariah-carey-szas-flowers-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/43660\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things We Learned From Mariah Carey & SZA’s ‘Flowers’ Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBetween their idiosyncratic songwriting styles, generational hits, Grammys, and Billboard chart domination, Mariah Carey<\/a> and SZA<\/a> made a natural pair at Wednesday night\u2019s Apple Music-hosted Flowers conversation at New York City\u2019s Jazz at Lincoln Center.<\/p>\n

\n\tServing as the official pilot of Flowers, a new Apple Music live show created by gamma. co-founder Larry Jackson, Carey and SZA\u2019s conversation was a heartfelt lovefest that doubled as a Lambily reunion. With Here for It All, Carey\u2019s forthcoming 16th studio album, arriving on Friday (Sept. 26), the Flowers conversation featured exclusive snippets of the title track, as well as behind-the-scenes stories of the album\u2019s creation. <\/p>\n

\n\tCarey appeared very excited, if not a little nervous, about her first album in seven years \u2014 but once she started gushing about working with iconic gospel group The Clark Sisters<\/a>, she could barely contain herself. SZA, an empathetic interviewer in her own right, nimbly guided the conversation, subtly interjecting her own questions and helping Carey navigate particularly emotional moments, such as when she discussed her mother and sister passing away on the same day in August 2024.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the moment Carey walked out in a leathery, all-black fit and SZA followed behind her \u2014 in a butterfly-print dress, no less \u2014 Lincoln Center\u2019s Appel Room, which featured notable guests like Gayle King, house DJ D-Nice and host Ebro Darden, waited with bated breath for the conversation to begin. Nonetheless, adorable audience quips abounded, and by the time Carey played a bit of the gospel breakdown in the Here for it All title track, the entire room leapt to its feet. SZA also convinced Carey to play two songs (\u201cHermit\u201d and \u201cLove Is A Scam\u201d) from her secret grunge album, Someone\u2019s Ugly Daughter, which she recorded under the moniker Chick around the time of 1995\u2019s Daydream album.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere are 10 things we learned from Mariah Carey and SZA\u2019s Flowers conversation for Apple Music.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
<\/a><\/p>\n

\tMimi & SZA Have a Collab in the Works<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tLess than a minute into their conversation, SZA dropped a bomb: she and Mariah had spent the previous night in the studio together writing and playing each other music. While they kept mum on the details, the surprise news now has every Lamb\u2019s eyes peeled for a Here for It All deluxe announcement.<\/p>\n

\tMariah\u2019s Secret 1995 Grunge Album Gifted Her a Special Feeling<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tWhile recording 1995\u2019s blockbuster Daydream, which houses the Hot 100 No. 1s \u201cFantasy,\u201d \u201cOne Sweet Day\u201d (with Boyz II Men) and \u201cAlways Be My Baby,\u201d Carey had her attention split. As she described to SZA, she would be cutting Daydream songs and writing songs for a second album \u2014 a grunge record, to be exact. Titled Someone\u2019s Ugly Daughter and recorded under the name Chick, the album \u201callowed me to feel free when I wasn\u2019t free yet in my life,\u201d Carey reflected. Notably, Daydream was Carey\u2019s last studio album before separating from then-husband Tommy Mottola in 1996.<\/p>\n

\n\tCarey first revealed the existence of Someone\u2019s Ugly Daughter in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Her friend Clarissa Dane, who co-produced the album, is the lead vocalist on the official release, while Carey is on background vocals. As she tells it, Carey recruited Dane as a compromise with her record label after executives told her that an album of that style could significantly damage her image and career.<\/p>\n

\tMariah Wants Her Collab With SZA to Sound Like This \u2018Daydream\u2019 Deep Cut<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tAfter revealing they spent the previous night in the studio together, Mariah noted that she envisioned her and SZA\u2019s collaboration sounding something like \u201cUnderneath the Stars,\u201d a fan-favorite deep cut from Daydream that gives her \u201cthe same feeling as [SZA\u2019s] \u2018Snooze.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMariah\u2019s Wanted to Work With This \u2018Here for It All\u2019 Feature \u2018For Years\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tThere are several stellar featured artists on Here for It All, Anderson .Paak, Kehlani, Shenseea, to name a few \u2014 but The Clark Sisters were the act Mariah was most excited to finally get in the studio with.<\/p>\n

\n\tPioneers of contemporary gospel and one of the most influential vocal groups of all time, The Clark Sisters boast a Grammy lifetime achievement award and a spot in the 2026 Hollywood Walk of Fame class. The group joins Carey on \u201cJesus I Do,\u201d the penultimate track on Here for It All. From \u201cFly Like a Bird\u201d to \u201cHeavenly,\u201d Carey has incorporated gospel vocal stylings and faith-based lyricism throughout her career. \u201cJesus I Do\u201d marks The Clark Sisters\u2019 first collaboration with a secular artist since their 2020 Snoop Dogg link-up, \u201cHis Love,\u201d which topped Gospel Airplay.<\/p>\n

\tOne \u201990s Album Features Mariah at Her Freest<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tWhen SZA inquired which album makes Carey feel most like herself, the Elusive Chanteuse nearly immediately replied, \u201cButterfly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tButterfly was Carey\u2019s first album after separating from her first husband, Tommy Mottola, and she considers it her magnum opus. Housing two Hot 100 No. 1s in \u201cHoney\u201d and \u201cMy All,\u201d Butterfly was Carey\u2019s fourth album to top the Billboard 200, and introduced her now-signature butterfly imagery.<\/p>\n

\tMariah\u2019s Official \u2018Diva\u2019 Definition<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tOne of our last true divas, few are better qualified to define the term than Mariah Carey. According to her late opera singer mother, Patricia Carey, a diva is \u201ca singing woman, typically a soprano.\u201d Though sometimes called \u201cdifficult,\u201d Mariah said that she rejects that notion.<\/p>\n

\tSZA Is Weighing a Major Life Choice<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tWith five Grammys, a history-making stadium world tour<\/a>, three Hot 100 No. 1 hits, a hit movie<\/a>, and the album by a Black artist with the most weeks in the top 10 in Billboard 200 history<\/a> to her name, SZA has done it all. And she accomplished a significant chunk of that this year! So, what\u2019s next on her docket? Kids: \u201cI really want to have children,\u201d she told Carey as they discussed the icon\u2019s 14-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe.<\/p>\n

\tThis Is Mariah\u2019s Favorite Time of the Day to Write<\/p>\n

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\n\tAccording to SZA, Mariah can hang! The \u201cKill Bill\u201d singer revealed that Carey was the one to get the ball rolling on a writing session during their after-hours studio link-up. \u201cI\u2019m a late-night writer,\u201d Carey concurred. <\/p>\n

\tMariah Has a Special Connection to an Iconic New York Venue<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tNear the top of the conversation, Carey revealed that her mother had made her singing debut at Lincoln Center. She was likely referring to the Metropolitan Opera House on the main campus of Lincoln Center; Wednesday evening\u2019s event took place a few blocks away at Jazz at Lincoln Center. <\/p>\n

\tThe Best Advice Mariah\u2019s Mother Gave Her<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\tThough Carey had a tumultuous relationship with her mother, she fondly reflected on this special piece of advice from her: \u201cDon\u2019t say, \u2018If I make it\u2019 \u2014 say, \u2018When I make it.\u201d At the end of that phrase, Mariah began to tear up, and SZA quickly embraced her, making for the night\u2019s emotional apex.<\/p>\n

\t


\n\tSign Up<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Between their idiosyncratic songwriting styles, generational hits, Grammys, and Billboard chart domination, Mariah Carey and SZA made a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,34116,157,3296,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-43660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-genre-rb","11":"tag-music","12":"tag-music-news","13":"tag-new-zealand","14":"tag-newzealand","15":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}