Part of me revels in the campiness of Mariah’s butterfly metaphors and puppies-and-kittens existence. I mean, she’s the Judy Garland for a new generation of gay men. But I also genuinely love her music, including this album. I’m one of her lambs.
In addition to the re-release of the album, Mariah will kick off a tour that includes picks from fans—or “lambs” as she calls them—[…].
2003 June, “20 Sleazy Rock Moments”, in Spin, volume 19, number 6, section 5 (“Hello, Lambs!”), page 69:
Officially, she was “exhausted,” but before checking into a New York hospital in July 2001, Mariah Carey went on a remarkable binge of public meltdowns. First, she bum-rushed MTV’s TRL, pushing an ice-cream cart and freaking out host Carson Daly by reading a love letter to him from her mother (did we mention she was stripping at the time?). Later, Carey reportedly smashed glasses and dishes in a New York City hotel suite, then left nutty fan-site messages to her “lambs,” stating a need for “like, a minute off.”
2010 February 15, Greg Kot, “Mimi cuts loose: Mariah Carey concert at Chicago Theatre shows that the diva can laugh at herself”, in Chicago Tribune, 163rd year, number 46, section 3, page 6:
Her latest album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel,” is her best work yet, a warmer and more subtle album that makes her more relatable to those of us who aren’t Mariah die-hards—or “lambs,” as she refers to them.
2019 January 3, Rich Juzwiak, “In Praise of Their Diva”, in The New York Times, section D, page 1:
This year, Ms. Carey debuted a new Las Vegas revue, and, to celebrate, a group of 36 “lambs,” mostly in their 30s and 40s, boarded a party bus and cruised the Vegas strip for about three hours.[…][picture with “#Lamb4Life”] Ms. Carey among the lambs on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.[…]But in conversations with more than a dozen self-identified lambs, it was her songwriting that was most consistently cited as her defining feature.[…]The lambs’ investment in the arc of Ms. Carey’s life and art echoes that of the fandoms surrounding her ’90s contemporaries who are regarded as “confessional” women singer-songwriters, like Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco.
2020 February 25, Chris Azzopardi, “I Love You (But Do You Love Mariah Carey?)”, in The New York Times[1]:
“I’ll fall for you if … your favorite Mariah Carey song is a deep cut,” I had written, attempting to connect with other “lambs,” the nickname for those who are considered her biggest fans.[…]Mariah Carey signs autographs for her “lambs,” the nickname for those who are considered her biggest fans.[…]But when I saw Mariah in Detroit last year during the Caution World Tour, I was a proud lamb in my tour T-shirt, my very adult body suddenly transformed into my 14-year-old self when she emerged onstage.
2020 October 2, David Oliver, “Carey is deeply vulnerable in memoir”, in Telegraph-Forum, volume 98, number 208, Bucyrus, Ohio, page 6B:
But Carey fans – also known as her “lambs” – really know her, and leap to her defense any chance they get.[…]But Carey’s fans (her “lambs”) drive everything she does.
2020 December 1, “New this week: Selena series, 'Shameless' and Shawn Mendes”, in Tipton County Tribune, volume 130, number 246, Tipton, Ind., page 4:
During a normal, non-pandemic year, Carey and her Christmas craziness would be on a holiday tour, bringing joy to fans and lambs in-person.
2022, “Mariah Carey releases her exclusive Pride merchandise”, in WRMF[2]:
Pride Month begins June 1, and Mariah Carey is giving her lambs plenty of new clothes to celebrate.
2020 December 28, Rocco Papa, “10 Memorable Mariah Carey Moments That Saved 2020 For Her Lambs”, in Odyssey[3]:
Ever since Carey revealed on Twitter that she filmed a video for the "Daydream" track, "Underneath The Stars," years ago, lambs have been anxious to see it.
2022 February 15, Brenda Alexander, “Nick Cannon Wants Mariah Carey Back Despite the Impending Arrival of His Eighth Child”, in Showbiz CheatSheet[4]:
In the song, Cannon expresses regret over a lost relationship, which leads Carey’s lambs to believe he’s speaking of her.
2022 March 19, Ryan Schocket, “Mariah Carey Accidentally Texted Shawn Mendes Instead Of Her Nephew "Shawn M." And It's Hilarious”, in BuzzFeed[5]:
Well, Mariah is super close with her nephew, whose name is Shawn M. All lambs like myself know that he's always been a huge part of her life.[…]Now, true lambs know that Mariah doesn't acknowledge time, so there's no such thing as an "old" Mariah Carey song.
2022 April 19, Glenn Rowley, “Mariah Carey Celebrates ‘Big Big Energy Moment’ With a Splashy Video: Watch”, in Billboard[6]:
In the clip, the Elusive Chanteuse emerges in slow motion from a pool, wearing a sparkling indigo one-piece as she shows off her famous whistle register in the song’s opening moments. From there, she’s all smiles as she struts poolside and makes a splash in her perfectly on-brand heels covered with butterflies of the same color, captioning the post, “Big Big Energy moment! And thank you lambs for the Sweet Sweet Fantasy revival! #BigEnergyRemix.”
