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Darlene Love is looking to collaborate on Christmas music with Mariah Carey!
Months after Love publicly questioned Carey’s attempt to trademark “Queen of Christmas” for her own use, the 81-year-old vocalist is ready to move forward and record a brand-new duet version of her holiday classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” alongside the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” superstar.
“That’s her wishlist for 2023, to invite Mariah to rerecord the song with her in the studio,” Love’s rep, Len Evans, tells PEOPLE, noting that his client has always “loved” Carey but “didn’t understand” her attempt to trademark the “Queen of Christmas” title.
When news that the 52-year-old “Hero” singer filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to legally market herself as the “Queen of Christmas” broke in August, Love took to Facebook to express her thoughts.
RELATED: Mariah Carey’s Bid to Trademark ‘Queen of Christmas’ Met with Opposition from Fellow Singers
“Is it true that Mariah Carey trademarked ‘Queen of Christmas’?” she asked in a Facebook post at the time. “What does that mean, that I can’t use that title?”
Known for holiday staples such as “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “All Alone on Christmas” from Home Alone 2: Alone in New York and “Christmastime for the Jews” from Saturday Night Live, Love then wrote, “David Letterman officially declared me the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago, a year before she released ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ and at 81 years of age I’m NOT changing anything.”
(Last month, fellow notable Christmas performer Elizabeth Chan announced the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board blocked Carey’s attempt of owning the exclusive rights to the title, along with her attempts to trademark “Princess Christmas” and “QOC.”)
RELATED: Elizabeth Chan Wins ‘Queen of Christmas’ Trademark Dispute Against Mariah Carey: ‘Badge of Honor’
Earlier this month, the 5-time Grammy winner praised Love in an Instagram video.
In the clip, Carey reflected on recording a cover of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for her iconic 1994 Merry Christmas album and called Love the “Queen of Christmas.”
“I listened to that song every year — like, every year — and it was an homage to Darlene Love, the Queen of Christmas, Darlene Love, that we love!” said Carey. “We live for her. She can have that title forever. Like, we love that song.”
RELATED: Darlene Love’s Last Holiday Shows of Year Sell Out After Mariah Carey Calls Her ‘Queen of Christmas’
Since the video was posted, the remaining shows on Love’s holiday concert tour have completely sold out, Evans tells PEOPLE, and Carey’s fans have expressed immense support for Love.
“The last couple of shows that she was doing, they sold out right away, and a couple of the Mariah fans actually stood outside and wanted to get pictures with her,” he says. “They said, ‘Hey, we didn’t like you, but we love you now,’ and she was just happy to hear that this was all ended on a very positive note … Now, she loves [Carey] even more.”
Love would like to join forces with Carey for a new version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — aka the ultimate Christmas collaboration. “Darlene said, ‘Oh my God, maybe I should record this with her.’ Who knows, maybe next year we’ll see them together on the stage,” says Evans. “Darlene would love to do anything with her in 2023.”
Looking forward, he says Love would like to act as Carey’s “Queen mother” throughout the holiday season: “She says, ‘I will hand her the Christmas throne, and we will be there to support each other.”
