Mariah Carey Shows How It’s Done With ‘We Belong Together’ at AMAs 50th Anniversary Special

The single is one of 19 No. 1s she's earned on the Billboard Hot 100.

Mariah Carey is many things – but casual isn’t one of them. So naturally, when she performed Sunday (Oct. 6) evening at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, she had to make an entrance.

The middle portion of a giant hot pink ‘M’ on the AMAs stage opened up to reveal the diva herself, resplendent in an elegant white gown and shimmering jewelry. And Mimi did not disappoint. Singing her 14-week Billboard Hot 100 leader “We Belong Together” – one of 19 No. 1s on that chart – Carey was in top form, weaving through the deep, soulful runs and hitting that sustained, impossibly long note at the end. It was a powerful performance, with the enraptured audience singing every word and some people even clasping their hearts.

Prior to hitting the AMAs stage, Carey sat down with Billboard’s Tetris Kelly to discuss the classic hit and her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. “People had written me off,” she recalls. “And the song of the decade with ‘We Belong Together’ — it had to be that big of a record for me to actually have a comeback.” At the close of the ‘00s, Billboard declared “We Belong Together” the song of the decade due to its massive chart success.