The Stars Are Aligning For Mariah the Scientist

Minutes after Mariah the Scientist concluded her sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall, the 27-year-old Atlanta-born shapeshifter was still wired, having dashed back onstage at 10:57 PM to squeeze in half of “No More Entertainers” before curfew fines kicked in. In a custom SEKS toy soldier look and sky-high customized Versace heels, she pinballed through rock, R&B, pop, and blues, less interested in genre than momentum. When we met backstage, flowers from her rider lined the dressing room, her Bengal cat Mr. Tootie awaited his traveling litter box, and her entire family—sister managing, cousin assisting, parents omnipresent—hovered like a well-oiled entourage. Fresh off her Rising Star win at Billboard’s Women in Music (which she’ll officially receive in April,) we talked zodiac signs, EOS-scented meet-and-greets, and mozzarella sticks as post-show salvation. As for the industry’s sudden embrace? She shrugged. “I guess we’re going up.”

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MARIAH THE SCIENTIST: How are you?

OLAMIDE OYENUSI: I’m good. You were so good. You gave us every genre—rock, R&B, pop, blues.

MARIAH: Thank you. I’m so glad people came to see that.

OYENUSI: And for our readers, where are we right now?

MARIAH: We’re inside Radio City Music Hall’s dressing room.

OYENUSI: Period.

MARIAH: And my dad keeps saying, “Can you believe that Beyoncé and Diana Ross probably got ready in here before?” I was like, “My gosh, I can’t believe it.”

OYENUSI: And what are you wearing tonight?

MARIAH: I am wearing a custom Toy Soldier outfit from SEKS. They’re so great. They also made the original green one.

OYENUSI: And the shoes?

MARIAH: These shoes, I believe, are Versace. They’ve been customized.

OYENUSI: They match really well. How’s the tour been going so far?

MARIAH: Pretty good. It’s cold outside—a winter tour—but it’s okay. People are just showing up, they don’t even care. It literally has been snowing outside and they still come. I just feel like this crowd is a different breed.

OYENUSI: Has there been a particular memorable show so far?

MARIAH:  Well, on this tour, this one has been maybe the best so far. And then this year, I really enjoyed South Africa. We’ve got to go back over there. It was freaking lit.

OYENUSI: Hit Nigeria next.

MARIAH: I know, right? That’s great.

OYENUSI: Is there a particular location that you’re especially excited for?

MARIAH: Atlanta, always. Always excited to go back home.

OYENUSI: Who do you bring with you on tour?

MARIAH: Well, my entire family is present, or at least that’s what it seems like. My sister, my mom, my dad, my cousin. Well, my sister is my manager, and my cousin is my assistant. [Laughs] My parents insisted on coming on tour with me and it’s lit. 

OYENUSI: What’s the first thing you did when you got to New York?

MARIAH: Slept.

OYENUSI: Fair.

MARIAH: Immediately.

OYENUSI: [Laughs] Do you have any pre-show rituals?

MARIAH: Doing some warmups and drinking tea. Otherwise, I’m never a tea drinker, but when it comes to doing shows, I have compromised and sacrificed my preferences. I have definitely had enough Throat Coat for multiple lifetimes. [Laughs]

OYENUSI: And what’s on your tour rider? 

MARIAH: I love to be greeted with flowers in every room. I also have water, fruit. I’m on mangoes these days. And a litter box and cat litter because I bring my cat everywhere. I wish he was in this room right now.

OYENUSI: What’s your cat’s name?

MARIAH: His name is Mr. Tootie. He’s a Bengal.

OYENUSI: I have a cat named Dorito.

MARIAH: Oh, cute. What does she look like? 

OYENUSI: She’s black, orange, and white—a tortico. What is your guilty post-show meal?

MARIAH: Mozzarella sticks. Anything cheesy—macaroni and cheese. I don’t like to do it before the show because I’ll be more congested.

OYENUSI: What do you try to avoid before a show?

MARIAH: I try to avoid drinking any alcohol because I feel like it has a real effect on me. Or anything fried, anything dairy—I just try to not do that until later, maybe.

OYENUSI: That’s interesting, because I know a lot of people like to go on stage with a little something in their system. You like it sober?

MARIAH: I know. I gave it up for Lent, too, as well. I’ve been doing my shows sober. One of my fantasies is to do one of my shows just out of my mind, but I don’t want to compromise the integrity of the show. So it would have to be an experiment, for sure.

OYENUSI: Good thing you’re The Scientist. You just won Billboard’s Women in Music Rising Star award. Congratulations.

MARIAH: Thank you.

OYENUSI: When you hear “Rising Star,” what does that mean to you?

THE SCIENTIST: I guess we’re going up. I guess that’s what that means. I feel like they’re finally digesting my presence.

OYENUSI: Has that recognition changed how you see yourself?

MARIAH: I can’t say that it has. In terms of my fans showing up and singing my lyrics and stuff like that, that makes me feel more on an understood level. But not necessarily how I’m perceived by the masses. I wouldn’t say that I was really super into impressing them on that level. I feel like it’s more about the art.

OYENUSI: Good for you. What’s your sign?

MARIAH: I’m a Scorpio.

OYENUSI: What’s the most Scorpio thing about you?

MARIAH: Let’s ask my sister. What’s the most Scorpio thing about me? She’s really into the science. 

MORGAN BUCKLES: Mariah’s like a cat in the way that she shows affection. Scorpios are not the most willing to embrace.

MARIAH: Yes, I am. Give me a hug. [Hugs]

OYENUSI: [Hugs] No, but as a Capricorn—I get it. This is why, as a Capricorn, I really like Scorpios.

BUCKLES: If I say up, Mariah’s jumping down for sure. But no—like a cat in the sense that they’ll look at you and they want attention, but if you touch them or give them attention, it’s like, “Get away from me.”

MARIAH: I feel like as soon as you’ve stepped out of the room, though, your cat becomes a different cat. They don’t have such strict standards when you’re not in the room. They’re giving it out.

OYENUSI: [Laughs] What’s the most unglamorous part of touring?

MARIAH: The lack of sleep.

OYENUSI: How many hours do you get on average?

MARIAH: The show’s over at 11:00. Then you try to eat something in between, if you have any time. But there are lots of people who come and you want to be gracious of them and their time. So you have to see your entire family, see your friends, see all work associates, try to get some food in your system, maybe go to a hosting, try to take a shower, then try to get on the bus on time. And then drive to the next place.

OYENUSI: Where are you going next?

MARIAH: Boston, which means that when I get on the bus at maybe 3:30 or 4:00 (AM), I’m going to drive for a few hours and then they’re going to wake me back up. That’s how they do it.

OYENUSI: Do they make you pay to use the bathroom on your tour bus?

MARIAH: Well, we have a rule: no shitting on the bus. It’s a real violation.

OYENUSI: [Laughs] What’s your favorite song to perform on tour?

MARIAH: Currently, it’s “No More Entertainers.” And they cut it out of my set tonight because they said that Radio City Music Hall has a really strict curfew. So I tried not to rush, but I tried to do the last two songs and then when I got off, it was 10:57. So I ran back out there to try to do half of the song before they fined me.

OYENUSI: If you could sneak one song from your previous albums into this set without your team knowing, what would it be? 

MARIAH: It’s probably already in there. I’ve got some good ones.

OYENUSI: You really did take us through all of the genres.

MARIAH: I’m glad that you felt that way. It makes me feel seen. I pushed it up on them, right?

OYENUSI: You did. Everyone’s always like, “R&B, R&B.”Enough of this strict R&B categorization.

MARIAH: I know. Thank you.

OYENUSI: Do you have a dream cover or collab for a future New York show?

MARIAH: This is a good question. Let me dig deep in my bag. I probably wouldn’t make the attempt because I don’t want to ruin the classics, but I probably would pick something by Faith Evans to cover. She’s a New Yorker. And then if I had to pick somebody to collaborate with: Mariah Carey.

OYENUSI: Mariah squared. When I was walking here, some old man was like, “Is Mariah Carey on?” I was like, “Nah.”

MARIAH: [Laughs] That would be great. I just love Mariah Carey. Faith Evans and Mariah Carey both have blonde hair. Do I need to move into my blonde-hair era for the one time? Maybe I will.

OYENUSI: You should. What’s a hidden talent that you have that no one knows about?

MARIAH: My eyelashes are kind of sliding down, but I do my makeup every night. Check my wing out.

OYENUSI: Drop the tutorial. 

MARIAH: You should, ‘cause your skin is literally so amazing.

OYENUSI: Korean skincare, I’m telling you. It’s so good.

MARIAH: It’s really amazing. You have not a single pore.

OYENUSI: Thank you so much. If this tour had a perfume, what would it smell like?

MARIAH: I do have a favorite perfume, but sometimes it changes. The one I’ve been wearing recently—it’s the EOS perfume. It’s a spray, actually. 

OYENUSI: I remember growing up, they had those circle lip balms.

MARIAH: I know, right? In the ball.

OYENUSI: Yeah. When you look back on the Hearts Sold Separately tour, what’s one image you hope never leaves your brain?

MARIAH: This is a good question. Maybe just the idea of my entire team as a little clique. I feel like everybody’s very close, and everybody does their job very effectively. And I just love that. They’re like my friends.

OYENUSI: And family.

MARIAH: Exactly.