Kerry May. Mariah Carey - biography, information, personal life

Everyone has their own path to fame. But if you inherit the voice of an opera singer, and your soul gravitates towards music so much that you only think about it even while your peers are sitting at school desks, this path will become much shorter and will lead straight to the top. Want an example? Please! Look at Mariah Carey!

The success of her musical career was predetermined - too many different factors influenced the singer’s life. Her mother, Irish Patricia Hickey, was opera singer. Unusual name For her daughter, she took it from the song They Call The Wind Mariah, which was heard in the popular musical with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. And Mariah Carey was brought up on the best examples of jazz and soul, and, of course, on opera classics.

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1970, to a black Venezuelan father named Alfred Roy Carey. But the girl’s parents separated quite early. By the way, the reason for the divorce was not entirely ordinary - the family came under pressure from the Ku Klux Klan, so Mariah Carey’s mother chose to limit the danger to the child.

Mariah spent her childhood communicating with professional musicians - she took part in rehearsals, and sometimes was even involved in crowd scenes. Communication with her mother and her friends did not benefit the school - her classmates gave her the nickname “Mirage” due to the constant absence of the girl.

When Mariah Carey turned 18, she went to New York to conquer America. It was difficult at first, but after 10 months at a party she accidentally met Tommy Mottola. Before saying goodbye, the singer gave him a cassette with her recordings. Many aspiring musicians gave him demo versions of their compositions, but it was Mariah’s cassette that he began listening to on the way home. Mottola was shocked by this recording and rushed back to the party, but Mariah had already left. There was nothing on the tape except a name, but Tommy did not lose hope of finding the singer. Of course, he succeeded. And in 1990, they released her first album, simply titled Mariah Carey. Critics immediately began comparing the rising star to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. But, unlike them, Mariah Carey performed songs of her own composition. Her debut single, “Vision Of Love,” rose to the top of the most prestigious charts in America and Europe in the summer of 1990, and took first position in the Billboard hundred. Three more singles from this album - “Love Takes Time”, “Someday” and “I Don't Wanna Cry” also gained enormous popularity. For the first album, Mariah Carey received two Grammy awards: in the categories “Best Debut” and “Best Pop” -vocals."

A year later, Mariah Carey pleased fans with the album “Emotions” - the single of the same name again settled on the first line of one of the most prestigious world charts. But her next album was not so successful - the single “Can"t Let Go" reached number 2, and "Make It Happen" rose only to fifth. And the fourth single "And You Don"t Remember" was never seen light, even though filming of the video clip for it has already begun. But this was by no means the beginning of the end - after all, Mariah Carey was at that time the only singer whose first five singles were ranked first by Billboard magazine.

In 1992, Mariah Carey recorded her first Unplugged at MTV Studios (later released in EP format). It included a cover version of the Jackson 5 hit “I"ll Be There,” which Mariah Carey sang along with her backing vocalist and friend Trey Lorenz. This single soared to the top of the charts, and spiteful critics stopped slandering the unenviable future singer. Trey himself released a solo album in the same year, and Mariah Carey tried herself as its producer, arranger and backing vocalist.

The following year, the singer married the head of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, and released her most successful album, “Music Box,” which became Mariah Carey’s record achievement - 30 million copies! The authors and producers of the first single “Dreamlover” were Mariah Carey and Dave Hall. This hit stayed at the top of the music charts for 8 weeks. Another composition from this album - “Without You”, a cover version of the Badfinger song - became a hit that helped to conquer the charts of the British, connoisseurs of good music. However, in Billboard the song reached only third place, which is still in the list. business card singer, also released as part of the album “Music Box”.

Best of the day

The triumph of the Music Box disc gave Mariah Carey a new wave of inspiration. First, she recorded a duet with the legendary Luther Vandross for his CD “Songs”, and a few months later she created her own new album“Merry Christmas”, for which she wrote several of her own songs together with Walter Afanasyev (this is how, in particular, the hit All I Want For Christmas is you was born). This track traditionally tops the charts every Christmas. To this day, Merry Christmas is one of the best-selling Christmas albums in history. modern music. By 2005, it had sold about 5 million copies worldwide, and this number continues to grow every Christmas.

In 1995, Mariah Carey released the album Daydream, the first single from which (“Fantasy”, written with the same Dave Hall), traditionally reached first place - and at the same time it debuted at first place! A miracle also happened with the second single of this album - the composition “One Sweet Day”, recorded together with the group Boyz II Men, also debuted at number one on the charts and stayed there for 16(!) weeks in a row. And this is an absolute record in the history of pop music today. Remixes for the debut single Fantasy and Always Be My Baby were recorded in an Urban style that was then unusual for Mariah Carey - her rapper friends helped her with this.

The style of her compositions changed after the divorce, which was finalized in 1997. Mariah put it this way: there was never a real marriage - it was more like a deal between a singer and a producer. The first record released after the divorce was called “Butterfly” - after all, Mariah Carey compared herself to a butterfly flying free from a cocoon at that time. She made most of the compositions together with hip-hop producers Sean “Puffy” Combs, Poke & Tone, and Stevie J., The Ummah. Mariah's fans were somewhat disappointed by this change in style, and Butterfly was not as commercially successful as previous albums. Perhaps the divorce from the head of Sony was the reason that in America the album was supported by only two singles - however, both of them became No. 1 hits - the wonderful touching ballad My All and the single Honey. But in other countries of the world, the album was also accompanied by singles for the compositions The Roof, Breakdown, and Butterfly itself.

The album, "#1"s, which includes twelve of the thirteen Billboard hits, becomes a kind of summing up for Mariah Carey. In addition, she diluted the album with new songs, as well as cover versions of her favorite compositions. For example, the soundtrack to the cartoon The Prince Of Egypt, the song When You Believe, which Mariah sang in a duet with the famous Whitney Houston. This was quite unexpected for the public. After all, from the very beginning of Mariah Carey’s career, many compared these singers, there were rumors about their feud. interviews that followed the release of the disc spoke very kindly to each other. The album “#1"s” also included duets with Brian McKnight and Jermaine Dupri, and cover versions of Brenda Kay Starr’s song “I Still Believe” and Diana’s hit Ross “Do you know where you are going to.”

The style of Mariah Carey's next studio album, Rainbow, was similar to her Butterfly. It features an unprecedented number of artists involved - Jay-Z, Usher, Missy Elliott, Da Brat, Joe, Snoop Dogg, Mystikal, 98 Degree, hip-hop producers DJ Clue & Duro, Shekspere, Damizza, Master P. Her ballads were created Jimmy Jam & Terru Lewis, who previously worked with Janet Jackson, and David Foster with Diane Warren (author of numerous hits with Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion). As a result, two compositions of this unusual album, Heartbreaker and Thank God I Found You, again reached first place in Billboard, but the third single remained outside the “star twenty”.

Long-term success allowed the press and show business sharks to call Mariah Carey the best-selling singer of the 90s. The World Music Award awarded her the title of “Best Singer of the Millennium”. In 2001, the singer’s contract with Sony ended, and four recording companies offered their services to her. The news that Mariah is preparing to release not just an album, but a soundtrack for her debut film (Mariah played the main role in it) has intensified the fight for the singer. In the end, Virgin's fantastic offer won - $80 million for three albums. And everything would be fine, but after this deal, for some reason, the singer suffered setbacks...

Virgin set a strict time frame for the project - the company sought to recoup costs as quickly as possible. The release of the film and soundtrack was scheduled for August 2001, so Mariah Carey had to rush from filming to the studio for days, and at the same time write songs for the soundtrack. This regime undermined her strength - the first single from the soundtrack, “Loverboy,” released in July 2001, did not reach number one on Billboard. The radio refused to broadcast the composition, and instead of the song, they exaggerated the information that Mariah was hospitalized with nervous exhaustion, an overdose and a suicide attempt. Virgin postponed the release of the soundtrack album to... September 11, 2001. But the terrorist attack in New York, of course, distracted the public's attention both from the melodrama bombed by critics and from the soundtrack. Mariah Carey's next single, “Never Too Far,” did not even reach the Top 50. The album, on which Virgin made such a big bet, sold a million copies - for a singer of Mariah Carey’s caliber it was a failure. After paying her about $28 million in compensation, Virgin terminated the contract, and the best-selling singer of the 90s was left without a record company! In her personal life, Mariah Carey is also haunted by failures - her boyfriend Luis Miguel (according to rumors that it was because of him that Mariah tried to commit suicide) abandoned her during the most difficult days for the singer. After some time, the white rapper Eminem spoke about his affair with Mariah, and he did not say anything good about the singer. However, Mariah herself denies the fact of a relationship with Eminem.

Of course, the famous singer did not long for a long time without a label - just a month later she signed a contract with Island Def Jam, and began creating her own record company MonarC - it was he who was supposed to prepare her new album. Mariah Carey wrote songs for him on the island of Capri, where she spent most of 2002, allowing herself to rest for the first time in her 12-year career. The songs written there by the singer were inspired by loneliness, comprehension of the failures of her marriage with Tommy Mottola, and the death of her father Alfred Roy Carey from cancer. And in revenge on Eminem for the recent scandal and for his song “Superman”, she wrote the song “Clown”. The new album was called "Charmbracelet". Its sales did not reach the level of albums of the 90s, critics and the media stubbornly did not recognize Mariah Carey - radio and television boycotted her songs, and the best result in Billboard was 81st place with the song “Through The Rain”. It seemed that she had been written off from the accounts of show business, leaving her in the past with the honorary title of the best singer of the 90s. But no... Her rapper friends came to the singer’s rescue!

Busta Rhymes invited Mariah Carey to perform part of his song "I Know What You Want", released as a single. Billboard could not ignore this funny work; it reached 3rd place, and with it the public's interest in Mariah Carey increased. Then the Sony corporation remembered that in the 90s the singer was called the queen of remixes, and recorded remixes with new vocals for almost all the singles... Thus the collection “The Remixes” was born, but it included a small part of the remixes created by Mariah Carey throughout her entire career. her solo career.

In 2003, Mariah Carey traveled to a lot of countries as part of a world tour, visiting Russia (here she gave 2 concerts in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg). And 2004 became a year of anticipation for her fans - the only new track was her guest participation in the track of rapper Jadakiss.

In an effort to release the strongest possible album, Mariah Carey delayed her own release further and further. The timing of its release was probably influenced by the change of power at Island Def Jam. But this only benefited Mariah - in 2004, the company was headed by the famous producer Antonio “LA” Reid, who had just left Arista. He worked with many A-list stars: Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher…. He not only took an active part in the work on the singer’s new album, but also convinced her to delay the release until April 2005. At the appointed time new job Mariah Carey, which everyone, both critics and ordinary listeners, have been waiting for so long, has finally seen the light. This album was released under the title "The Emancipation of Mimi". Both her old friends - Jermaine Dupri, James Wright, and new producers who became famous in the 21st century - The Neptunes, Kanye West, The Legendary Traxter took part in the work on this creation of Mariah. This album had a pronounced dance orientation. Moreover, the singer herself answers questions about such a strange name as follows: it symbolizes her liberation from all stereotypes and prohibitions, as well as a certain approach to the listeners - after all, Mimi is the name that Mariah Carey’s family and close friends call her. The first single from this album, “It"s Like That,” returned the singer to the Billboard Top 20. This proved that the public has not forgotten about Mariah Carey: after a 5-year break, she is returning to her long-awaited fans. From the very first week, the album occupies the top line of the charts, and remains in the top five for twenty-two weeks. However, the second single - We Belong Together - “outdid” “It"s Like That", becoming a summer hit in 2005, and topping the authoritative world charts. In Billboard, it stayed at number one for 14 weeks. By the way, the same Mariah, who sang with “Boyz II Men” then, held such a high position longer than this in 1996. Radio rotation of this composition exceeded all conceivable and unimaginable possibilities. In one week, the song was streamed over 223 million times!

The single “Shake It Off” was also received with a bang by the public, but it was literally one step away from the first place of “Billboard”. In November 2005, the album was re-released with three new compositions. One of them was “ Don "t Forget About Us" - they shot a video and released a single. And in the second week of December, “Don’t Forget About Us” topped Billboard, becoming Mariah Carey’s seventeenth No. 1 hit in her career (which tied her in this record with the legendary Elvis Presley). Only the Beatles had more No. 1 hits. However, The miracles of the “year of Mariah Carey”, which 2005 became according to all critics and listeners, do not end there. The album “The Emancipation of Mimi” outsold the album “50 Cent” released a month earlier in just one New Year’s week. The Massacre", becoming the best-selling album of 2005. Mariah Carey ends the year with eight Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

And Mariah Carey changed her musical course again - at the beginning of 2006, the single “Fly Like A Bird” was released, which differs from others in its more religious text. It's her favorite song from the singer's album - Mariah Carey says it represents her best inner world and outlook on life.

In 2007, Mariah's fans began to get the feeling that the pop diva was increasingly moving away from music. At first she was drawn to the fashion industry - in February, Mariah Carey became the face of the Italian denim brand Pinko. Thus, she wiped the noses of Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova and Ellie MacPerson, who previously advertised this model house. Having stood on a par with the brightest stars of the catwalk, Mariah Carey did not rest on her laurels. And she got involved... in creating perfume products. At the charity event The Fresh Air Fund's Salute to American Heroes, held on June 7 in New York, the singer presented the self-tanning lotion she had released. This product shone with originality just like its creator - and shone both literally and figuratively sense. The fact is that this product is made on the basis of 24-karat gold dust, due to which it is able to give the skin a real golden shine. The singer’s perfume fun did not end there. In November, she presented her new fragrance “M by Mariah Carey” to the public. These perfumes instantly became popular, which brought a considerable amount of money into the piggy bank for the time when the singer retired.

However, in 2008, she again devoted herself to music with all her passion, which resulted in the new album “E=MC2”, released in April. She worked on it with such “fashionable” musicians as will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas. This creation of Mariah Carey is also interesting because in some songs she quotes the Bible or uses samples once created by Michael Jackson.

Before the release of this record, Mariah Carey organized a large-scale television campaign, appearing on several super-popular talk shows. As a result, in the first week, 463 thousand discs of the new album were sold out. The album's debut single "Touch My Body" helped her break the record of the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley - Mariah's hit hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the eighteenth time!

And in April of this year, the 38-year-old singer once again gave fans a surprise - she got married, and did it secretly from everyone. The lucky chosen one was 27-year-old rapper Nick Cannon. Before tying the knot, the musicians dated for... two months! But the $2.5 million Jacob & Co. 17-carat diamond engagement ring given to her by her fiancé probably helped Mariah make her decision. Nick turned out to be an incorrigible romantic - he wants to repeat the wedding ceremony with Mariah every year! Maybe because he dreamed about his star for a very long time before he found himself next to her - after all, Nick was a fan of the singer with youth, and idolizes her to this day.

Now the young couple declares that they want to have children - quickly and more. We hope that this romantic story will have a long, happy continuation. And mutual love will give the musicians a new creative boost, inspiring them to create the next masterpieces that are so needed by all their fans!..

Discography

Emancipation Of Mimi (2005)

Charmbracelet (2002)

Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits (2001)

Mariah Angela Carey is an American pop singer and songwriter, famous for her wide vocal range, which includes a whistle register. She was one of the most successful performers of the 1990s and remained popular into the early 21st century.

Early biography

Mariah Carey (photo shown in the article) was born in Huntington (New York, USA) on March 27, 1970. Her mother Patricia Hickey, an opera singer and vocal teacher, was of Irish-American descent, and her father Alfred Roim Curry, an aircraft designer, was an African-American from Venezuela. Mariah, the third and youngest child in the family, had a sister, Alison, and a brother, Morgan, who were 10 years older than her.

Kerry had to endure racial slurs, hostility and even violence. Crosses were burned on their lawn, their dogs were poisoned, their car was blown up, and shots were fired through the kitchen window while the family was eating there. In addition, Patricia's parents abandoned her when she got married.

This attitude forced the Kerry family to constantly move from place to place to find friendlier neighbors. In addition, these incidents caused significant concern for Kerry and created tension within the family itself. As a result, Alfred and Patricia divorced in 1972, when Mariah was only 2 years old. After the divorce, she and Morgan stayed with their mother.

Life away from her father and lack of contact with him was too much for such a little girl, but life had to go on. A single mother, Patricia had to work 2-3 jobs and continue to move to different cities on Long Island. Despite this, she managed to surround her children motherly love and warmth.

Passion for singing

Having good vocal abilities, Mariah began singing when she was 3 years old. Her mother accidentally learned of her enormous potential early on. One day, when Patricia was rehearsing the role of Maddalena in Verdi's Rigoletto, she heard her daughter perfectly imitate her singing. Since then, she has taught her to develop her vocal skills, regardless of how old Mariah Carey is.

The girl first performed in public when she was 6. She sang for friends, in talent shows and at folk music festivals. At Oldfield High School she developed a new passion for singing. Mariah began writing her own songs. Driven by a strong passion for arranging, she often skipped classes and dreamed of becoming a famous singer.

When Mariah was a student at Harborfield High School, she began traveling to Manhattan to study with professionals. Her school friends jokingly called her "Mirage" because she rarely appeared in class. Wanting to break into the music business, she worked part-time singing in studios on Long Island.

Before becoming famous, Mariah Carey studied at a beauty school for 500 hours, worked as a cleaner in a hairdresser, a waitress and a cloakroom attendant. On her 16th birthday, Morgan's brother paid the cost of her first professional recording session in Manhattan. There she met keyboardist and composer Ben Margulies, who later became her songwriting partner and close friend. In 1987, Kerry graduated from high school on Long Island and moved to Manhattan, where she recorded a demo tape and offered it to recording studios. After a year, her hard work began to pay off. She auditioned and got the job as Brenda Starr's backup singer.

Success

In November 1988, Brenda took her to a party, where Carrie accidentally met the head of Colombia, Tommy Mottola, to whom she gave her recording. He played it in his limo on the way home. As soon as he heard Mariah's charming voice, he returned to the party to find her, but she had already left. The next day, Mottola met with her and offered her a record deal with CBS Columbia. There she recorded her debut album with producers Narada Michael Walden, Rick Wake and Rhett Lawrence, using material accumulated with Ben Margulies over the past 3 years.

Her collaboration with these people was the beginning of the success that came to her after the release of her debut album, Mariah Carey, in 1990, when she was only 20 years old. The disc was a huge success and included 4 singles that took first place on the charts: Someday, Vision of Love, I Don't Want to Cry and Love Takes Time.

The album remained at number 1 for 22 weeks. It was a huge success, which secured Kerry 2 Grammys in the categories " Best Female Vocalist" and "Best new artist"at the 33rd annual awards ceremony, held on February 20, 1991. And on March 7, Rolling Stone magazine named Mariah the best emerging singer.

The second album, “Emotions,” was released in the fall of 1991. Its lead single was a huge success, reaching number one on the Hot 100. The disc included two more top five songs: “Can’t Let Go” and “Make It Happen.”

The following year, Carrie began recording a new album with the help of Trey Lorenz. Her tight schedule forced her to see Mottola frequently, and she began dating him. On June 5, 1993, Kerry finally found herself with the producer at New York's St. Thomas Episcopal Church, followed by a reception at the Metropolitan Club. VIP guests at the wedding included Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Robert De Niro and Ozzy Osbourne.

Music Box and Daydream

Mariah released her next studio album, Music Box, in 1993. For promotional purposes, she embarked on her first US tour, which ran from November 25 to December 10, 1993. Like its predecessors, it became a mega hit, topping several charts around the world. and went diamond with over 7 million copies sold.

In 1994, Kerry's first Christmas album, Merry Christmas, was released. It was followed by Daydream. One of the most successful compositions was One Sweet Day, in which Boyz II Men took part. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks in a row. And thanks to the single “Always Be My Baby,” Mariah Carey equaled the number of hits with Madonna and Whitney Houston.

New image

Keeping her loyal fans outside the US in mind, Kerry flew to Europe and Asia to perform several concerts. Success in the USA and the world has dramatically changed the singer's image. Almost overnight she turned from a modest girl next door into a big ugly one. Along with these changes came a problem with her marriage.

In December 1996, Kerry left Motolla. By January of the following year, she had forgotten about her problems and began recording a new album with P. Diddy, David Morales, Walter Afanasyev and others. Unfortunately, her marriage could not be saved and she divorced on March 5, 1998.

In 1997, Kerry released “Butterfly”. The record debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 200. The single Honey became a No. 1 hit and was remixed by rappers such as Diddy, The Lox and Ma$e.

In 1998, the singer released her first collection of hits. It contained songs such as When You Believe, Sweetheart, I Still Believe.

Mariah Carey became an American pop diva. At the VH1 Divas concert, she performed alongside Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain. The event continued with a charity program, and the singer showed her philanthropy by participating in many social initiatives.

At the end of the summer of 1999, a new studio project, Rainbow, was completed. Apart from the hit Heartbreaker, this album did not have any other strong singles. Then she tried herself as an actress. In 1999, Kerry played a cameo role in the film “The Bachelor” and in 2002 in “The Fraudsters.”

Professional and personal problems

With her contract with longtime label Sony nearly up, Kerry secured a record deal with EMI's Virgin Records. But instead of creating new music, the singer had to go to a psychiatric hospital and stop performing in 2001.

After a break, Mariah Carey made her debut in the semi-autobiographical film Glitter, which chronicled the singer's meteoric rise in the 1980s. It received negative reviews from most film critics and was a box office failure. Her self-titled album was also not welcomed by fans. Even worse, the singer could not personally promote it due to health problems. Lead single LoverBoy peaked at number two on the Hot 100, but the album only peaked at number 7 and was its weakest. musical career, despite being hailed as one of her best works.

Due to the failure of Glitter, EMI studio decided to part with Carrey and bought out his contract for $35 million. Despite this, several other record labels emerged in the following months seeking a contract with her. In 2002, Mariah decided where she would release her next albums. It was Island Def Jam. As for her personal life, Kerry briefly dated baseball star Derek Jeter. She also had a romantic relationship with singer Luis Miguel.

While her next album was still in the making, Mariah worked on subsequent films, playing a prominent role in the film Grifters (2002). This time she got much best reviews critics. In December 2002, she released her first concept album, Charmbracelet, as part of a new deal with Island Records, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 200. It included singles such as Through the Rain, Boy (I Need You) featuring rapper Cam"ron and a cover of Def Leppard's 1980s hit Bringin' On the Heartbreak.

Although many devoted fans continued to buy the singer's CDs, her songs were not broadcast on radio, which was closed to such mature pop divas as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Houston Whitney. Given this fact, many observers came to the conclusion that the singer had lost her magic. However, the duet of Mariah Carey and Busta Rhymes I Know What You Want in 2003 significantly improved her position, taking 3rd place on Billboard. That same year, she was awarded the World Music Awards "Diamond Award" for selling over 100 million albums worldwide.

Without releasing a new record, Kerry went on a world tour and received positive reviews, although the press focused more on her entourage, her large luggage, her demands on hotel rooms and dressing rooms, and other such behavior. The following year, she devoted most of her time to the release of her second concept album, The Emancipation of Mimi.

In the fall, she was featured on Jadakiss' hit single U Make Me Wanna, which managed to reach the top 10 on Billboard's R&B chart. And in November of the same year, her new song Say Something featuring Snoop Dogg and Pharell Williams was leaked onto the Internet, but was received lukewarmly.

Return of success

On April 12, 2005, the album “Liberation of Mimi” was released, dedicated to self-knowledge and changing one’s image. It received positive reviews, with some critics calling it the best in years. The release debuted at No. 1 on the charts, with nearly half a million copies sold in its first week, the highest of the singer's career. It was subsequently hailed as a comeback album after the failures of Glitter and Charmbracelet.

In April 2008, the year she married Nick Cannon, Kerry released “E=MC²”. In the first week, 463 thousand copies were sold. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 200. It had at least 4 hits. Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, making her the only artist with the most hits. The others were Bye Bye, I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time and I Stay in Love.

Quarrel with Eminem

The following year, the pop diva recorded another studio album, “Memories of an Imperfect Angel.” In June of the same year, the release of “Obsessed,” the lead single from Mariah Carey’s new disc, took place. The translation of one of the song's verses is: "Why are you so obsessed with me / Boy, I want to know / You're lying about sleeping with me / When everyone knows / It's clear that you're mad at me." The track was believed to be a response to her former lover Eminem, who criticized her in his song Bagpipes to Baghdad.

Nick, who defended Kerry immediately after Eminem’s work appeared, denied enmity between his wife and the rapper. In his opinion, she did not settle scores with him: Mariah does not sharpen her teeth on him, she is a vegetarian. He explained that the song was actually inspired by the Lindsay Lohan movie Mean Girls.

Imperfect Angel, Merry Christmas II You, Elusive Chanteuse

The release of Memories was delayed several times, but the album was finally released in September 2009. It peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 200, but was supported by a tour that kicked off on New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden in New York and concluded in February in Las Vegas at the Colosseum of Caesar's Palace.

Mariah Carey's work came to a halt when she and her husband announced in 2010 that they were expecting their first child. In 2011, she gave birth to twins Monroe and Moroccan. The singer was done C-section. Kerry happily got busy parenting, but still managed to treat fans to the holiday CD Merry Christmas II You, delaying the release of her next album.

Meh. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse was finally announced in 2014. It was released in the US on May 23rd and was preceded by the singles Beautiful, The Art of Letting Go and You're Mine (Eternal). Despite the fact that a surprise-style digital release was planned, the album was released traditionally.

Moving to Las Vegas

After Elusive Chanteuse, which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, Carrie was rumored to have left Def Jam. She was allegedly planning to reunite with LA Reid on Epic Records. In early 2015, she actually signed an agreement with Epic and officially announced her move to Las Vegas.

To support her show at Caesar's Palace, which kicked off May 6, she released "#1 to Infinity," a collection of 18 of her Billboard Hot 100 number one singles as well as one original song called "Infinity." This single new track debuted back in April to positive reviews, and the album was set to hit shelves on May 18th.

Later that year, Mariah Carey made her directorial debut with the New Year's film A Christmas Melody, in which she co-starred. The film was completed in October and broadcast on December 19. At the same time, the singer announced that she would go on a new tour called The Sweet Sweet Fantasy, which started in March next year. Her concerts were filmed for the documentary series Mariah's World.

2016-18: The Star and other projects

In January 2016, Kerry and Australian billionaire James Packer announced they were engaged, but the couple called off their decision in October because Kerry decided that Packer was not completely mentally healthy.

December was a busy month. The singer not only starred in the musical drama Empire, but also participated in the VH1 Divas benefit concert along with Vanessa Williams, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle and Teyana Taylor. Mariah was thrust into the world's spotlight during her performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Eve TV show starring Ryan Seacrest, where her performance was cut short due to a malfunctioning ear monitor. After the incident, representatives of Kerry and Dick Clark Productions placed blame on each other.

Mariah was humiliated, but that didn't stop her from creating new music. In February 2017, she released a track with YG called I Don’t, and in April she launched her own label, Butterfly MC Records. Later in July, the diva went on a joint tour with Lionel Richie called “All the Hits.”

In October, the singer was busy releasing The Star's soundtrack to the film of the same name and her own Christmas cartoon, Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You. She also recorded the Lil Snowman soundtrack, which was released on November 14. Her hard work paid off when she was honored by PETA the Angel for Animals award, since the cartoon tells the story of a young girl who shelters a stray dog.

Also in November, Mariah Carey resumed her All I Want for Christmas Is You concerts.

In 2018, the singer toured Oceania on The Number Ones tour. In addition, Mariah is going to co-produce a drama about her life with Brett Ratner. The show will focus on her early success as a teenager in New York City.

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1970 in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Hickey, a former opera singer of Irish descent, and Alfred Roy Carey, an Afro-Venezuelan aeronautical engineer. Mariah's parents divorced when she was three years old. While they lived in Huntington, racist neighbors allegedly poisoned the dog and set the family's car on fire. After her parents' divorce, the girl saw little of her father, and her mother worked several jobs to support the family. Mariah spent most of her time at home alone and gradually began to study music. She began singing at the age of three, after repeating a fragment of Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” in Italian, which Mariah’s mother was learning. Later, Patricia began giving singing lessons to her youngest daughter.

Mariah graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She was often absent from class due to work on a demo tape at a local recording studio; therefore, her classmates gave her the nickname "Mirage". Her work in Long Island provided opportunities to collaborate with musicians such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape. After moving to New York, Mariah worked part-time just to pay rent and complete a 500-hour beauty school course. She eventually became a backing vocalist for Puerto Rican singer Brenda K. Starr.

At a party in 1988, Mariah met Tommy Mottola, then the head of Columbia Records, who received Carey's demo tape from Brenda K. Starr. Mottola listened to the tape as he left the party and was impressed by the performance, after which he decided to return to find Mariah, but she had already left by then. However, Mottola tracked down the aspiring singer and subsequently signed a contract with her.

The singles "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", "Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry" from her debut album Mariah Carey topped the American charts and made her a star. In 1991, Carey won her first Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocalist.

In June 1993, she married Mottola. That same year, she released the album Music Box. The album included songs such as "Without You", "Anytime You Need a Friend" and "Hero", and remains her best-selling album to this day. The first single, “Dreamlover,” stayed at number one on the American charts for 9 weeks. The next song, “Hero,” also topped the charts and became one of her most recognizable songs.

In the winter of 1994, Carey released an album of Christmas songs. A year later, she released her last album before her divorce from Mottola, Daydream, which again topped the charts around the world. In 1996, Carey received six Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, but lost to Alanis Morissette.

By the end of 1996, Carey began recording a new album, Butterfly. The album was released in September 1997 and received positive reviews from critics. To record the album, she turned to the help of modern hip-hop stars, including Puff Daddy and Missy Elliot. The album hit number one on the American charts, but its success was less than that of previous discs. The single "Honey" stayed at the top of the list for three weeks, and "My All" - for a week.

However, Carey has not returned to her old style. For her next album, #1s (a collection of her 14 US chart-topping singles), she recorded tracks with Jermaine Dupri, Whitney Houston and Brian McKnight.

In 1999, after taking acting courses, Carey starred in the film “The Bachelor” with Renee Zellweger and Chris O'Donnell. That same year, she released her next studio album, Rainbow. The first single, "Heartbreaker", reached number one on the American charts. The song was accompanied by a video clip, the filming of which cost several million dollars. Despite the success of the first single, the album itself disappointed fans and was trashed by critics, many of whom argued that Carey rushed to release a new album in order to fulfill the terms of the contract as quickly as possible, since the relationship between the singer and Mottola deteriorated after their divorce and Carey She has repeatedly claimed that Sony did everything possible to ruin her career.

After her divorce from Tommy Mottola in 1997, Carey began to change her musical style, gradually incorporating elements of hip-hop. In 2001, Carey left Columbia and received a new contract with Virgin Records worth about $80 million, which was later scandalously terminated.

In 2001, Carey released the single "Loverboy" from her new album and soundtrack, Glitter. The album was panned by critics and turned out to be the first failure of Carey's career. A few days after the album's release, Carey was hospitalized for unknown reasons. There were rumors that she had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. In an official statement, Carey's representative claimed that she was simply suffering from fatigue.

Over the next year of work with Virgin, the singer's popularity declined due to the failure of her debut film and soundtrack. The singer’s physical and emotional breakdown on this basis received widespread publicity. Her next single, “Through the Rain,” released in December 2002, was met with indifference by the public.

In 2002, Carey signed a new contract with Island Records. After a relatively unsuccessful period in her career, she made a triumphant return to popular music with the release of her tenth studio album, The Emancipation Of Mimi, in April 2005. The album became the best-selling album of the year according to Billboard magazine.

The second single from the album, “We Belong Together,” became the main hit of 2005, both according to the results of “Billboard” and according to the results of the “United World Chart.” The singer receives 3 Grammy awards for “Best Contemporary R&B Album” for “The Emancipation of Mimi,” “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Song.” -blues" for the song "We Belong Together".

In 2006, Mariah made a big tour in support of Mimi.

In 2008, Mariah married actor Nick Cannon, and at the same time her 11th studio album “E=MC2” launched.

In 2009, the singer released her 12th album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Ange,” which was named by Rolling Stone magazine the best in Carey’s discography. The album's first single, "Obsessed," debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 11.

In 2014, the album “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse.”

Mariah Carey's childhood and youth

Trying to escape such attacks, Mariah's parents moved to Greenlawn, but soon divorced and began to live separately. Thus, at the age of three, the future singer was left without a father. Her mother was constantly missing from her many jobs. Soon the older brothers began to help their mother. Therefore, Mariah spent most of her time at home alone. Left alone with herself, the girl often listened to music and learned her favorite excerpts from opera parts. One day, when Patricia Hickey came home from work, her daughter amazed her with a perfect rendition of a fragment from the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi. Mariah's talent greatly pleased her mother, and some time later she began giving her vocal lessons.

It is worth noting that Mariah Carey was by no means an ideal child. She rarely helped her mother around the house and constantly missed school. And after graduating from high school, I didn’t even think about going to college. Music took up all her free time. In high school, she met musician Ben Margulies, who had his own recording studio at home. Thus, Mariah Carey got the opportunity to record demo versions of her songs.

Singing Lesson For Plywood Alla Pugacheva From Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's musical career and other projects

In 1990, with the support of the record company Columbia Records, led by Tommy Motolla, Mariah Carey recorded her debut album, which received her own name. The record with the simple and laconic name “Mariah Carey” instantly became popular in the USA and made the aspiring singer a real star of the American stage. Just a year after the release of her debut album, Mariah was nominated for the first time at the Grammys and at that ceremony received two statuettes at once (the nominations “Best Pop Vocalist” and “Best Emerging Artist”).

In 1993, the performer’s second album, “Music Box,” was released, which was recognized as the Best Album of the Year (Grammy Award), and was also nominated for many other prestigious awards. Mariah Carey's second studio album remains her most successful album to this day.

However, this fact does not mean that her other records were failures. In 1994, 1995 and 1997, the artist released three more albums – “Merry Christmas”, “Daydream” and “Butterfly”, which were also very warmly received by the singer’s fans. During this period, the artist began to attend acting classes and very soon appeared on screens as an actress. Mariah's debut work was the film "The Bachelor", in which the singer played one of the main roles. Subsequently, the artist will appear in films more than once. Mariah Carey's films such as Glitter, State Property 2, Precious (nominated for an Oscar) and some others will become most famous.

Mariah Carey - Almost Home

Mariah Carey paid great attention to choosing and developing her roles in films, but music has always remained the main passion in her life. Between 2001 and 2010, the singer recorded six more studio records.

Mariah Carey now

Currently, Mariah Carey is one of the most popular singers in the history of the global pop industry.

Mariah Carey's charitable activities

Personal life of Mariah Carey

The owner of an unusual soprano, a stylish woman with a height of 175 cm and one of the three most successful selling performers in the United States, has released 14 albums. Her fate was tested by poverty, fame and the ability to rise and move on. The betrayal of men also had to be endured with dignity, although there were serious breakdowns (after breaking the contract with the recording company Virgin Records in 2000 and after parting with the Puerto Rican performer Luis Miguel in 2001). But Mariah remains a living legend at the beginning of the third millennium.

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Biography of Mariah Carey

In 1970, on a warm March day in the state of New York (Huntington), a girl was born, the third in the family opera diva Patricia Hickey and her husband Alfred Roy Carey, who was an aeronautical engineer. The appearance of the Latina was predetermined, because there were Venezuelans and Africans in the family. The family did not live well, but more problems came from the outside world, which was aggressive towards the dark-skinned father of the future singer. Frequent bullying by neighbors, arson of vehicles and even murder pet dog forced the family to change their place of residence. Mariah and her family left this city, the choice fell on Greenlawn. The parents' relationship did not survive such trials; they separated. All financial care for the children fell on the mother's shoulders. Absent for work, she did not notice how her 3-year-old daughter repeated after her mother the Italian version of “Rigoletto” by Giuseppe Verdi. The love of music became decisive.

The school years for Mimi, as the singer called herself, were not particularly stressful. The girl knew what she wanted. Due to her absence from classes when she was recording songs, her comrades nicknamed her the mirage girl. After receiving secondary education, Mariah Carey went to New York. Here she recorded songs for future demonstration to possible producers and worked part-time to have funds to pay for her home. The enterprising artist had to complete beauty courses (a total of 500 hours of training). Ahead of her was a career as a backing vocalist for Brenda K. Starr. During this period, one of her recordings falls into the hands of producer Tommy Mottoli. The talented Mariah agrees to the terms of her long-awaited first contract - with Columbia Records. The debut album with the name of the singer was released in 1990. For it, Mariah will be awarded as the best emerging singer and pop artist. Two Grammy awards at once are deservedly awarded to her.

After 3 years, the second disc was released - “Music Box”. He became more than just best album of the year, which was confirmed by another Grammy award, but also the most purchased. The songs from it have their own history. The song “Dreamlover” was at the top of the US charts for two months. Another song – “Hero” – could also be heard in the top lists. Mariah, whose father is black, performed this composition during the appointment of Barack Obama as President. The next three albums were also warmly received by fans. These are “Merry Christmas” (Christmas songs) in 1994, “Daydream” (the singer delved into hip-hop and soul) in 1995 and “Butterfly” in 1997. Because of the latter, she was credited with urban immersion in sound. The early 2000s became difficult for the performer; it coincided with the breakdown of personal and working relationships with Columbia and her husband Tommy Mottola. But suddenly the desire to collaborate with the best-selling performer of the millennium came to the record company Virgin Records. The media claim that the rights to the work of a talented girl musician were purchased for 80 million USD.

The debut film and the next album did not live up to expectations. A difficult life period and high fatigue led to Mariah Carey being hospitalized with nervous exhaustion, and the company chose to terminate the contract (but pay 50 million in compensation). The girl regained her strength and then recorded several more albums. In 2005, the disc entitled “The Emancipation of Mimi” won three Grammy Award nominations. Critics are recognizing the return of the rhythm and soul diva. Her popularity is multiplied by a concert tour. In 2007, the singer filmed for Playboy, without being completely naked. Ahead are the outputs of several more discs. The artist was able to prove even to herself her professional growth, as well as the interest of her fans. In 2010, she again released an album with Christmas compositions (“Merry Christmas II You”). Its sales in the first 7 days were 11 thousand higher (compared to the 1994 disc). The actress successfully stars in supporting roles (the non-commercial film “Tennessee,” nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award “Treasure”).

The talented American created a camp for creatively gifted children from disadvantaged families, supported victims after Hurricane Katrina (2005), and recorded a song with her colleagues in support of cancer patients.

Personal life of Mariah Carey

The soul and blues singer had a hard time breaking up with her lover Luis Miguel in 2001, but many argued that he was simply basking in the rays of her fame. Songs that echo Eminem confirm the light romantic relationship between him and the queen of the soprano herself. However, the singer was bound by sacred bonds twice. Mariah Carey became her legal wife in 1993, saying “yes” to Tommy Motolla. But three years of close cooperation and family life ran out of love. The next husband was African-American Nick Cannon (10 years younger). Close circles were divided on how long the patience of both newlyweds would last. The marriage produced twins - Monroe (in honor of Marilyn Monroe herself) and Morrocan. In 2014, the couple officially broke up. But information appeared about a new relationship. Mariah Carey and James Packer, an Australian entrepreneur, are engaged.