Mariah Carey’s reality show teasers reveal her life before the fame and we’re definitely intrigued

Unless you and Mariah go back like babies and pacifiers, then you would probably find it hard to believe that the elusive chanteuse wasn’t born wearing a diamond-studded onesie and glittery heels. Although Carey’s devoted “lambs” are likely familiar with her humble backstory, two E! teasers from Mariah’s World explore her life before she blossomed into the luxury-loving diva we know today.

As crazy as it sounds, life wasn’t always so fab for the woman who takes bubble baths with diamonds and wears a robe on Ellen that looks way more glamorous than any of the frumpy loungewear we own. During the previews of her upcoming reality show, Carey lets the world know what she experienced on her way up from the bottom to superstardom.

While on a yacht in Italy with her nephew Shaun (that’s so Mariah), Carey recalls her pre-fame struggles as a teenaged aspiring singer living alone in Manhattan, saying, “I lived like on a mattress on the floor. I was writing my songs and being a horrible waitress. My demo tape ended up at Sony and they signed it away.”

But clearly things worked out in Carey’s favor, thanks to her insane vocals and songwriting skills, which she demonstrates in another Mariah’s World clip:

It’s difficult to think of Carey in any situation that is less than fabulous, but she is clearly enjoying the fruits of her labor. Since we get such a huge kick out watching her enjoy her empire of excess, we cannot wait until Mariah’s World premieres on Sunday, December 4th, where will be glued to the TV taking notes on how to live her glamorous life — except for her insanely hard diet, which we’ve already dismissed with a hair flip and Mariah Carey-esque eye roll.