Mariah Is (Probably) Coming To 'Empire'

Someone needs to come to New York and hold me, because my knees just buckled in joy over this news. Apparently, while the pop diva was busy receiving a Walk of Fame star for the first time (!!) on Wednesday, she was also receiving a vote of confidence. According to creator Lee Daniels, Carey will guest star on Empire Season 2. While EVP of Corporate Communications & Publicity Chris Alexander tells Bustle that there is "no deal yet but Lee [Daniels] is hopeful she will appear on the show," I remain optimistic that it's going to happen. After all, what show about a musical empire wouldn't want to feature such a queen? But whether you're a fan of Empire or a fan of Carey, there should be only one question on everyone's minds: does Carey's Empire role mean new music?

TheWrap reports that "a person with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap that there is no deal currently in place, and it is unclear if negotiations have even begun in earnest." Despite that, my hopes are pretty high considering how good Empire is at what it does, how good Carey is at what she does, and how much free time Carey has now that her Las Vegas residency is finally over. Sure, she could be spending this free time working on a new studio album to follow up with the mildly disappointing Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, but what better warm up could there be than lending your voice to the Empire soundtrack?

Empire has featured the vocal talents of celebrities from Jennifer Hudson to Courtney Love, from Rita Ora to Mary J. Blige, and Carey would be the icing on an incredibly talented cake. In addition, Carey has already worked with Daniels when she appeared as Hattie Pearl in Lee Daniels' The Butler in 2013, not to mention as Mrs. Weiss in Precious in 2009. If there was interest in featuring her, I can't see why she would refuse when she has trusted Daniels with her big screen performances at least twice in the past. And, OK, maybe I'm just also eager for there to be new Carey music in the world, especially if she ends up singing with Jussie Smollett aka Jamal Lyon (or even with Bryshere Grey aka Hakeem Lyon — as long as her character doesn't become his new "mother").

At the end of the day, we'll just have to wait for more official casting news before we can celebrate the appearance of a true queen on Empire just yet. (You know, besides Cookie Lyon.) However, there is no way that Mariah Carey can appear on Empire and not gift us all with a new song. There is just no way. That would be like having Beyoncé appear on the show without letting her sing. That would be like having Kanye appear on the show without letting him rap. That would be like having Kim Kardashian appear on the show without letting her take a selfie. It would be a drastic disservice to fans, and a drastic misuse of Carey's considerable talents, and I won't stand for it!

Image: FOX