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Mariah Carey is one of the most successful and influential singers of all time. She is known for her powerful voice, her songwriting skills, and her fusion of pop, R&B, hip hop, and soul genres. In this blog post, we will explore her origins, achievements, and musical influences.
Origins
Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York, to a mother of Irish descent and a father of African-American and Venezuelan heritage1. She grew up in a mixed-race family that faced discrimination and financial struggles. She developed a passion for music at an early age, and started singing and writing songs as a child. She graduated from high school in 1987 and moved to New York City to pursue a music career. She made a demo tape that caught the attention of Tommy Mottola, an executive at Columbia Records, who signed her in 1988 and later became her husband in 19932.
Achievements
Mariah Carey released her self-titled debut album in 1990, which showcased her remarkable vocal range and blended pop, gospel, and R&B elements. The album was a huge success, spawning four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Vision of Love” and “Emotions”. She won two Grammy Awards for best new artist and best female pop vocal performance in 19913. She continued to dominate the charts throughout the 1990s, releasing albums such as Music Box (1993), Daydream (1995), and Butterfly (1997), which featured hits such as “Dreamlover”, “Hero”, “Fantasy”, “Always Be My Baby”, and “Honey”. She also collaborated with artists such as Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and experimented with hip hop and urban sounds. She became the most successful artist of the decade in the United States, according to Billboard4.
Mariah Carey faced some challenges in the early 2000s, such as her divorce from Mottola, her departure from Columbia Records, her breakdown and hospitalization, and the flop of her movie and soundtrack Glitter (2001). However, she made a comeback in 2005 with her album The Emancipation of Mimi, which became the best-selling album of the year in the United States and earned her three more Grammy Awards, including best contemporary R&B album5. The album included the smash hit “We Belong Together”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks and became the song of the decade6. She followed up with albums such as E=MC2 (2008), Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), and Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse (2014), which produced singles such as “Touch My Body”, “Obsessed”, and “#Beautiful”. She also ventured into acting, appearing in films such as Precious (2009), The Butler (2013), and A Christmas Melody (2015), and television shows such as American Idol (2013) and Empire (2016). She also performed in various concerts and residencies, such as The Adventures of Mimi (2006), The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour (2016), and Mariah Carey: All I Want for Christmas Is You (2014-2023)7.
Mariah Carey is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 200 million records sold worldwide8. She holds the record for the most number-one singles by a solo artist (19) and the most cumulative weeks at number one (82) on the Billboard Hot 100 chart9. She is also the only artist to have a number-one single in every year of a decade (the 1990s) and to have a number-one single in four different decades (the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s). She has won numerous awards and honors, including five Grammy Awards, 19 World Music Awards, 10 American Music Awards, 15 Billboard Music Awards, and the Billboard Icon Award. She is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Musical Influences
Mariah Carey has cited various artists as her musical influences, such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Minnie Riperton, and Carole King. She is also inspired by gospel, soul, R&B, hip hop, and pop music, and incorporates them into her own style. She is known for her songwriting, which often reflects her personal experiences, emotions, and spirituality. She is also known for her vocal technique, which includes a five-octave range, a whistle register, and a melismatic style. She has influenced many artists, such as Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, and Sam Smith.
Conclusion
Mariah Carey is a legendary and iconic artist who has made a lasting impact on the music industry and pop culture. She has a loyal fan base and a huge social media presence, especially on Twitter and Instagram. She is constantly evolving and reinventing herself, and has proven herself to be a versatile and resilient singer, songwriter, producer, and actress.
