Darlene Love, a legendary 83-year-old singer, has set the record straight regarding any supposed competition with Mariah Carey for the title of "Queen of Christmas". In a candid interview with PEOPLE, Love reveals that much of the tension between them has been fueled by fans rather than the two artists themselves.

Carey's Direct Kudos

Love shares that when the "Queen of Christmas" situation was heating up, Mariah Carey reached out directly. As Love recounts, Carey wrote to her, saying, "As far as I'm concerned, Darlene Love is the Christmas Queen. I grew up on 'Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home).' That always played in my house." This gesture from Carey helped to ease the tension and showed that there was no animosity between them.

Early Controversy

The situation began in 2022 when Mariah Carey attempted to trademark the "Queen of Christmas" title. This led to fellow holiday crooners Elizabeth Chan and Love speaking out. Elizabeth Chan even took legal action against Carey. Love herself asked in a Facebook post at the time, "Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked 'Queen of Christmas'? What does that mean, that I can't use that title?" This sparked a lot of discussion among fans and the media.

Changing Tunes

However, when Carey gave Love her flowers on social media, Love's attitude seemed to change. She wrote in response, "Thank you, Mariah Carey! This just warmed my heart! Love you very much and I apologize if my words towards you were a bit harsh. I've always LOVED & ADORED you!! I'm HONORED to share the Queen of Christmas title with you and all the other talented performers on earth!" This marked a turning point in their relationship.

Collaboration Tease

Love's representative later reiterated the singer's desire to collaborate with Carey. They told PEOPLE in 2023 that Love's wishlist for 2023 was to invite Mariah to rerecord the song together in the studio. Love herself now teases that the collaboration may still come to fruition. She recalls, "It was so funny. Last year, Cher calls me out of the blue and we re-recorded it together. That really threw me … I went, 'Well, I guess Mariah Carey is coming next.' I think those kind of things… Somebody's thinking about it somewhere. Good things can come around — any day, any time now."