Mariah Carey Cozies Up to New Beau Bryan Tanaka Onstage in NYC
Nothing mends a broken heart quite like finding a new love — and Mariah Carey knows all about that. Just two months since news broke that her engagement with Australian billionaire James Packer was off, the pop diva was out and about with her new man, Bryan Tanaka. In addition to enjoying a romantic Hawaiian getaway over Thanksgiving and nabbing a role on her new show, Mariah’s World, the backup dancer was front and center at Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” concert on Monday night at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.
Donning a white, glittering gown with a down-to-there neckline, Carey gazed into Tanaka’s eyes at times during her performance — and, on a few occasions, even held his hand. (He sported a white tuxedo jacket and a black bow tie, like all of her male dancers.) Tanaka beamed back at her, and they looked like quite the couple.
Tanaka also hadn’t been shy about promoting the new TV show, which premiered Sunday night. At a premiere party at downtown hot spot Catch, the 33-year-old gushed about the 46-year-old star. “Something connected with us back in the day, and there was just a mutual admiration,” he said. “She saw something in me that I actually didn’t recognize at first, from that it was over. It was set in history that we were gonna be connected someway, somehow.” But is it love? In one answer: yes.
“I’ve always had a thing for Mariah. I love her so much,” he revealed. “Just make sure you tune in to the show, and you’ll see kind of how everything happens.” (It was shameless plug, but one can hardly blame him.) He shared one of their no-doubt key moments with an image of the two snuggling up on a banquette as she served him a drink. It was all very… romantic?
He also shared a snapshot promoting the VH1 Divas show. In the pic, Carey is propped high on the shoulders of a group of male dancers, but she still manages to hold Tanaka’s hand — and he looks pretty thrilled about it. He’s also dressed like a cross between a toy soldier and a stripper, but doesn’t seem to mind.
A photo posted by Bryan Tanaka (@bryantanaka) on Dec 5, 2016 at 4:29pm PST
For her part, Carey shared a post of gratitude following her performance Monday night. “Thanks to all who came to the @beacontheatre show tonight. I don’t have words,” she wrote. “Thanks for sharing such a special night with me. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Feeling very grateful right now.”
A photo posted by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) on Dec 5, 2016 at 7:26pm PST
She probably wasn’t grateful only for her fans, however, considering how close she and Tanaka were onstage. Just the night before, she commented on reconnecting with him, explaining, “It’s really nice, especially when you’ve worked with somebody in the past and then you get to work with them again and just see how everybody’s grown creatively and all that.”
Connect they did, onstage, in front of the crowd at the Beacon Theatre.
