Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images
When the "Fantasy" singer was on tour in the land down under in 1998 she met Chris Cini, who subsequently named his daughter after the pop star. Carey shared the spotlight with the young girl during a rendition of "Close Your Eyes," which she also dedicated to her young fan.
Cini's dad said he was thrilled that the "Glitter" star chose to honor his daughter and praised her generosity.
"Mariah Carey is truly a beautiful, genuine person. She's protective of her fans and she's not above herself at all. I knew when we were having a baby girl that she would be my Mariah Grace," he said.
Despite being only 6 years old, Mariah Cini also voiced her appreciation for the gesture, calling herself "the luckiest."
"I'm so excited because I finally get to meet my namesake. I've always liked her, from when I was born, basically... Dad always said if she came back [to Australia] we'd go to visit her and I couldn't believe it. I know I'm one of the luckiest fans in Australia," the child said.
Carey finishes her last of three shows in Sydney tonight (Jan. 4) and will finish her current tour in Melbourne tomorrow night.
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