Luis Miguel Made a Bad First Impression On His First Date With Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey has been with several high-profile men over the years, from Nick Cannon to Derek Jeter. One of Carey’s relationships in the spotlight was with Mexican singer Luis Miguel in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Luis Miguel is known as ‘the Latin Elvis

Luis Miguel earned the nickname “the Latin Elvis” because of his musical skills, but Miguel has been a fan of The King from an early age when he used to watch all his performance videos.

Miguel preceded the new generation of Latin pop stars in the late 1990s that included Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Ricky Martin — all artists who “crossed over” into the mainstream market by singing in English, which he never did. He popularized Latin music genres such as bolero and helped usher in a new kind of stardom for Latin musicians.

Luis Miguel made a terrible first impression on Mariah Carey

In her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the “Fantasy” singer reminisced on her relationship with the Mexican icon. They got set up on a blind date in Aspen by Carey’s real-estate agent.

“It was a simple scheme: they told the mystery man that I really wanted to meet him, and they told me that he wanted to meet me,” Carey remembered. “He turned out to be international megastar Luis Miguel, the ‘Latin Elvis.'”

“Our first date was at a restaurant, and it was hardly a date, for me. I was like, ‘Who is this guy?'” she recalled. “He was drinking a lot, and his hair was blown out and all over the place. But a small part of me was intrigued. He had an undeniable passionate flair; I could see the potential for adventure in him. Though he needed to smooth the hair down first.”

Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel dated for 3 years

Carey and Miguel began dating in 1998 while Carey was in the process of divorcing her music mogul ex-husband Tommy Mottola. They broke up three years later.

Though the relationship eventually came to an end, Carey doesn’t look back on the time with regret, and is grateful for her time with him.

“It was all grand and exciting, but it was far from perfect,” she concluded. “Though we made an effervescent couple, it’s always hard to live and love in the limelight.” 

She acknowledged that they both came into each other’s lives at a difficult time and they both needed to focus on themselves for a bit.

“We were not helping each other heal,” she realized. “After three years, I knew it was time for us to part ways. We had a good run, and I still have fond memories, but ultimately, he wasn’t the one.”