Meet the Western Sydney tradition that scored a hit in collaboration with Mariah Carey: ‘I can’t believe it happened’

A Western Sydney tradition turned DJ has scored a house music hit with American superstar Mariah Carey.

Elias Daher, nicknamed DJ e-Lie, turned to music during the covid lockdowns.

The rising star recently remixed Carey’s 2005 hit Circles and released it online, and it wasn’t long before he received an email from Ministry of Sound (a global music and entertainment company) on behalf of the singer herself.

“The song that has Mariah Carey on it, we didn’t think she would be on it. We just hoped to do it again,” Daher said The Sunday Telegraph this week.

“But she eventually heard it and she loved it and wanted to be a part of it and I can’t believe that happened,” he added.

Daher said he is the first Australian to collaborate with the iconic singer, and one of the first people in the world to feature Carey in a house music number.

Elias then called Mariah “the queen” and said he is quitting his job to make more music with Ministry of Sound.

“(She) doesn’t like it so much that she likes it and wants to play with a boy who was born in Auburn and raised in Greystanes, it’s a big accomplishment,” he enthused.

“Eventually she heard it and she loved it and wanted to be a part of it and I can’t believe that happened,” he said of Carey (pictured) in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph this week.

On Spotify, his Circles remix has nearly 1.4 million streams and over 100,000 views on YouTube.

Elias is becoming an online star herself, with nearly 5,000 followers.

Earlier this month, Elias shared a video on Instagram of Mariah performing the Circles remix on stage for the first time.

“It’s been a pretty surreal week for me, but once I saw this video I officially understood what I’ve accomplished!” he wrote in the caption

“(She) doesn’t really like it, so if she likes it and wants to play with a boy who was born in Auburn and raised in Greystanes, it’s a big accomplishment,” he said