The birth of a child is typically a private, quiet, and emotional event. However, for the Queen of Pop, Mariah Carey, and her then-husband, Nick Cannon, the arrival of their twins, Monroe and Moroccan Scott Cannon, required a much grander, and hilariously characteristic, sense of occasion. The entire delivery room staff was left stunned—and burst into laughter—when Carey, while giving birth via Cesarean section on their third wedding anniversary in April 2011, demanded that her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, assume the role of an impromptu “DJ.” Her unique goal? To ensure her children entered the world to a round of applause.
The Live Rendition of “Fantasy”
Mariah Carey’s desire for a truly memorable entrance for her babies meant ambient music wouldn’t suffice. Nick Cannon, sharing the hysterical account on The Wendy Williams Show and later with People Magazine, revealed that the singer had very specific demands. Carey wanted the twins to be born to the exhilarating sound of her 1995 smash hit “Fantasy.” But not just any version. To achieve the atmosphere of a triumphant concert, she insisted that Cannon play the live version of the song, which included a recording of cheering, enthusiastic applause.
Cannon Awkwardly DJs
Cannon described the scene as surreal: “My wife wanted to make sure that when the babies came out, that they came out not only to a Mariah Carey song, but a live performance from Mariah Carey—her Madison Square Garden performance of ‘Fantasy’—so they came out to a round of applause.” The image of a stressed Nick Cannon awkwardly “DJing” in the delivery room, managing the playlist for his wife while she was giving birth, caused the entire room to erupt in laughter. Mariah, known for her effortless diva persona, was completely calm throughout the process, even as Cannon was “very nervous,” according to the couple’s representative. Mariah’s decision to time the birth to the sound of thunderous applause cemented her status as a true, committed diva—a woman who believes every major life event, including birth, should be accompanied by a standing ovation.
A Grand Entrance for “Dem Babies”
The twins, affectionately known as “Roc and Roe,” were born on April 30, 2011, in Los Angeles, an event that Mariah herself later confirmed, noting they were born “to the live version of Fantasy… the applause!!!” The twins’ names are equally characteristic: Monroe was named after Marilyn Monroe (one of Mariah’s idols), and Moroccan Scott was named after the Moroccan-inspired decor in the top tier of Carey’s apartment, where Cannon proposed. Cannon later revealed that while “Fantasy” played during the delivery, his nervousness led him to drive the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the wrong hospital department, an error he joked was “right out of an I Love Lucy skit.”