The best-selling female performer of all-time, Mariah Carey rose to superstardom on the strength of her stunning
five-octave voice; an elastic talent who moved easily from glossy ballads to hip-hop-inspired dance-pop, she earned
frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, but did them both one better by composing all of her
own material.
Born in Long Island, NY, on March 27, 1970, Carey moved to New York City at the age of 17 — just one day after graduating high school — to pursue a music career; there she befriended keyboardist Ben Margulies, with whom she began writing songs. Her big break came as a backing vocalist on a studio session with dance-pop singer Brenda K. Starr, who handed Carey's demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola at a party. According to legend, Mottola listened to the tape in his limo while driving home that same evening, and was so immediately struck by Carey's talent that he doubled back to the party to track her down. After signing to Columbia, Carey entered the studio to begin work on her 1990 self-titled debut LP; the heavily promoted album was a chart-topping smash, launching no less than four number one singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Her overnight success earned Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist, and expectations were high for Carey's follow-up, 1991's Emotions. The album did not disappoint, as the title track reached number one — a record fifth consecutive chart-topper — while both "Can't Let Go" and "Make It Happen" landed in the Top Five. Carey's next release was 1992's Unplugged, which generated a number-one cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There"; featured on the track was backup singer Trey Lorenz, whose appearance immediately helped him land a recording contract of his own.
After separating from Mottola, Carey returned in 1997 with Butterfly, another staggering success and her most hip-hop-flavored recording to date. This record also defined Carey as a musician that was incredibly versitile in her production and writing of the songs. "Honey" and "My All" - the only two mainstream singles released - hit #1 on Billboard. Appropriately titled, #1's — a collection featuring her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as "When You Believe," a duet with Whitney Houston effectively pairing the two most successful female recording artists in pop history — followed late the next year. With "Heartbreaker," the first single from her 1999 album Rainbow, Carey became the first and only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s; the record also pushed her ahead of the Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop the Hot 100 singles chart. During 2000, "Thank God I Found You" became Carey's fifteenth single to top the charts. She toured throughout this year to many sold out shows.
In 2004 Carey layed low in the spotlight while writing and producing tracks for her 2005 Island/Def Jam release, The Emancipation of Mimi. In 2005 the first single, "It's Like That," became a top 10 radio smash. By the album's release date, Mimi debut at #1 and sold nearly 500,000 copies in its first week. "We Belong Together" became Carey's most successful single in her career. The song broke airplay records and sat at the top of the pole position for a record-breaking 14 weeks. During the fall, "Shake It Off" peaked at #2 for six weeks despite being a #1 smash at airplay. By December Carey tied Elvis Presley with her 17th #1 smash, "Don't Forget About Us." The Emancipation of Mimi remained in the top ten through 2006 and became Carey's most successful album selling 10 million units since 1995's Daydream. Carey took home 3 wins at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song, Best R&B Female Vocal Performance, and Best Contemporary R&B Album. Content courtesy of AMG, Universal Records, and IDJMG. |
In June 1993, Carey wed Mottola — some two decades her senior — in a headline-grabbing ceremony; months later
she released her third full-length effort, Music Box, her best-selling record to date. Two more singles,
"Dreamlover" and "Hero," reached the top spot on the charts. Carey's first tour followed and was widely panned
by critics; undaunted, she resurfaced in 1994 with a holiday release titled Merry Christmas, scoring a seasonal
smash with "All I Want for Christmas Is You." 1995's Daydream reflected a new artistic maturity; the first single,
"Fantasy," debuted at number one, making Carey the first female artist and just the second performer ever to
accomplish the feat. The follow-up, "One Sweet Day" — a collaboration with Boyz II Men — repeated the trick,
and remained lodged at the top of the charts for a record 16 weeks. Shortly thereafter, "Always Be My Baby"
also rose onto Billboards top position, as well as 6 Grammy nominations.
The years of 2001 to 2003 were not nearly as kind to Carey as were the 1990s. After signing an 80 million dollar deal with Virgin — the biggest
record contract ever — in 2001 she experienced a very public, personal, and professional meltdown that included the
stupendously awful movie Glitter. The film and its attendent soundtrack did poorly critically as well as commercially.
Following these failures, Virgin and Carey parted ways early in 2002, with the label paying her 28 million dollars.
That spring, she found a new home with Island/Def Jam. In December,
she released her eleventh album, Charmbracelet, which failed to become a success. Carey embarked upon her fifth
extensive world tour throughout 2003. By autumn things began to turn around as "I Know What You Want," a sexy duet with Busta
Rhymes, bulleted Carey back into the top 5.