Mariah Carey Biography

The best-selling female performer of the 1990s, 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 MTV Unplugged EP, 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.

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.

After separating from Mottola, Carey returned in 1997 with Butterfly, another staggering
success and her most hip-hop-flavored recording to date. #1's -- a collection featuring her
13 previous chart-topping singles as well as "The Prince of Egypt (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 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.
However, the early 2000s weren't as kind to Carey. After signing an 80-million-dollar
deal in 2001 with Virgin -- the biggest record contract ever -- she experienced a very
public personal and professional meltdown that included rambling; suicidal messages on
her website; an appearance on TRL where, clad only in a T-shirt, she handed out
Popsicles to the audience; and last but not least, the poorly received movie Glitter and its
attendant soundtrack (which was also her Virgin Records debut). Both the film and the
album did poorly critically as well as commercially, with Glitter making just under four
million dollars in its total U.S. gross and the soundtrack struggling to make gold sales.
Following these setbacks, 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,
where she set up her own label, MonarC Music. In December, she released her ninth
album, Charmbracelet, which failed to become a success. Although she took nearly three
years for a follow-up, Carey found a hit with 2005's chart-topping The Emancipation of
Mimi, her most successful record in years. Released by Island Records, the album
climbed to multi-platinum status and earned Carey a Grammy Award, thus restoring her
status as a megastar in the R&B arena. Two weeks before the release of her subsequent
album, E=MC², Carey scored her eighteenth number-one hit with "Touch My Body", a
feat that pushed her into second place (past Elvis, no less) amongst all aritsts with the
most chart-topping singles. The well-timed accomplished also increased the public's
appetite for E=MC², which a

rrived in April 2008. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

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Biography
The best-selling female performer of the 1990s, 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, ...more
more Mariah Carey biography

Lyrics
Looking In
 Forever
Melt Away
Long Ago
When I Saw You
more Mariah Carey lyrics

Full Songs
Lovin' U Longtime feat. LL Cool J (remix)
Side Effects feat. Busta Rhymes (remix)
I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time
more Mariah Carey songs

Sound Clips
Through the Rain
Emotions
Dream Lover
Fantasy (Bad Boy Fantasy)
Hero
Make It Happen
Honey
When You Believe (From the Prince of Egypt)