Mariah Carey leaves fans confused following ‘bizarre' interview on The Project
Mariah Carey's fans were left confused after her 'bizarre' interview on The Project last night, with some even questioning if the clip was AI-generated.
The singing superstar was a guest on the Aussie show on Thursday night during which she gave presenter Georgie Tunny a series of short answers, appearing seemingly disinterested throughout the less than 5-minute interview via videolink.
The 56-year-old gave Tunny single-word responses to most of her questions, all delivered in a monotonous tone.
When asked by the host what she would like on her tour rider when she comes to Australia in October to headline the star-studded Fridayz Live concerts, Carey replied: 'A kangaroo.'
And the Fantasy singer continued to be dismissive in her responses.
When asked about how she copes with criticism, the Grammy winner nonchalantly replied: 'By not coping, is what I do.'
'I mean, just don't pay attention to it, you know? And everybody else goes through it, so... whatever.'
Carey's appearance in the interview was so robotic that viewers were left calling it 'cringey' and wondering if the clip was AI.
'Sure she wasn't an Ai version of Carey? Weird smile, no eye contact. Bot for sure,' one tweeted on X, while another wrote, 'That was the most bizarre interview!!'
'I got nothing out of it and It felt very weird not like a true interview live from satellite,' another added, as one pointed out, 'No emotion. So stiff.'
While other viewers thought the questions weren't hard-hitting enough and Tunny should have asked 'better questions', others sympathised with the journalist, praising her for carrying the interview when Carey was giving her 'zero energy'.
'Was that an AI version of MC? That poor lady [Tunny]. I feel sorry for you. You did your best. She hasn't been called a DIVA for no reason,' one fan wrote, with another commenting, 'Hands down to you Georgie that would of been a hard interview! Mariah gave you nothing!'
This wasn't the first time Carey gave an awkward interview on The Project.
During a videolink appearance on the show in 2021, the interview got off to a bumpy start when Carey got host Waleed Aly's name wrong.
'Hi, Maleed,' she greeted him.
Aly glanced off-camera, but chose not to correct the singer and instead forged ahead with the interview.
At interview's end, when Aly thanked Carey for her time, she obviously decided not to risk trying out his name again, simply saying, 'Thank you, dahling.'
Back at the desk, the panel ribbed Aly about the awkward moment.
'Maleed … that's pretty cool, from Mariah. You'll take Maleed from Mariah,' said then-host Carrie Bickmore.
In October, Carey will return to Australia for the first time in more than a decade when she takes to the stage for the Fridayz Live tour, playing in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
She will be joined by the likes of US rapper Pitbull, Battlefield singer Jordin Sparks and Let Me Blow Your Mind rapper Eve.
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