Mariah Carey joined Latto on stage at the 2022 BET Awards to perform the “Big Energy” remix, and stars like Brandy — who also made her own surprise appearance earlier in the night — couldn’t get enough of the epic moment on stage on June 26. The moment was totally unexpected, which made it that much more special. Obviously, when Latto started singing “Big Energy”, viewers were hoping Mariah would show up for her part of the remixed track, but nothing was confirmed until Mariah’s silhouette showed up from behind a curtain halfway through the performance. Then, when the curtain raised, Mariah stood there in a sparkly gown and started singing.
As you can see in the video above, the crowd went wild, and after the performance was over, Latto sweetly presented Mariah with a bouquet of flowers! Isn’t that sweet? We definitely need more moments like this at award shows.
Latto’s “Big Energy” was one of 13 tracks on her album, 777, and it samples Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love,” as did Mariah’s 1995 multi-platinum single “Fantasy”, so the ladies eventually teamed up for an epic remix of “Big Energy” and it’s currently climbing the charts. Latto pays homage to Mariah’s version in the song, when she raps: “Bad bitch, I can be your fantasy/ I can tell you got big dick energy.” And in the remix, Mariah sings “Fantasy’s” iconic chorus.
Of the collaboration, Latto told Variety, “[Mariah’s] such an uplifting spirit. I’m grateful for the remix and for her vocals — Mariah’s a legend — but I’m grateful for the experience that she gave me with this song and all the words of advice.”
Watch a video of the full BET Awards performance above!