Biography
Renowned for her five-octave vocal range, Billboard chart dominance and diva-like behavior, Mariah Carey inspired a generation of vocalists with a record-breaking run of self-penned hits which effortlessly bridged the gap between pop and R&B. Born in Huntington, NY in 1970, Mariah Carey first began writing songs in high school and after moving to Manhattan aged 17 landed a backing vocal gig with Brenda K. Starr which helped her catch the attention of future husband Tommy Mottola. On signing to his Columbia Records label, Carey recorded her self-titled 1990 debut album, a mixture of showboating power ballads and glossy soul-pop which immediately positioned her as a rival to Whitney Houston. Not only did Mariah Carey top the Billboard 200, it also spawned the first of 18 number one singles, "Vision of Love," shifted 15 million copies worldwide and led to a Best New Artist win at the Grammys. Influenced by her love of Motown, 1991 sophomore Emotions failed to reach the same heights, peaking at No.4 and selling half of its predecessor. However, Carey soon bounced back with an acclaimed MTV Unplugged EP which produced a chart-topping cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There." 1993's Music Box, a poppier affair which spawned two of her signature ballads, "Hero" and "Without You," elevated her status higher than ever before, selling an astonishing 28 million to become one of the world's best-selling LPs ever. Carey's golden streak continued with "All I Want for Christmas is You," the instant classic lead single from 1994's Merry Christmas, a hit duet with Luther Vandross and 1995's six-time Grammy nominated Daydream. The latter's team-up with Boyz II Men, "One Sweet Day," spent a record-breaking 16 weeks atop the US Hot 100, while an ODB-assisted remix of "Fantasy" was credited with pioneering the now ubiquitous pop/rap collaboration. Carey doubled down on these hip-hop elements for 1997's Butterfly, inviting the likes of Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott and Q-Tip to contribute on the first record since separating, both personally and professionally, from Mottola. After performing at the inaugural VH1 Divas benefit gig in 1998, Carey duetted with Whitney Houston for "The Prince of Egypt" (1998) soundtrack, released a best-selling hits compilation and worked with Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg on Rainbow, her 1999 final LP for Sony which achieved the highest first-week sales of her career. At the turn of the century Carey made her acting debut playing an opera singer in "The Bachelor" (1999) and signed a record-breaking $100 million deal with Virgin Records America but shortly after was reported to be in the midst of an emotional and physical breakdown. A chaotic appearance on "Total Request Live" (MTV, 1998-2008) and various troubling messages posted on her official website raised concerns even further and she was later hospitalized for two weeks. Carey's career took another blow when her acting debut in "Glitter" (2001) and its accompanying soundtrack bombed with critics and audiences alike. However, she started to get things back on track a year later with a supporting role in indie drama "WiseGirls" (2002), an acclaimed Super Bowl performance and the modestly-received ninth studio effort Charmbracelet. 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi returned Carey to her former glories, becoming her first chart-topper in eight years, spawning two more number one hits ("We Belong Together," "Don't Forget About Us") and winning three Grammys. In 2008, Carey surpassed Elvis Presley's all-time record of the most solo number ones on the US Hot 100 with the lead single from E=MC², "Touch My Body." She then played an aspiring vocalist in "Tennessee" (2009), performed at Barack Obama's Neighborhood Inauguration Ball and Michael Jackson's memorial service and earned plaudits for her measured turn as a dowdy social worker in tough-tackling drama "Precious" (2009) before dropping 12th LP, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. A second festive effort, Merry Christmas II You, arrived in 2010 and was followed by a one-season judging stint on "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-2016), a supporting role in Lee Daniels' "The Butler" (2013) and the announcement of a residency at Las Vegas' The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Carey added to her discography with 2014's Me. I Am Mariah The Elusive Chanteuse, took the director's chair for the first time on Hallmark Channel movie "A Christmas Melody" (2015) and filmed reality series "Mariah's World" (E!, 2016-17) based on her touring and wedding commitments. After voicing the Mayor of Gotham City in "The Lego Batman Movie" (2017), Carey formed her own Butterfly MC Records label, helped develop the festive animation "Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You" (2017) and launched a new Vegas residency dubbed "The Butterfly Returns." In 2018 she teamed up with the likes of Slick Rick, Blood Orange and Ty Dolla Sign on one of the most acclaimed albums of her career, Caution.
