 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,
Mariah 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,
Mariah 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,
Mariah 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
Mariah 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,
Mariah 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,
Mariah 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 2000s weren't as kind to
Mariah Carey. 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 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
Mariah 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,
Mariah Carey found a hit with 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi, her most successful
record in years. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
|
