Pop diva touches down for new year

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

SINGER Mariah Carey arrived in the country at the weekend ahead of her first Australian tour in 15 years and will spend New Year's Eve with her family.

Confidential hears the pop diva, her rapper husband Nick Cannon and the couple's 18-month-old twins Moroccan and Monroe (or Roc and Roe as she calls them) will see in 2013 aboard a luxury yacht on the Great Barrier Reef.

The foursome touched down on the Gold Coast on Friday night via private jet and boarded the boat on Saturday morning, according to our Queensland sources.

Getting the best of both worlds, the couple and their children spent Christmas in snowy US ski capital, Aspen, in Colorado.

It's understood they will sail around the reef before heading to the Gold Coast tomorrow for Carey's first show at Jupiters Casino with Cannon as the support artist with a DJ set.

The family will then head to Sydney for a concert on January 3, before wrapping things up in Melbourne on January 5.

While the shows are highly anticipated, there are plenty of disappointed fans who have been waiting to see the Hero singer since her Butterfly tour in 1998.

The first two gigs sold out in four minutes, but there are a small number of tickets available for the Melbourne show.

News of the tour came as a surprise because Carey has not released new music since 2010, when her second Christmas album came out.

She is one of the most successful female entertainers of all time, selling a staggering 200 million records and the 43-year-old has promised her fans an unforgettable show.

"It is really hard to make sure I see all of my fans around the world," she said.

"It has been a case of waiting for the right time to make the trip."!