Mariah Carey was here for it all.
The long line wrapping the building, the hundreds of albums she autographed, the emotional fans she encountered.
The legendary singer returned to her hometown of Long Island on Tuesday to promote her new album “Here For It All” at Looney Tunes Record Store in West Babylon.
“Back in Long Island for the lambs!!!” Carey wrote on X, referring to the affectionate term she uses for her fanbase.
The meet-and-greet event with the six-time Grammy recipient, one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, was announced Monday afternoon and sold out just hours later.
“I’ve been trying to get Mariah Carey in the store for, believe it or not, about 25 years,” said Karl Groeger, owner of Looney Tunes Record Store. “It’s about 10 or 15 records we tried to get her on. We’ve always been missing her, couldn’t set it up. So, we are just thrilled to have her here today.”
As were hundreds of fans.
The first in line Tuesday, Thomas Robinson from West Babylon, arrived just before 7 a.m. — nearly 12 hours before the event’s scheduled start time.
“I’ve been waiting many years to have this chance to just say, ‘Thank you,'” the longtime Carey fan said.
Carey arrived roughly an hour late. Hey, world-famous divas aren’t exactly known for being punctual.
Mike Gavin/NBCU Local
Mike Gavin/NBCU Local Mariah Carey arrives at Looney Tunes Record Store in West Babylon, New York on September 30, 2025.
Fans passed the time while waiting in line by singing Carey’s hits. She arrived just before 7 p.m., waving to the crowd as she entered the store. She then met with each, signing CDs of her new album.
Carlos Moreno flew from Los Angeles to attend Carey’s meet-and-greets, the first of which was held at Barnes and Noble in Manhattan on Saturday.
“I was first on line there and I was fourth on line here today,” he said while wearing Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” socks. “I asked her if she remembered me, and she said yes. So, we had a nice little moment.”
Dominique Jimenez of New Jersey drove two-and-a-half hours to attend, joking that when she came face-to-face with Carey she “blanked out.”
“First of all, she’s gorgeous,” Jimenez said. “Second of all, I can’t believe that’s the Mariah Carey standing in front of me. This is crazy.”
Carey, 56, was raised in nearby Huntington and graduated from Greenlawn’s Harborfields High School in 1987.
She then went on to become the best-selling female recording artist of the 1990s, with her debut album “Mariah Carey” producing four No. 1 singles.
Carey released her 16th studio album on Sept. 26, bringing fans into what she’s calling “the era of me.”
“I love my fans, like we have this whole thing with the Lambily, it’s a long story, but we love the Lambs,” Carey told the Associated Press prior to the album’s release. “And I think the fact that they really study the albums, you know, like it’s not just like, “Oh, I’ll just throw this out.” I know they’re going to really be focused on what I’ve written about, what type of musical selections I’ve made, so, yeah, I don’t know, we just have an incredible connection.
Looney Tunes, a longtime family-owned shop, has drawn big-name recording artists for store events, including an appearance by Ozzy Osbourne and a rooftop concert by the band Staind for 7,500 fans. Earlier this month, the store hosted Grammy winning hip-hop star Cardi B for a sold-out photo op event to promote the release of her new album “Am I the Drama?”
The store has also had recent meet-and-greets with Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, Sabrina Carpenter and many others. But Carey, a homegrown product, may have been the biggest name yet.
“It is an unbelievable process to try to get Mariah Carey to stop by a little record store in West Babylon,” Groeger said. “But fortunate enough, we were able to do it.”
Who might be next?
“Mariah on Long Island is about the biggest we can get,” Groeger said. “We’re still waiting for Billy Joel to say yes. He’s on our bucket list, too. But as far as Long Island icons are concerned, I mean, who’s bigger than Mariah Carey?”
