Mariah Carey and her pals in Maybach Music Group helped kick off the NFL season last night (Sept. 5) in New York City. Mimi performed her new single ‘Triumphant’ in Rockefeller Center as the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys suited up across the river in New Jersey for the first game of the season. But our gal was “fashionably late.” Wait, what?

For the first minute of the perf, rappers Meek Mill and Rick Ross performed live, on the stage in Manhattan, while Mimi appeared only via video screens, with images of her bling-encrusted shoes walking on a carpet bearing the NFL logo.

She teased us.

For a sec, we thought she was being beamed in by pre-recorded video and that she would not be appearing live, via monitor or in the flesh. Gasp!

But she was “fashionably late,” appearing on the stage at around two minutes in, looking like a gilded goddess in her gown, which showed off her “assets.” She appeared after a door, featuring her lit up initials, opened to reveal Mimi in all her glory.

The video montage of Carey even began with the words “Fashionably Late” on the screen, so there was a hint that we wouldn’t see her right away.

While ‘Triumphant’ may have stalled on the radio and sales charts, Carey sounded fabulous and looked it, too.

We hope Mimi’s lambs give the song another chance. Even though she sometimes feels like the backup singer on a rap song give the arrangement, since Mill and Ricky Rozay are front and center, it’s still catchy. We love it and you should too, lambs.

Mimi also hit some of her glass-shattering notes during her performance, reminding NYC who is the queen of the divas.

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