Mariah on the Dutch show "Idols"

Martijn: Welcome to "Idols", Mariah.

Mariah: Thank you.

Martijn: Isn't it sometimes a little bit scary when you come to these places and there are so many people?

Mariah: You know, I'm one of those people where I've been in massive crowds and people trying to like... I don't think they're trying to crush you but that's just what it feels like at the moment, and my thing is - you have to remain calm, literally. Like everybody else can be screaming around you but if you're just calm, you just walk through it.

Martijn: When do you draw the line and where between private and public?

Mariah: If I'm out and if people come up to me and they're nice and they say, you know, "can I have your autograph?" - of course I'm gonna give them my autograph. If you can make somebody happy, you should do it. You know, but if people come up to you and they're rude and nasty, you know, then you let the security ask them politely to leave.

Martijn: Would you give some advice to our contestants?

Mariah: Well, I love writing songs because it's an outlet for me, so definitely sit down and try to hone their craft and learn a little bit more about song structure and you know, just be in the studio as much as you can. Any opportunity someone gives you to hang out at the studio - just be there.

Martijn: What's the most fun experience of being a public figure?

Mariah: Well, overall it would be meeting fans, like, I really have some great fans, like, they sort of give me this unconditional love and that's something that I haven't really had very much of in my life so I would say the fans are the best part of it. My fans, they're very special.

Martijn: One last thing, I have a picture here, it's a very young girl, she's only 20 years old, I'd like you to look at the picture and maybe give a few comments. (Martijn shows Mariah a picture of them together in Holland in 1990.)

Mariah: (laughs) Oh my goodness.

Martijn: This is 1990, "Vision of Love".

Mariah: I know... it's my bad side.

Martijn: You were in Holland, I think we do look better now.

Mariah: I'm giving you my bad side. (laughs) I will say my hair wasn't in very good condition at that point, and I did my own hair in this picture because we couldn't afford "hair and make up" back then.

Martijn: If you could give this girl advice, what would it be?

Mariah: It was too late at that point to give a real advice I needed to be given, but if I could give that girl advice, it would be "stand up for yourself".

(Mariah Daily)