Mariah Carey

Artist Image: Mariah Carey
Attribution
Image Credit: WBLS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ME-4gcB40), CC BY 3.0

Biography

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and released her self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey. The album went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records, including Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993) and Merry Christmas (1994), established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. Daydream (1995), made music history when the second single, "One Sweet Day" a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running number-one song in US chart history. During the recording of the album Carey began to deviate from her pop background, and slowly traversed into R&B and Hip-hop. After her separation from Mottola, this musical change was evident with the release of Butterfly (1997). Carey left Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records. In 2001, Carey ventured into film with Glitter (2001). Before the film's release she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Following the film's poor reception, she was bought out of her recording contract for $50 million, which led to a decline in her career. She signed a multi-million dollar contract deal with Island Records in 2002, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Its second single "We Belong Together" became her most successful single of the 2000s, and was later named "Song of the Decade" by Billboard. Carey once again ventured into film, and starred in Precious (2009). Her role in the film was well-received, and she was awarded the "Breakthrough Performance Award" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and a NAACP Image Award nomination. In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 1998, she was honored as the world's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards. Carey was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the third-best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63 million certified albums. With the release of "Touch My Body" (2008), Carey gained her eighteenth number one single in the United States, more than any other solo artist. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, Carey has won five Grammy Awards, and is famed for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1988
Number of Albums 101
Record Label Columbia
Website mariahcarey.com
Wikipedia Mariah Carey on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

Carey had an ear for what when she was three?

vocal abilities

...o was an opera singer and vocal coach, had an ear for her daughters vocal abilities when she was only three years old. In the midst of several moves a...
Who signed her to Sony Music?

Tommy Mottola

...ty industry party when she was 18 years old. She met record producer Tommy Mottola who signed her to Sony Music after hearing her demo tape. Her caree...
In what year did Mottola's marriage with Carey end?

1997

... relationship with Mottola turned into marriage in 1993, but it ended in 1997 because of what Carey recounted as his controlling behavior. Their divor...
What was the name of the album Carey released in 1997?

Butterfly

...ng behavior. Their divorce spearheaded Careys transition from girlnextdoor pop melodies to R&B and hiphop, beginning with her Butterfly album in 1997....
When did Carey graduate from high school in Greenlawn, New York?

1987

...r 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 ...
Carey moved to New York City to pursue what career?

singing

...h 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...
Who signed Mariah Carey in 1988?

Columbia Records

...er. 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,...
What was the name of Carey's 1991 album?

Emotions

... pop vocalist. That same year the title track from her followup album, Emotions , became her fifth consecutive charttopping single. All the recordings ...
On what network did Carey appear on?

MTV

... fifth consecutive charttopping single. All the recordings were accompanied by music videos that helped make Carey a fixture on the cable network MTV ....
At what age did Mariah Carey sign with Columbia Records?

18

...At 18 Mariah Carey signed with Columbia Records, and her first album had four No. Carey went on to generate several more albums (later with other stud...
How many No. 1 hits did Carey have on her first album?

four

...At 18 Mariah Carey signed with Columbia Records, and her first album had four No. Carey went on to generate several more albums (later with other stud...
Mariah carey was one of the most commercially successful artists of all time with how many no.1 hits?

19

...becoming one of the most commercially successful artists of all time with 19 No. 1 hits and more than 200 million records sold. Early Life Carey was b...
What was Alfred Roy Carey's father's occupation?

aeronautical engineer

...ington, Long Island, New York, to Alfred Roy Carey, a Venezuelan aeronautical engineer ; and Patricia Carey, a voice coach and opera singer. She has tw...
Carey stunned her mother by imitating her operatic singing as early as what age?

two

... She stunned her mother by imitating her operatic singing as early as age two , and was given singing lessons starting at age four. Eventually, Carey w...
How many octaves did Carey's voice eventually reach?

five

...arting at age four. Eventually, Carey would develop a voice that spanned five octaves. After graduating in 1987 from Harborfields High School in Green...
Carey studied cosmetology while writing while living in what city?

Manhattan

...7 from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, Carey moved to Manhattan where she worked as a waitress and a coat check girl and studied cosm...
Who was disowned by her family when she married Alfred Roy?

Carey

...r mother Patricia was disowned by her family when she married Alfred Roy Carey . The bad experiences had caused the whole family to move from place to ...
When did Alfred and Patricia get divorced?

1972

...the family itself, which then led Alfred and Patricia to get divorced in 1972 when Carey was still three. After her parents' divorce, Carey and Morgan...
How many jobs did Patricia struggle with?

two or three

...with their father. As a single mother, Patricia had to struggle with two or three jobs and continued moving among different towns on Long Island. Thou...
What role was Carey's mother rehearsing?

Maddalena

...d for her children. One day when her mother was rehearsing her role of Maddalena in Verdi's Opera Rigolettos, she heard Carey imitating her singing pe...
What year did Patricia nurture her daughter's talent by coaching her at home?

1974

...spite the fact that she was only three years old. So, during the year of 1974 , Patricia nurtured her daughter's talent by coaching her at home without...
Mariah Carey rose to superstardom on the strength of what kind of voice?

fiveoctave

...me, Mariah Carey rose to superstardom on the strength of her stunning fiveoctave voice. An elastic talent who has easily moved from glossy ballads to ...
Mariah carey earned early comparisons to Whitney Houston and what other artist?

Céline Dion

...ghout her career, she earned early comparisons to Whitney Houston and Céline Dion , and did them both one better by cowriting almost all of her own mat...
What was Carey's 15th album called?

Caution

...Pop Vocal Performance, Female. By the time she released her 15th album, Caution (2018), Carey was one of only six artists with two songs in the upper ...
Carey was one of only six artists with how many songs in the top half of what?

Billboard Top 100's AllTime Hot 100 Songs

...ly six artists with two songs in the upper half of the Billboard Top 100's AllTime Hot 100 Songs (the recordbreaking One Sweet Day and We Belong Toget...
What two songs were in the upper half of the Billboard Top 100's AllTime Hot 100 Songs?

One Sweet Day and We Belong Together

...oard Top 100's AllTime Hot 100 Songs (the recordbreaking One Sweet Day and We Belong Together ). Two years after that album, Carey celebrated the 30th ...
Who was Carey's keyboardist?

Ben Margulies

... Live Debut: 1990 and The Rarities. There she befriended keyboardist Ben Margulies , with whom she began writing songs. Her big break came as a backing...
Who gave Carey a demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola?

Brenda K. Starr

...came as a backing vocalist on a studio session with dancepop singer Brenda K. Starr , who handed Carey's demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Motto...
Who won Grammys for her 1990 LP Vision of Love?

Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female

...on of Love, which also led to Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female . By the time she released her 15th album, Cauti...
When did Carey rise to fame?

1990 with her eponymous debut album

...nature use of the whistle register. Carey rose to fame in 1990 with her eponymous debut album . She was the first artist to have her first five singles...
What album became the world's second bestselling album of 2005 in the US?

The Emancipation of Mimi

...and Records. After some unsuccessful years Carey returned with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), which became the bestselling album in the US and the w...
Which single from The Emancipation of Mimi topped the US Billboard charts?

We Belong Together

...e US and the world's second bestselling album of 2005. Its second single, We Belong Together , topped the US Billboard Hot 100 decadeend chart (2000s)....
What was the name of her 1993 album?

Music Box

...Her 1993 album titled Music Box went tentimes platinum. On September 30, 1995, she made music history. Her single Fantasy from her 1995 Daydream album...
When did she make music history?

September 30, 1995

...Her 1993 album titled Music Box went tentimes platinum. On September 30, 1995 , she made music history. Her single Fantasy from her 1995 Daydream album...
How long did Daydream's single One Sweet Day stay at the top of the charts?

16 weeks

...but in the U.S. Her other Daydream's single One Sweet Day remained for 16 weeks at the top of the charts. She is the only artist since The Beatles to ...
What was the name of her 15th single?

Thank God I Found You

... 1 singles and albums. Following Heartbreaker, her second single Thank God I Found You also from her Rainbow album became her 15th 1. We Belong Togeth...
How many more Grammy Awards were gained from The Emancipation of Mimi album?

Three

...nce her song My All (also a 1 single) captured the top spot in May 1998. Three more Grammy Awards were gained from The Emancipation of Mimi album. She...
Mariah carey started her early career singing R&B and pop music and eventually moved into what genre?

hiphop

...ed her early career singing R&B and pop music and eventually moved into hiphop . The thirdbestselling female artist in the United States according to t...
In what year was Mariah Carey born?

1970

... in 9 movies and 5 television shows throughout her career. Born in March 1970 in Hungtington, New York, music was Careys birthright. Carey learned to ...
In what city was Careys birthplace?

Hungtington, New York

... 5 television shows throughout her career. Born in March 1970 in Hungtington, New York , music was Careys birthright. Carey learned to sing and started...
Where did Mariah carey graduate from high school in 1987?

Greenlawn, New York

...Achievements: In 1987, Mariah Carey graduated from high school in Greenlawn, New York . She decided to relocate to New York to pursue a career in music...
What city did Carey move to after graduating high school?

New York

...ed from high school in Greenlawn, New York. She decided to relocate to New York to pursue a career in music. In 1988, she made a demo recording that i...
For how many consecutive weeks did her debut album stay at the top of the Billboard 200?

11

...o signed her immediately. Mariahs eponymous debut album stayed at the top of the Billboard 200 for 11 consecutive weeks, selling 15 million worldwide....
In what year did Carey reach a breaking point?

2001

...5 song) and coproduced of all of her charttopping hits. By the summer of 2001 , the talented, classically trained, and hardworking singer had come full...
Who told Ebony magazine that he knew right away that Mariah had star potential?

Mottola

..., Carey had a tape ready for the moment that opportunity came knocking. Mottola told Ebony magazine that he knew right away that she had star potentia...
Mariah was in every way destined for what, he said?

stardom

...Mariah, there was absolutely no doubt she was in every way destined for stardom , he said. Made ChartTopping Entrance Carey burst onto the scene with t...