Mariah Carey’s boyfriend Bryan Tanaka has "always had a thing" for her.
The ‘Without You’ hitmaker attended the ‘Mariah’s World’ premiere party in New York City with the back up dancer where he gushed about their "connection" and "mutual admiration" for each other.
He said: "I’ve always had a thing for Mariah. I love her so much. Just make sure you tune in to the show and you’ll see kind of how everything happens … We’ve been friends for a long time. I do a little dance move here and there and we have a good time. It will be fun …
"Something connected with us back in the day and there was just a mutual admiration. She saw something in me that I actually didn’t recognise at first, from that it was over. It was set in history that we were gonna be connected some way, some how."
And the 46-year-old singer also gushed about the pair’s close relationship.
She added to E! News: "It’s really nice, especially when you’ve worked with somebody in the past and then you get to work with them again and just see how everybody’s grown creatively and all that."
Meanwhile, Mariah recently refused to divulge if her and Bryan were an item.
She teased: "I refuse to answer under the grounds that it may incriminate me."
However, the star is moving on from her former fiancé James Packer by staying positive.
She added: "Oh, I can’t give somebody that much power. Are you kidding me? … You gotta keep on pushing."
Speculation about Mariah and Bryan’s relationship was fuelled when the pair were seen smooching whilst on holiday in Maui, Hawaii.
An eyewitness said: "They were all over each other, making out and not wanting to be more than a few feet apart. They swam in the ocean and he picked her up to kiss her. She was jumping into his arms, and he bent her back over his knee like they were dancing.
"Then they walked on the beach holding hands, and he gave her a piggyback ride. They had a lot of fun together, and were very playful. She was kicking up the water to splash him, and he was laughing."
Bryan Tanaka: I’ve ‘always had a thing’ for Mariah Carey
