When Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey performed for US troops in Kosovo
It's been more than two decades since Mariah Carey, the 'Queen Of Christmas', a nickname she earned due to the mammoth success of her most popular song All I Want For Christmas, performed in Kosovo to boost the morale of American peacekeeping troops stationed there in December 2001.
Less than two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, Mariah visited three US camps in Kosovo to perform a festive concert thanks to USO America, the US version of BFBS Live Events.
At the time, she said: "I think that when people need to have morale raised it's important to do that and celebrities can do a little bit more than they do sometimes."
"This sure is Mariah-mania," said one soldier as they surged forward to catch a glimpse of one of the world's biggest recording stars who, according to The Recording Industry Association of America, has sold more than 70 million albums in the US since 1990.
The glamorous pop superstar, known for her impressive five-octave vocal range, was dressed in military fatigues and exuded a glamour reminiscent of Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe.
She arrived by helicopter to bring festive cheer to her fans, or as she calls them, her 'Lambily' – a combination of lamb and family.
But this wasn't the first time Mariah had performed for America's armed forces.
In December 1998, Mariah filmed the video for her single I Still Believe at Edwards Air Force base in California.
In scenes that echoed her visit to Kosovo three years later, the pop star is seen performing for the troops and their families plus signing autographs.
Mariah had released eight albums by the time she visited the troops in 2001, including Emotions in 1991, 11 times Platinum Daydream in 1995 and the 2001 All That Glitters soundtrack Glitter.
At times, the megastar looked uncomfortable as hundreds of troops screamed and howled in excitement at her visit but, keen to bring some lighthearted fun to the men and women, she happily posed for photographs and signed copies of her album Glitter.
At one point, on her way back to the helicopter, she offered hugs to four soldiers which prompted many others to run over for a cuddle from the songstress with one politely asking, "can I get a hug Mariah?".
Speaking to Reuters she said: "That certainly was quite some reception. They gave me a very nice welcome and I feel very safe and protected.
"It was a little bit unnerving at the beginning.
"The helicopter ride flipped me out a little bit – I ain't going to lie.
"I could hear everything they were saying in the headphones in different languages."
Watch: Mariah visits troops in Kosovo, December 2001.
Mariah finished her whistlestop tour with a concert for the troops, singing her much loved ballad Hero which features the line, "...and then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on" – fitting lyrics to sing for the troops.
At the end she pointed to individuals in the crowd as she sang the word 'hero' several times, prompting rapturous applause from the crowd.
Speaking after the performance, Mariah said: "Today was a lot of fun, meeting everybody and travelling around.
"It was very different from anything I've ever experienced and it's something I'm never going to forget."
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