Exclusive interview with Jasmine

For how long have you been friends with Mariah?

We've been friends since 1998.

Did you meet her because of your work as an MTV Europe DJ?

Yes, I interviewed at the last minute standing in for my boss and was flown to Capri in Italy at the last minute, I was really worried about the filming as I had heard the usual diva rumours and was dreading it, so I did my research and off I went. I fully expected to hate her but she was so real and genuine that I was won over and I'm a very hard person to impress. We ended up with a great show on Mariah which rated number one all over MTV Europe and showed her witty fun side.

What do you like better about working on MTV?

Mtv gives me great opportunities, to travel the world, speak to interesting talented people and still live a relatively normal life - I have like R. Kelly and Jay-Z said "the best of both worlds".

Does Mariah talk about her fans to her friends? If yes... what does she say?

MC often talks about her fans. She's very strict in that she wants to hear from them, meet them and really cares about staying in touch with them. When I first used to visit her I would be sent loads of letters and cards from fans for her and used to wonder whether or not I should really give them to her, but she insisted that I do. So ever since then, I have done - not good for my luggage weight at the airport but hell. I treat it as a workout. She most definately cares more about her fans than alot of stars I meet in this game.

You have been on a "Mariah Voice Message". Do you know what a celebrity you have turned between Mariah fans after that?

I've now been on two Mariah voice messages and it proves how popular she is even when she's not in the promotional loop as I always get sent hundreds of e-mails from her fans the following day. I'm happy she has so much support and we have fun leaving them.

We know you were there, watching Mariah record and all. What do you think we can expect from Mariah's new album?

MC's new music is very classic Mariah, the ballads are emotional - especially the first single - there are uptempo and slow tracks, it's like her life story with a bit of a guest line up of her musical mates but not too many. Her vocals are as strong as ever and the song writing is as ever classic. There are a couple of great surprises on there this time too. Can't tell tho - or what kind of friend would I be.

As fans we really care about MC and we were very happy seeing the latest pictures she put up at her website. She seemed really happy. Do you think that she's going through a good moment of her life? (Like living her phylosophy of "After every storm if you look hard enough a Rainbow appears"?)

MC's one of those people that gets thrown many challenges but like the survivor she is she rolls along with them, rides her storms and comes through the other side as calm and fresh as ever. Like my mum says when I'm worried about MC, "Life's tough, but Mariah's tougher". She's definatly very calm and content right now enjoying her life, she loves a challenge and I defy anyone to name me another artist who can go through as much as MC at her still young age and come out of it looking as fresh and sweet smelling as a daisy. Never responding to the tabloid crap or other controvery is just proof that she doesn't have to wash her dirty linen in public or prove herself to anyone. She's the best.

A Mariah fan said you had confirmed that Mariah's new single will be called "Through The Rain" but Def Jam gave us no confirmation on that. Was the fan just wrong?

As far as I'm aware that's the title, but hey Mariah is Def Jam's biggest newest princess so of course they want to break the news about their new "baby" themselves.

What is one thing about Mariah's personality that only those really close to her can notice? (Good and bad ones.)

No one knows how much of a hiphop head MC is. She's really off the hook, she can recite lines from every commercial and obscure rap group. She's a true music lover. She's very intelligent, you can't slip a sly comment past her and even though it's all smiles and sexy clothes on tv, this girl's brain power is very quick. She always wins the mental games that we play on our vacations and the people we hang out with are the best at what they do and not slow by any means. She's got the nerves of high-wire walkers, the courage of bomb-disposal agents, and the self-assurance of brain surgeons when she leaps into the ocean, bungee jumps, jumps off mountains, you name it she does it. I love her because after all the music chat is done we can talk family, homes, boyfriends anything and be normal girl friends, she occasionally educates me with movies like Alex Haleys "Queen" which is about African American history so yeah I guess we're good for each other. Bad things about MC are that as she worries about her fans, her business, her music, the world too much. She will stay up to deal with everything and not rest and relax as much as she should, she needs to sleep more and not 2-3 hour spurts. Also, she has pioneered the skill of walking up and down mountains in stilletto heels holding a glass of water and manages not to break anything - that's dangerous but so MC.

Many thanks to Ashes.