Caviar, Champagne, and Mariah Carey: Anderson .Paak Tells All

Anderson .Paak is still riding the high of working with Mariah Carey — and yes, the whole thing came with caviar, champagne, and a brief romance that played out in real time before fizzling by the end of 2025. Busy couple energy, great music, messy timeline.

What .Paak said at the Time100 Gala

Catching up at the Time100 Gala on Thursday, April 23, .Paak (40) told Us Weekly that collaborating with Carey (57) was exactly what you want it to be: she is deeply hands-on with both production and songwriting, and he soaked up a lot just being in the room. He also painted the vibe as extremely Mariah: swapping stories, caviar, champagne, the works. If she calls again, he is absolutely in — schedules permitting.

The collab that kicked it off

The two duetted on Play This Song, which landed on Carey’s September 2025 album Here For It All. The track pulls them into a dreamy, old-Hollywood mood that they doubled down on visually a little later (more on that in a sec). For the record: .Paak’s real name is Brandon Paak Anderson.

The rumors, the wink, the breakup

They were first spotted holding hands in Aspen in December 2024, which started the rumor mill. A source said they had met working the previous summer, that .Paak had long admired her, and that the dates were sporadic thanks to two very busy calendars — but it had been happening for a few months by then.

Cut to September 2025: Carey played coy on CBS Mornings, joking that he just likes to grab her hand, while also calling him brilliant and a genuinely great artist. That same week, the black-and-white Play This Song video dropped, leaning into the chemistry — cozy mansion, plenty of looks — as they sang: 'And I know you miss me, babe / Don’t pretend like you don’t feel the same.'

By late 2025, multiple reports said they had split amicably. Short run, big footprint.

Quick timeline, because the dates get slippery

• Summer 2024: They meet working on music.
• December 2024: Aspen hand-holding sparks dating rumors.
• September 2025: Carey releases Here For It All with their duet Play This Song.
• September 2025: Carey’s CBS Mornings interview airs; the song’s black-and-white video drops that week.
• Late 2025: They part ways, amicably, per multiple reports.
• April 23, 2026: . Paak talks about the collab at the Time100 Gala.

Real-life logistics

Carey shares 14-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-husband Nick Cannon. They married in 2008 and separated in 2014 after six years. Post-divorce, she dated choreographer Bryan Tanaka from 2016 to 2023.

.Paak shares two kids — Soul Rasheed (15) and Shine Tariq (8) — with his estranged wife Jaylyn Chang. He filed for divorce in January 2024.

Also, .Paak just made the Time100

.Paak was honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026 at Thursday’s event, alongside names like Nikki Glaser, Alan Cumming, and Hilary Duff. He summed up the moment like someone who knows exactly how surreal it is to be standing there:

'I need a drink. This is epic... I feel inspired just being in the room... This is a big honor, like bucket list stuff.'

So: collaboration was a blast, the romance had a quick arc, and the video gave it a glossy capstone. No notes on the caviar.