All TikTok wants for Christmas is a Mariah Carey concert

Mariah Carey‘s rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is inescapable this time of year. It’s in stores, commercials, and the music charts, and on December 13, it will be on TikTok Live, too. The app is teaming up with Apple Music to broadcast Mariah Carey’s Here for It All Holiday Special, a concert that will promote the legendary diva’s new record while putting a capstone on her Las Vegas residency.

Both TikTok Live and Apple Music will broadcast the special, which will look to capitalize on Carey’s seasonal popularity. The singer-songwriter has made a habit of holiday season partnerships with social media platforms. She has belted out her Christmastime favorites on YouTube and Snapchat, and she uses TikTok to share her annual introductions to the holiday season. According to a blog post, TikTok videos featuring “All I Want For Christmas Is You” have accrued 130 billion views to date.

“Mariah Carey isn’t just part of the holidays – she IS the holidays,” said TikTok Global Head of Music Business Development Tracy Gardner in a statement. “TikTok is where music culture happens in real time, and we’re thrilled to bring her dazzling Vegas celebration to fans everywhere, live.”

TikTok is remixing its approach to music content

The Mariah Carey special won’t be the first pop concert broadcast on TikTok Live. In 2023, the likes of Cardi B, Anitta, and Niall Horan gathered in Arizona for In The Mix, a musical extravaganza that attracted nearly ten million live viewers

As a live event, In The Mix succeeded. If, however, it was meant to promote the then-nascent TikTok Music service, it missed the mark. TikTok Music shut down before ever arriving in the United States, and TikTok had to rethink its approach to music content.

As part of that reshuffling, TikTok is applying the “In The Mix” moniker to a different medium: podcasts. A new live podcast series called TikTok In The Mix will delve into the personal lives and careers of pop hitmakers.

Jack Coyne of Trackstar will host the show, and if you’ve ever seen his TikToks, you’ll know to expect a combination of fun music trivia and probing insights from In The Mix. In the first installment of a four-episode first season, Coyne’s guest is Demi Lovato.

@tiktok the instant lock in needs to be studied @Demi Lovato Watch TikTok In The Mix with Demi Lovato on our page. Presented by @T-Mobile ♬ original sound – TikTok

TikTok’s outsized influence on the pop music scene cannot be denied, but the app is still figuring out the best way to harness its cultural impact. A mix of live events and podcasts fits with TikTok’s current priorities — even if we some of us are willing to admit that we’re sick of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”