Mariah Carey is thankful for the support she's had from her fans since revealing her battle with bipolar disorder last month.
Mariah Carey
The 'Hero' hitmaker gave a frank interview recently about her struggle with the mental health condition and she thinks the outpouring of wellwishes she's received has been "really nice".
She told People magazine: "It was really nice. I say things off the cuff, but sometimes you have to be serious about things. It's life.
"Everybody has their own stuff. As long as I don't have to stop being myself, it's just who I am."
The 48-year-old singer - who has seven-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-husband Nick Cannon - is currently working on new music and is thrilled to be back in the recording studio.
She said: "It's really nice writing and collaborating. Writing is my favourite part of the process.
"Most people may love performing more -- I'm not saying I don't -- but my favourite thing is being in the lab and working on new material and pouring my heart into it."
The 'Fantasy' singer is also preparing for her 'Butterfly Returns' Las Vegas residency shows, which open at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in July and she's promised a special experience of "impromptu" moments for her fans.
She said: "It's not like one of those extravaganza [shows].
"This is more like 'Here we are, we're together. Oh, you want me to do this song tonight?' Maybe I'll take a request from the audience. My band are such great players and singers.
"It's more like the fan favourites. It's something else for me to feel connected with the fans through the songs."
Mariah will be going all out with her stage costumes as she doesn't know how to be "understated".
She laughed: "I kind of can't help myself. I don't know when I'm understated.
"Maybe in my sleep, and even then it's not understated! I know who I am and I go with what works for me."
Tagged in Mariah Carey