Born March 27, 1970, in New York, NY; daughter of Alfred Roy (an aeronautical engineer) and Patricia (opera singer and vocal coach) Carey; married Tommy Mottola, 1993 (marriage ended, 1997). Addresses: Record company--Island Def Jam, 825 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10019.

Pop diva Mariah Carey sold more than eighty million albums between 1990 and 1997 by fusing her soaring, gospel-style vocals with melodious pop, rock, rhythm & blues, and soulful hip-hop music. Her vocal range is remarkably diverse, ranging between five and seven octaves, and she has been compared to Whitney Houston and other lauded female vocalists from the gospel-influenced tradition. Her early music was characterized by lyrics that champion optimism, unwavering devotion, undying love, and a follow-your-dreams chirpiness. Carey branched out in the musical realm of rap and hip-hop in 1997 with her fifth album, Butterfly, hoping to create a rougher, more urban sound and to appeal to a more youthful, cutting-edge audience. Butterfly, in which she collaborated with many of rap and hip-hop's prominent artists, signaled a fresh, new direction for Carey that has continued throughout her subsequent releases.

Carey was born and raised in the Long Island section of New York, the daughter of a white Irish woman and a black Venezuelan man. Her childhood, in sharp contrast to her young adult years, was marked by harsh poverty. Her mother, Patricia, was an opera singer and vocal coach, and her father, Alfred Roy Carey, was an aeronautical engineer. After years of staving off bigotry and weathering such incidents as having their dogs poisoned and a car destroyed by a bomb, the couple parted due to the stress. Mariah, then three years old, lived with her mother; her sister lived with her father, and her older brother soon went off to college. Carey's mother was left to make ends meet on her own, and the struggle was so difficult that Carey and her mother sometimes lived with family friends for months.

Carey demonstrated a clear aptitude for music at an early age. She could sing on perfect pitch as a young child, exactly duplicating a given sound. Carey performed in talent shows as a girl, sang for friends, and performed at local folk-music festivals. By the time Carey was thirteen years old, she was writing her own songs. In high school she commuted to Manhattan to study music with music professionals, and after she graduated from high school in 1987, she moved to Manhattan to seek her fame and fortune as a singer.

Carey worked as a waitress, coat check girl, beauty salon janitor and part-time backup singer to pay the rent on her apartment in New York City in 1988. While she was working as a backup singer for rhythm-and-blues singer Brenda K. Starr, she attended a music industry party with her demo tape in hand. Sony Music Entertainment President and C.O.O. Tommy Mottola was at the party too and ended up taking the tape home with him. According to Entertainment Weekly's Degen Pener, music industry folklore has it that Mottola fortuitously took the tape away from another guest at the party. Mottola, twenty years older than Carey, signed Carey to his label within days of meeting her and hearing her demo tape. Carey left a boyfriend for Mottola, Mottola left his wife for Carey, love blossomed into marriage, and Carey's luminous career was sealed.

In 1990 Carey released Mariah Carey; her strong debut album sold over six million copies and forced many to take notice of an astounding new talent. Carey received Grammys in 1990 for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocalist for "Vision of Love." The vocals on "Vision of Love" were so impassioned and strong that they sounded almost airborne. Carey's debut album immediately solidified her career and popularity and prompted comparisons with Whitney Houston, whose vocal style is similarly strident.

Carey released Emotions in 1991, which was nominated for two Grammy nominations: Best Female Pop Vocalist and, with Walter Afanasieff, Best Producer. Emotions served to complement Carey's debut album, underscoring her stature as the leading female vocalist of the vocals-driven pop domain. The songs on Emotions focus on love: the love-struck and the lovelorn. Then, after a successful live appearance on MTV's "Unplugged" series, Carey released her third album, Mariah Carey: MTV Unplugged in 1992.

Carey yielded a record-breaking four consecutive singles #1 hit singles from her debut album in 1990 on Billboard's Top Pop Singles Chart for "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Emotions generated her fifth consecutive #1 hit single, rendering Carey as one of the top ten artists with the most consecutive #1 hits. In February of 1997, Sony's Columbia Records rewarded Carey with her own label, Crave Records. Before leaving for another label, Carey generated up to $200 million in annual revenues for Sony-owned Columbia Records.

The number and diversity of musical awards that Carey received at the beginning of her career is mind-boggling. In addition to her two Grammy Awards, she has garnered Soul Train Awards for Best New Artist, Best Album (Mariah Carey), and Best Single, Female ("Vision of Love," 1990), Billboard Awards for Top Adult Contemporary Artist, Top Pop Artist, Top Album Artist, Top Pop Album Artist, Top Pop Singles Artist, and Top Pop Singles Artist, Female (1991), and Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year and Special Hot 100 Singles Award for "One Sweet Day" (1996).

Carey has also received American Music Awards for Favorite Female Artist/R&B (1992), Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Album, Adult Contemporary (1993), Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock (1995), and Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Female Artist, Soul/R&B (1996). Her World Music Awards include World's Best-Selling Pop Artist and World's Best American Recording Artist, and World's Overall Best Performing Artist (1995), World's Best- Selling Overall Recording Female Artist of the Year, World's Best- Selling Pop Artist of the Year, World's Best-Selling American Female Artist of the Year, and World's Best-Selling Overall Recording Female Artist of the Year (1996). Finally, her Blockbuster Awards include Favorite Single ("Fantasy") and, with Boyz II Men, Favorite Adult Contemporary Single ("One Sweet Day," in 1996).

Carey and Mottola married with much pomp and circumstance in 1993, pouring a half a million dollars into their highly-publicized, fairy-tale style nuptials, and inviting celebrities such as Barbra Streisand and Robert De Niro. The couple then moved into a $10 million estate in the Westchester, NY, community of Bedford. Carey became firmly ensconced in marriage at the youthful age of twenty-three. Mottola was both husband and boss, which sometimes presented a unique dilemma for the couple.

Carey released Music Box in 1993, which has sold over 23 million copies, and Merry Christmas in 1994; Merry Christmas sold over eight million copies shortly after its release. Daydream was released to critical acclaim in 1995. The multi-platinum Daydream album earned six Grammy nominations and edged her career sales close to the eighty million mark. Daydream also marked the first vocal departure from Carey's tried-and-true range; she presented a softer version of her usual style, allowing the music occasionally to overpower or match her vocals. Critics who deemed her earlier style too overwhelming lavished praise on Daydream's softer sound.

Butterfly, released in 1997, ushered in a new era for the twenty-seven year old musical megastar. On May 30th in 1997, Mottola and Carey announced that they intended to divorce. Carey highlighted her newfound independence from Mottola by releasing an album with rap and hip-hop undertones--in spite of the fact that Mottola would remain her boss at Sony. Butterfly was precisely the type of album Carey had wanted to release earlier in her career, but Mottola and her label's executives reportedly wanted Carey to stay true to the formula that worked for her from the onset of her career: sweet ballads, soaring vocals, and a wholesome, girl-next-door image.

Carey's aptly-titled Butterfly album included collaboration with a roster of rap and hip hop artists that included Sean "Puffy" Combs, The Ummah, Stevie J., Poke and Tone, Mace & The Lox, and Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone from Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony. Her video for the album's single, "Honey," was racier than her established fan base would have expected. In the video, she assumes the role of a "James Bond" type, clad in a nearly strapless black dress, who escapes from her captors only to be chased over land and sea.

It was inevitable following Carey's divorce that the media would draw parallels between the video for "Honey" and her marriage to Mottola, but in all interviews she denied any deeper, symbolic meaning beyond the video's entertainment value. Carey's divorce from Mottola did not affect her artistic license or hamper their professional relationship. In addition, the critical acclaim of Butterfly reassured those at her label who worried that Carey's established fan base might not accept Carey's new musical direction.

Following the release of Butterfly, Carey teamed with pop diva Whitney Houston on a hit tune for the movie Prince of Egypt in 1998. Carey's 1999 album, Rainbow, also featured a hit single, called "Heartbreaker," which marked a major milestone for Carey: she had successfully released a top-of-the-chart song in every calendar year of the 1990s. Late in that decade Entertainment Weekly's Pener reported Carey's intent to pursue an acting career. She made her feature film debut in a 1999 remake of The Bachelor and in 2001 appeared in Glitter, the story of a fictional singer whose life bears more than a passing similarity to Carey's. Carey meanwhile also scored a number two hit song, "Loverboy," that same year.

Carey, who cowrites and produces much of her own material, suffered from extreme exhaustion during the summer 2001 and required hospitalization for some weeks, which forced her to cancel some performance engagements. This occurred after public displays of erratic behavior, and many people speculated that Carey's hospitalization was for an emotional breakdown. She returned to the stage in late September in order to contribute personal appearances to disaster relief benefit programs to raise money for the victims of the September 11 terrorist bombing of New York City.

In early 2002, Virgin/EMI paid Mariah a reported $29 million to void the contract signed a year earlier, which was worth around $100 million dollars. Mariah signed with predominantly hip hop label Island Def Jam in the fall of 2002 and began immediately working on her debut for the label. The album, titled Charmbracelet, was released in December of 2002. It featured production by Jermaine Dupri, Irv Gotti, and DJ Quik. Although many people in the music industry saw Carey's breakdown and the huge disappointment that was Glitter as a sign the end of Carey's career, Island Def Jam president Lyor Cohen was optimistic, "She's one of pop music's most beloved performers," he told Billboard. "That doesn't change overnight. Indeed, Charmbracelet sold very well, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard charts and reaching platinum within two months. Carey then went on tour to promote the album; although she generally played small venues, her concerts were praised and sold $6 million in tickets.

Island Def Jam also had high hopes for Carey's 2005 release, The Emancipation of Mimi. (The title refers to Carey's nickname among friends and family.) "I'm really happy with it," Island Def Jam president L.A. Reid declared to Entertainment Weekly. Like Charmbracelet, The Emancipation of Mimi features a mixture of the lyric ballads for which Carey originally became famous and newer-sounding, hip-hop influenced tunes featuring guest performances by such urban stars as Snoop Dogg and Twista.

by B. Kimberly Taylor

Mariah Carey's Career

Carey demonstrated an aptitude for music at an early age; performed in talent shows as a girl, sang for friends, and performed at folk- music festivals; by the time she was thirteen, she was writing her own songs; in high school she commuted to Manhattan to study music with professions, and after she graduation in 1987, she moved to Manhattan to seek a career as a singer; worked as a waitress, coat check girl, beauty salon janitor, and part-time backup singer for rhythm-and-blues singer Brenda K. Starr in 1988. Released Mariah Carey in 1990; 1997 album Butterfly featured collaboration with Sean "Puffy" Combs, The Ummah, Stevie J., Poke and Tone, Mace & The Lox, and Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone from Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony. In February of 1997, Sony's Columbia Records rewarded Carey with her own label, Crave Records; she signed with Virgin/EMI c. 2001, then signed with Island Def Jam in 2002.

Mariah Carey's Awards

Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocalist ("Vision of Love") in 1990. Soul Train Awards: Best New Artist, Best Album ( Mariah Carey), and Best Single, Female ("Vision of Love") in 1990, Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year in 1998, Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career Achievements, 2003. Billboard Awards: Top Adult Contemporary Artist, Top Pop Artist, Top Album Artist, Top Pop Album Artist, Top Pop Singles Artist, and Top Pop Singles Artist, Female in 1991. Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year and Special Hot 100 Singles Award for "One Sweet Day" in 1996, Special Hot 100 Singles Award for most number ones ever by a female solo artist in 1997. Special Billboard Award for Artist of the Decade in 1998. American Music Awards: Favorite Female Artist/R&B in 1992, Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Album, Adult Contemporary in 1993, Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock in 1995, Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock and Favorite Female Artist, Soul/R&B, in 1996, Special Achievement Award in 2000. World Music Awards: World's Best-Selling Pop Artist and World's Best American Recording Artist, and World's Overall Best Performing Artist in 1995, World's Best-Selling Overall Recording Female Artist of the Year, World's Best-Selling Pop Artist of the Year, World's Best-Selling American Female Artist of the Year, and World's Best-Selling Overall Recording Female Artist of the Year in 1996, World's Best-Selling Recording Artist of the 1990s in 1998, World's Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium and World's Best-Selling Female R&B Artist in 2000, Diamond Award in 2003. Blockbuster Awards: Favorite Single ("Fantasy") and, with Boyz II Men, Favorite Adult Contemporary Single ("One Sweet Day") in 1996, Top Pop Female in 1998 and 1999. VH1 Awards: VH1 Artist of the Year in 1997. Academy Awards: Best Original Song ("When You Believe"), 1999. Radio Music Awards: Most Requested Artist on Radio in 2001. MTV Asia Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Famous Works

Recent Updates

April 12, 2005: Carey's album, The Emancipation of Mimi, was released. Source: New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2005/04/11/arts/music/11choi.html?pagewanted=all, April 12, 2005.

November 12, 2005: Carey won four Vibe awards, including best artist, best R&B voice, best R&B song for "We Belong Together," and best album for The Emancipation of Mimi. Source: USA Today, www.usatoday.com/life/digest.htm, November 14, 2005; E! Online at Yahoo! News, http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20051114/en_music_eo/17767, November 14, 2005.

November 22, 2005: Carey won the American Music Award for favorite female R&B artist. Source: 2005 American Music Awards, http://abc.go.com/primetime/ama05/index.html, November 27, 2005.

December 5, 2005: Carey was declared favorite comeback artist in the XM Nation Music Awards voting. Source: USA Today, www.usatoday.com/life/digest.htm, December 5, 2005.

February 8, 2006: Carey won three Grammy Awards, including best female R&B vocal performance and best R&B song (with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal) for "We Belong Together," and best contemporary R&B album for The Emancipation of Mimi. Source: Grammy.com, http://grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Annual_Show/48_nominees.aspx, February 9, 2006.

November 12, 2005: Carey won four Vibe awards, including best artist, best R&B voice, best R&B song for "We Belong Together," and best album for The Emancipation of Mimi. Source: USA Today, www.usatoday.com/life/digest.htm, November 14, 2005; E! Online at Yahoo! News, http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20051114/en_music_eo/17767, November 14, 2005.

Further Reading

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