Mariah Carey, (born March 27, 1969/70, Huntington, New York, U.S.), American pop singer, noted for her remarkable vocal range. She was one of the most successful female performers of the 1990s and remained popular into the early 21st century.
Depending on the source, Carey was born in 1969 or 1970. Her mother was a vocal coach and former opera singer, and Carey began performing as a child. After graduating (1987) from high school in Greenlawn, New York, she moved to New York City to pursue a singing career. Carey made a demo tape that led Tommy Mottola, an executive at Columbia Records, to sign her in 1988; the couple married in 1993. Her debut album, Mariah Carey (1990), showcased her incredible vocal range and blended several musical genres, including gospel, pop, and rhythm and blues (R&B). It was a huge success, and in 1991 Carey won Grammy Awards for best new artist and best female pop vocalist. That same year the title track from her follow-up album, Emotions, became her fifth consecutive chart-topping single. Subsequent hit albums included Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995), both of which sold some 10 million copies in the United States, as well as the holiday-themed Merry Christmas (1994). All the recordings were accompanied by music videos that helped make Carey a fixture on the cable network MTV.
Despite such success, Carey grew tired of the sweet and wholesome image that her label had developed for her. After announcing her separation from Mottola in 1997 (they divorced in 1998), she released Butterfly (1997), which reflected her new independence. The album was heavily influenced by hip-hop and rap, and the related music videos revealed a more sexual Carey. The single “Heartbreaker” (featuring Jay-Z) topped the charts in 1999, making Carey the first artist to hit number one on the Billboard singles chart in each year of a decade. The achievement underscored her status as one of the best-selling vocalists in the world that decade.
In 2001 Carey signed an $80 million contract with Virgin Records that made her the highest-paid recording artist. Her career was soon interrupted, however, when she suffered a breakdown and was hospitalized following erratic behaviour. (Carey revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.) She starred in Glitter (2001), but both the semiautobiographical film and its accompanying album did not fare well. In 2002 Virgin terminated its contract with Carey. Later that year she signed with Island/Def Jam, but her first album for the label, Charmbracelet (2002), was a disappointment. However, her follow-up, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), was a critical and commercial success, becoming the top-selling album of the year in the United States, with more than six million copies sold. It also earned three Grammy Awards, including best contemporary R&B album. “Touch My Body,” from E=MC2 (2008), became Carey’s 18th number one song on the Billboard singles chart, moving her past Elvis Presley on the all-time list and leaving her just two short of the Beatles’ record. Her later recordings included Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), a second Christmas album (2010), Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse (2014), and Caution (2018).
In addition to her recording career, Carey continued to act. After appearing in the drama Tennessee (2008), she earned praise for her portrayal of a social worker in the critically acclaimed Precious (2009). Her later film credits included Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) and Girls Trip (2017). In 2013 she joined the television talent show American Idol as a judge for its 12th season, and two years later she began a series of residencies in Las Vegas.
Her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey (written with Michaela Angela Davis), was published in 2020.
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