The fans want to know: Who would Mariah Carey be willing to do a Verzuz battle against? Though the list of potential opponents that are able to hold a candle to her 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, six Billboard 200 No. 1 albums and five Grammy Awards is short, there’s one singer who Carey is against entertaining speculations of possible Verzuz battle.
In an interview with E! published Wednesday (Dec. 15), Carey was asked if she would ever challenge Beyoncé to a Verzuz battle. “I love Beyoncé and I admire her so much as a performer, for what she’s done for the world and everything else, so I ain’t answering that question,” she said. “I’ll be disrespecting myself and I’m not going to do that, because it’s Christmas time.”
The inaugural Verzuz battle occurred on March 24, 2020, when Swizz Beatz and Timbaland appeared on Instagram together for an unannounced song battle, which would later become the premise of the show. The web series invites two musicians, typically in R&B and hip-hop, to highlight songs from their discography and share stories behind the making of the music in two 10-song rounds. Past guests have included Brandy and Monica, Ashanti and Keyshia Cole, Ludacris and Nelly, and more.
Outside of promoting the Mariah menu for McDonalds, Carey continues her annual ascent up the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her signature Christmas hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The track has spent a total of 48 weeks on the chart, and is currently holding the No. 2 spot behind Adele’s “Easy on Me.”
