ELLE Interviews Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Elle interviewed both Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for their October issue! Below are a few highlights!

Mariah Carey has sold more than 160 million albums worldwide, and, if radio play for the first single on her new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, is any indication, she’s on the verge of racking up more No. 1 hits than the Beatles. But underneath the pop varnish, Carey’s just a smitten newlywed in the middle of a home renovation, juggling a job and a new puppy. Sort of…

Congratulations on the album! Can you describe the new sound?
Each song is its own snapshot of a moment in a story. But overall, the vibe is R&B hip-hop with a lot of slow jams.

You just bought a house in L.A. What’s it like?
It’s a Georgian manor. We basically redid the entire thing, from the floors to landscaping to the closets, which are inspired by my New York apartment, with a men’s and women’s department store-esque feeling! Of course, I have the salon and Nick has a basketball court, which is his favorite place in the house. And I love having the outdoor space so the dogs can play. It’s not too small; it’s not too big; it’s not a monstrosity. It’s a home.

Are you permanently moving to L.A.?
No, I’m bicoastal and always have been. When I came to L.A., I just used to stay in hotels or rented homes.

How often do you think about music? Is it always in your head?
Constantly! It has been ever since I can remember. I always have a song that¹s a melody I¹m making up, or a song on the radio. Music is a constant for me and it always will be.

You can read the rest of Mariah’s interview here:
http://www.elle.com/Entertainment/Movies-TV/Mariah-Carey

Here are a few highlights from Nick’s interview:

As a rapper, comedian, TV show host, and Nickelodeon corporate honcho, Nick Cannon knows how to talk a good game, but he still had a hard time convincing the world that he would someday marry his celebrity crush, Mariah Carey. So when the singer cast Cannon (out of the blue!) as her boyfriend in a music video, he wasted no time sweet-talking every guy’s fantasy into his reality. Just after the couple’s one-year wedding anniversary, Cannon tells us about their love story.

How did you know that Mariah was “the one”?
We had a meeting about the video shoot at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and I ordered french fries. I always say grace over my food?coming from a family of ministers, it’s the way I was raised?so I said, “Can you excuse me for a minute?” and bowed my head. She said, “You ain’t gonna pray over my food, too?! I do the same thing!” A lot of people say they’re spiritual ‘cause it seems like the right thing, but then she pulled an electronic Bible out of her purse. I never meet anyone in the business that’s on the same level as I am spiritually, so that was the first thing that opened my eyes to, Whoa, this could be something unique. We spent the next weekend together, but it felt more like a getaway than a video shoot. It was also her…well, she doesn’t have birthdays; she has, like, anniversaries of her twelfth birthday, so we had that “celebration,” and all weekend we were like, “You too?! No way?get outta here!”

I read that during the video shoot for “Bye Bye,” you would pass her little notes and give her candy, and you proposed with a candy ring. Do you still make romantic gestures like that?
Absolutely! She really loves balloons, so I found a place that will put toys and messages inside, so you gotta pop the balloon to get them. Another thing: Ever since that first conversation about spirituality, I would e-mail her a daily encouragement that had a Bible verse and words of inspiration. I called them “Daily E’s.” After six months, she lost her BlackBerry, and she was so upset that she had lost them. She had no idea that I had been saving every last one of the Daily E’s, so I had them published in a leather-bound book and gave it to her on our one-year anniversary.

Do you have any nicknames for each another?
Everyone calls her Mimi or MC, but I call her Mariah. She calls me Peanuthead because my head’s shaped like a peanut.

You recently posted a very heated note to Eminem after he called Mariah names and poked fun at you in his new song. Were you defending your lady’s honor?
I had to let it be known that I would never just sit quiet and let someone disrespect my wife like that. It wasn’t no real beef or anything like that. He don’t want it.

You’ve put out two rap albums. Have you and Mariah ever thought of making sweet music together?
I am not worthy to be on a Mariah Carey record. She¹s a true artist, so I just step back and watch the genius occur.

You can read the rest of Nick’s interview here:
http://www.elle.com/Entertainment/Men-We-Love/Nick-Cannon