"Maybe a little love": Mariah Carey hints at her stance on rumored relationship with Anderson .Paak

Mariah Carey might really have a new duet partner offstage. After months of whispers linking her to Anderson .Paak, the pop icon is dropping hints about her romantic life during her chat with Keke Palmer.

The Songbird Supreme recently made a special appearance on Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, where she dished on her new album, as well as gave a glimpse into her personal life.

Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak have been embroiled in dating speculations since December last year, but neither of them has confirmed nor denied the real score between them.

Keke Palmer then brought up the paparazzi photos of the rumored couple holding hands, suggesting there might be "a little love" between them. Mariah Carey coyly agreed:

"Maybe a little love. Who knows?"

The two collaborated on her album Here for It All, released on Sept. 26, and he also appeared in one of the tracks titled "Play This Song." While no official statement has been issued regarding their relationship status, a source divulged in March through Us Weekly:

“Mariah and Anderson are dating. They met working last summer and he has always been a huge fan and looked up to her.”

The insider added that the romance has been "going on a few months" despite their busy schedules.

Another source reported that the singer and rapper bonded over their children, saying:

“He has really been keeping her attention and they are full on dating. They have a lot in common and it’s going really well.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the release of her new album, Mariah Carey appeared on CBS Mornings, where she was also asked about her status with Anderson .Paak.

Recent photos caught the two artists anew, holding hands while milling about. When host Gayle King pressed, the "My All" hitmaker cheekily answered:

“He just likes to hold my hand. He just grabs my hand. I don’t know what he's doing. He’s [in] a hand-holding club. That’s what it is.”

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Mariah Carey reflects on family loss: "It was extremely difficult"

Mariah Carey worked on her sixteenth album, Here for It All, while she was grieving the loss of her mother, Patricia Carey, and sister, Alison. They died on the same day last year.

In her tell-all with CBS Mornings, the "When You Believe" songstress discussed the painful journey, revealing:

"I don't know how I processed it. I just know that it was extremely difficult for me to navigate. It was tough because I have always had an interesting relationship with my mother."

The icon shared that even though she was estranged from her sister, her passing still had an impact on her.

"My sister, I hadn't seen in years, and I feel really badly about that as well. But that's 'cause I tend to have a guilt complex about everything. But it's tough. My sister had an extremely hard life."

Mariah Carey revealed in her 2020 memoir her complicated relationship with her mother. Still, she found comfort in being with her in her final days.

"Towards the end, I was with her the whole time. She said a couple of things to me that were very healing for what I needed. And I felt that that was the right thing to do."