Mariah Carey is coming back to Manila

MANILA, Philippines–Mariah Carey is coming back to Manila. That’s one sentence we’re sure the diva’s legions of fans in the country have been waiting for to read. The last time the singer-songwriter was in the country for a concert was in November 2003—eleven years ago.

For the hardcore fans–which Mariah affectionately calls the “lambs,” before giving names to fans became cool–seeing her perform for the first time in ’03 was a dream come true. But many wondered if they will ever see the “elusive chanteuse” on Philippine soil again.

Fortunately, the Filipino lambs need not wonder anymore. They get to hear “The Voice” once more when she brings her “Mariah The Elusive Chanteuse Show” to Manila on October 28 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. The pop diva kicks-off her world tour in Asia that will include stops in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan.

The world tour comes on the heels of the successful launch of Mariah’s latest album “Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse,” which debuted at #1 in many music stores in the country. The album is Mariah’s 14th studio album—a true testament to her staying power in the ever fickle-minded pop world we live in.

The Manila leg of the world tour shouldn’t really come as a surprise. After all, the Philippines has always been a Mariah nation. When Mariah came here in 2003, she performed to a sold-out crowd of 30,000.

The Filipino lambs have consistently been the first ones to send her songs on top of the iTunes charts (since the music platform debuted several years ago). Mariah’s most recent songs from the new album “#Beautiful” and “You’re Mine (Eternal)” as well as preview track “The Art of Letting Go” all made it to #1 in iTunes Philippines before anywhere else in the world.

“Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse” received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and fans alike. In Philippine radio, “Thirsty” and “You don’t know what to do” have been staples for months. While the set list for the concert has not been revealed yet, fans should expect a mix of new songs, fan favorites, and #1 hits to be performed.

When rumors about Mariah’s world tour in Asia started circulating online several weeks ago, the official fanclub in the country (Mariah Carey Philippines) launched a campaign on social media to entice her to come back. Now that there’s a confirmed date and venue for the concert, the Filipino lambs are ready to show Mariah how her Asian lambs love her.

There are many reasons why everybody (not just the lambs) should be excited for Mariah’s return.

For one, the eleven years that flew by has put Mimi (one of the singer’s many nicknames) in a much different place—professionally and personally. She was already a pop icon back then (as the best-selling artist of the 90s). But today Mariah is a legend, an industry of her own.

During that span of time, Mariah has gotten married to husband Nick Cannon (host of “America’s Got Talent”) and gave birth to “dembabies”–twins Morrocan and Monroe.

Since her first concert here in 2003, she has released five studio albums, including the worldwide blockbuster album “The Emancipation of Mimi” (2005), which yielded monster hits like “We belong together” and “Shake it off.”

She also released “E=MC2” (2008) and “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” (2009). The former is the parent album of the #1 hit “Touch my body,” while the latter yielded hits like “Obsessed” and “Angels Cry.” In 2010, Mariah released her second holiday album “Merry Christmas II You,” from which a re-vamped version of the now-classic “All I want for Christmas is you” could be found, as well as new Yuletide favorite “Oh Santa!”

With the Manila leg of the “MARIAH THE ELUSIVE CHANTEUSE SHOW,” Filipino fans would get a chance to experience (again, for some) first hand what made Mariah a force in the music world for more than two decades.

During the course of her career, Mariah has become the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 220 million records sold worldwide. She has 18 Billboard #1 singles under her belt (17 of them she wrote or co-wrote herself) including “Hero,” “Honey,” and “One Sweet Day,” “Don’t Forget About Us.”

Mariah has received hundreds of accolades including five Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, Billboard’s “Artist of the Decade” Award, the World Music Award for “World’s Best Selling Female Artiste of the Millennium,” and BMI’s “Icon Award.”

“Mariah The Elusive Chanteuse Show” Live in Manila is brought to you by Wilbros Live. Tickets available starting August 15 (Friday) via smtickets.com. Call 374-2222 or 470-2222 for details. Follow @wilbroslive and @mcareyPH on Twitter and Instagram for more information.