Bryan Kekoa Tanaka (born April 11, 1983) is an American/Japanese-American dancer. He was Mariah's boyfriend from 2016 until 2023.
Relationship with Mariah[]
According to reports, Tanaka has an on-off relationship with Mariah. As of August 2020 the pair have been seen together.
Tanaka met Mariah in 2006 when he was roped in as a backup dancer for her 'Adventures of Mimi' tour in 2006. In an interview, Tanaka described their first meeting as “sweaty mess”.[1] He explained, “The first time we met we were actually in a rehearsal setting, a huge sound stage at Sony studios back in LA. And she walked in with a beautiful entourage and I was on stage already." “Our first introduction was kind of a sweaty mess, because I was on stage sweating…she came out all looking gorgeous and everything. But it was great we said 'Hi' real quick and we got back to work,” adds Tanaka.[1]
The budding romance between Mariah and Tanaka began while she was still with Packer. In Mariah’s reality show ‘Mariah’s World’, the singer can be seen giving a lap dance to Tanaka during her South Africa tour. This didn’t sit well with her billionaire fiancé. Packer got very jealous when Tanaka went to visit Mariah during one of her performances in Las Vegas. According to reports, Packer was so unhappy that he pulled some strings and got Tanaka banned from entering Caesar’s Palace casino.[1]
Soon after the incident, Packer and Mariah broke up. In 2017, Mariah announced to the world that she was seeing Tanaka.
On December 18, 2023, it was reported that Carey and Tanaka had "seemingly split" due to his absence on Carey's Merry Christmas One and All! tour and her annual holiday trip to Aspen.[2] Two days later, it was confirmed by Page Six that the couple had officially called it quits because Tanaka wanted children, while Carey didn't.[3] Tanaka confirmed their "amicable separation" on Instagram on December 26, 2023.[4]
Gallery[]
“Them Chickens is ash and i'm lotion” To view the Bryan Tanaka gallery, click here.
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Trivia[]
- Bryan's American on Claire's side & Japanese-American on Ohana's side.
- In April 2020, Mariah celebrated Bryan's birthday by baking a homemade cake.[1]
- On August 20, 2020, Tanaka appeared with Mariah on the Zoom premiere of Mariah's single "Save the Day"[5]
- Tanaka has performed at award shows like the Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards. He has made several television appearances including on the HBO series Entourage in 2006.[6]
Reference[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka: How a singing diva fell in love with her backup dancer in 'soap-opera style' - retrieved 8/20/20
- ↑ Bell, Sadie. (2023, December 18). Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka Seemingly Split After 7 Years as He's Absent on Tour and Holiday Trip. People. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ↑ Siegler, Mara. (2023, December 20). Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka split after 7 years: ‘He wants to have a family’. Page Six. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ↑ Bryan Tanaka [@bryantanaka]. (2023, December 26). [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1VAlLrPnWM/. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
- ↑ Tweet: August 20 Zoom Party for Save the Day - retrieved 8/20/20
- ↑ Famous Birthdays: Bryan Tanaka - retrieved 8/20/20