Carey and Tanaka have split after 7 years together, Tanaka has confirmed.
Chris Pizzello/AP
Bryan Tanaka, Mariah Carey’s boyfriend of 7 years, announced their split Tuesday. Tanaka, who met Carey as one of her dancers, said the breakup was “amicable.” Carey hasn’t spoken out about the breakup yet. Instead, she’s celebrating her streaming wins.
Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka have split after 7 years together, the dancer confirmed Tuesday.
In an Instagram post, Tanaka wrote that the breakup was “amicable” and showed appreciation for the Grammy Award-winning songstress, with whom he worked as a dancer and creative director.
“With mixed emotions, I share this personal update regarding my amicable separation from Mariah Carey after seven extraordinary years together,” he wrote. “Our decision to embark on different paths is mutual, and as we navigate these separate journeys, we do so with profound respect and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the invaluable time we’ve shared. The memories we’ve created and the artistic collaborations are etched in my heart forever.”
“I eagerly anticipate continuing my journey, knowing my passion for inspiration, dance, and the creative arts will resonate in the unfolding chapters,” he continued.
Tanaka and Carey first met when Tanaka joined her 2006 The Adventures of Mimi tour as a backup dancer.
The “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer first confirmed their relationship to the AP in 2017.
“I’m just going to be like ‘I really don’t talk about my personal life.’ Because that’s what I used to do and it really worked for a minute, back, a while ago,” she said at the time, smiling. “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about my personal life. … Me and my boyfriend don’t want to do that.”
Rumors of their split began popping up online last month, when fans noticed Tanaka did not join Carey on her Merry Christmas One and All! tour.
Carey has not released a public statement about the breakup.
A representative for Carey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Instead of commenting on the breakup, Carey — dubbed the Queen of Christmas — has been busy on social media promoting her tour, which ended on December 17.
On Tuesday, the singer posted a message sharing gratitude to her fans that her Christmas hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” again topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for the fourth year in a row. Carey also celebrated breaking the Spotify record for the most song streams in one day.
“I can’t thank you enough for making this Christmas (and honestly, this entire season!) so celebratory for me,” Carey wrote Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after Tanaka’s post. “Even though it is December 26, Christmas never ends for me (ha ha!) and I will keep sharing some of our festive moments from the past week with you!”