In case you were unaware, the world celebrated a holiday on Sunday, April 12: the 15th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey’s supposed comeback album (though you could argue she was never gone), which featured such hits as “We Belong Together” and “It’s Like That.” It coincided with another holiday, Easter, a.k.a. The Emancipation of Jesus. Miss Mariah, festive as ever, took the opportunity to celebrate both. She’d been commemorating The Emancipation of Mimi with Instagram posts throughout Holy Week, culminating in a pre-Easter video of Carey revisiting some of the album’s biggest vocal moments. Because even if she doesn’t acknowledge time, she does acknowledge album anniversaries.
Also in honor of Easter, she performed her song “Hero” (for Joel Osteen’s Easter service, but that’s not important), dedicating it to first responders and service workers during the coronavirus pandemic. “I want to take this time to acknowledge and honor the sacrifices of those who work every day taking care of their communities in this time of need and uncertainty. The heroes who are making our daily lives possible,” she said. “Let’s continue to support them and each other.”
Carey finished the day by bringing both holidays together in harmony with a performance of Emancipation closing track “Fly Like a Bird” on her Instagram. “The Emancipation of Mimi’s closing track, “Fly Like a Bird”, couldn’t be more appropriate for this Easter Sunday,” she wrote. Happy Easter and Emancipation of Mimi to all who celebrate, and in closing, enjoy this photo of Mariah Carey wearing bunny ears while making macaroni at 2 a.m. — because after all, we’re still in quarantine.