Superstar pop singer Mariah Carey may be flying solo this year on her holiday season concert tour and annual Christmas vacation to a Colorado ski resort.
Speculative reports suggest that Carey has split from her boyfriend of seven years, dance choreographer Bryan Tanaka, as they have not been seen together recently, according to the New York Post's Page Six.
Tanaka has not been spotted at any of the shows on Carey's "Merry Christmas One and All!" tour that kicked off in November, and an inside source claimed that the singer's partner of several years will not be accompanying her on her annual trip to Aspen, Colorado.
People magazine reported that fan speculation about a split between Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka began in earnest last month when Tanaka was noticeably absent from the shows on Carey's Christmas tour.
That speculation was seemingly confirmed by an unnamed insider source who said that Carey and her two children -- twins Morrocan and Monroe, whom she shares with ex-husband Nick Cannon -- will be traveling to Aspen by themselves this year.
Tanaka, who began working with Carey in 2006 as a dance choreographer and creative director, became romantically involved with the singer in 2016 and had been visibly present at her shows and on her annual holiday getaway to the Colorado ski resort in the years since then, other than during a brief split in 2017.
To those fans who closely follow the activities of the superstar pop singer, there were already possible signs that something might be amiss in Carey's years-long relationship with Tanaka that became evident earlier this year, according to E! News.
One such sign is the noticeable absence of each individual from the other's social media postings over the past several months, which was a stark difference from the prior frequency with which photos of the formerly happy couple together were posted.
In fact, the latest post from Tanaka that even mentioned Carey came in March as a celebration of her birthday while the last post from Carey that featured Tanaka was made during their celebration of Christmas together in 2022.
E! News noted that everything seemed to be fine between the two during that last holiday season as Carey spoke to the outlet about her annual Aspen trip and why it was so important to her.
"It is such a busy time of the year for me, but I try to have a few days where we just spend time at home, relax, decorate, and cook some of our favorite holiday dishes -- which includes my anointed greens!" Carey told the outlet last December. "We also love traveling to Aspen, which truly feels like a winter wonderland. The kids hit the slopes, play in the snow, it's a kind of festive experience that we can't get at home."
Another sign that something was amiss between Carey and Tanaka was potentially revealed in a recent interview with the singer with People magazine, in which she indicated that she'd had a tough year and that 2022's Christmas hadn't been as enjoyable as the holidays usually are for her.
"I've been looking forward to this Christmas for, like, the whole year. Since last year -- because last year wasn't the greatest," Carey told the outlet. "I'm thankful for them all, but it wasn't my most fun version of Christmas ever."
"Come hell or high water, this year, this Christmas, we are going to have fun," the famed singer added.
