Merian Keri. Mariah Carey: biography. Biography of Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop, rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her debut in 1990 under the leadership of Columbia Records executive director Tommy Mottola. Mariah became the first US singer to have her first five singles top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After her… Read all

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop, rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her debut in 1990 under the leadership of Columbia Records executive director Tommy Mottola. Mariah became the first female artist in the United States to have her first five singles top the Billboard Hot 100. Following her marriage to Tommy Mottola in 1993 and racking up numerous number one hits, Columbia Records recognized the singer as the most successful female artist in the record company's history. According to Billboard magazine, Carey is one of the most commercially successful performers of the 1990s in the history of the US recording industry, having sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. Carey was also named the most commercially successful female artist of the millennium at the 2000 World Music Awards. She has sold approximately two hundred million albums worldwide and has 18 number one hits, i.e. more than any solo artist in the United States, and ranks second in terms of number of hits after the Beatles. According to statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America, Carey ranks third among commercially successful female performers and sixteenth on the overall list of US artists. In addition to commercial success, she has received five Grammy Awards. Known for her vocal range, distinctive performance style and classic pop ballads.

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 found 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. Her 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 claimed 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 Billboard and 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" for song We Belong Together.

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

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

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

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 breaking up with 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 New York State (Huntington), a girl was born, the third in the family of opera diva Patricia Hickey and her husband Alfred Roy Carey, who was an aviation 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 from neighbors, arson of vehicles and even the killing of a family 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”. It became not just the best album of the year, which was confirmed by another Grammy Award, but also the most sold. 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 had exhausted the 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.

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 found 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 follow-up 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 claimed 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 Kerry combines many talents. She is a popular American singer-songwriter, producer, film actress and philanthropist.

A prominent representative of American show business, Mariah Kerry, has earned her popularity thanks to her performance of acclaimed pop hits, work as a producer and roles in films.

Childhood and adolescence

Mariah was born into an unremarkable family. It was 1970, March 27th. Her dad, Alfred Roy Curry, was an engineer, and her mom, Patricia Hickey, was an opera singer. It was from her that her little daughter inherited her vocal abilities.

Mariah was not the only child, but the third and youngest among all. Their family was quite large and had many diverse roots. Venezuelan, Irish and even African blood flows in the performer’s veins. Perhaps it was this factor that influenced Kerry’s hot temperament and gave her an explosive character. But this fact also had a downside to the coin. Due to their multinational background, the family was repeatedly subjected to vicious attacks from neighbors who were racist. They laughed at the children, set the family car on fire, and once even poisoned the dog that lived in little Mariah's house. Fleeing from such abuse, Kerry changed her place of residence and moved to Greenlawn. But three years after Mariah’s birthday, her father left the family and left her and her mother alone.

To feed her children, Mariah's mother worked in several places. When the older brothers grew up a little, they also began to find part-time jobs to somehow help the family. As a result, little Mariah was very often at home by herself. She entertained herself by listening to music, dancing and learning various songs or serious passages from operas.

One day, coming after work, a tired opera singer, in the past, Patricia Hickey, heard her daughter unmatchably perform a part from the opera. The mother could not ignore this. She was very surprised and captivated by the girl's voice. After this incident, Mariah began studying with her mother, who gave her vocal lessons.

For a long time, the girl was left to her own devices, since no one had the opportunity to keep an eye on her. Therefore, as a teenager, she began to skip school, did not help her mother with household chores, and often disappeared somewhere with her friends. After Mariah graduated from high school, she didn't even consider going to college. Her plans were to build a career in New York. A friend of hers from school had a home recording room. There they together recorded many demo versions of the songs of the future star.

Music is all life

No one stopped Mariah. She ended up in the desired New York. At first, she was a backing vocalist for the then popular performer Brenda K. Star. In parallel with her creative impulses, the girl managed to work part-time in a diner as a waitress. But she also did not forget about her dream. She worked hard on demo recordings of her songs. And luck smiled at her.

One of the parties that took place daily in New York was attended by the famous producer Tommy Mottole. A cassette with songs of young Mariah recorded on it fell into his hands. He was excited by the performer’s soulful voice and large repertoire. Without wasting any time, Tommy invited the girl to sign a contract.

Their close collaboration began in 1990 and was a huge success. Together they recorded their first album, Mariah Carey, which was filled with many fresh hits. Thanks to such hard work on the album, the girl received her first award - a Grammy, even 2: as the best beginning singer and pop vocalist.

Then the second album, “Emotions,” was released. He has received numerous awards, accolades and worldwide recognition. And during the break between the second and third album - “Musicbox”, the producer and performer managed to get married.

Every album the couple worked on was a success. One of the singer’s most popular songs is the single “Hero”. It was this composition that Mariah performed at the inauguration of B. Obama.

At the start of her career, the singer worked in R&B and pop styles. But with the period of growing up, the general orientation of youth and her own feelings, she switched to the hip-hop genre. The first full album containing tracks in this style was Rainbow. He collected many bright duets with: Jay Z, Busta Rhymes, etc. For fans, this was an unexpected change. Many could not appreciate such zeal and ceased to be fans of her work.

However, this state of affairs and a certain decline in the singer’s career did not prevent her tracks from occupying leading positions in world chats.

I can go to the cinema too

The end of the 90s brought newness to Mariah's life. She became interested in cinema and began working on her acting talent. In 1999, the film “The Bachelor” was released, with her participation. Starting in 2000, for 13 years, Kerry starred in several films. Thanks to a new round of her career, fans became interested in her again and Mariah’s videos again began to gain a large number of views.

2001 was a difficult year for the singer. She had a nervous breakdown due to creative crisis. Her work helped her recover. She worked on recording a new album, “Emancipation Of Mimi,” which was released in 2005. Popularity returned to her again. Now Kerry again gathered large stadiums of fans, and every concert was grandiose.

Mariah has recorded Christmas albums with holiday songs several times throughout her career. In 2010, she recruited the young and popular Justin Bieber to record a hit. They performed the song together and recorded a video for it. It was then that the singer found out about her pregnancy and stopped her vigorous activity until 2013.

Kerry and Houston

Her gorgeous voice and vocal abilities often gave rise to comparisons between the young Mariah Kerry and. Often on the pages of newspapers one could see headlines in which they talked about the enmity of the singers. All these guesses were debunked when the singers performed the hit “When you believe” together.

The various situations this couple found themselves in could not ruin their relationship. Even when they came to the ceremony in identical dresses, they both laughed it off and made it clear that they were in a good relationship.

When Whitney died, Mariah gave an interview where she said that she was taking this tragedy very hard and regretted the passing of such a great woman.

Personal life

Mariah's marriage to her producer Tommy Motollu was dissolved in 1997. At that time, the singer had already reached the peak of her popularity, and many gentlemen always hovered around her. The artist’s second husband was Nick Cannon, an actor who is 10 years younger than the singer. In their marriage they had two children.

After 3 years, the couple divorced. The artist had a difficult time with this separation, even losing her voice for a while.

Then billionaire James Parker appeared in Mariah's life. They planned a wedding that never took place.

After many events in 2016, the singer told reporters that she was in a relationship with an employee of her dance troupe, Brian Tanak. Mariah is 13 years older than him, but she is not shy about it. She plans to connect her future destiny with him.

Albums

• Mariah Carey - 1990
• Emotions - 1991
• Music Box - 1993
• Merry Christmas - 1994
• Daydream - 1995
• Butterfly - 1997
• Rainbow - 1999
• Glitter - 2001
• Charmbracelet - 2002
• The Emancipation of Mimi -2005
• E=MC² - 2008
• Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel - 2009
• Merry Christmas II You - 2010
• Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse – 2014

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Mariah Angela Carey is an American pop singer and songwriter, famous for her wide vocal range, including her 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 with maternal 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, earning Carrie two 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 Best New Artist.

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

With 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 itself only peaked at number 7 and was the weakest of her music career, despite being hailed as some of her best work.

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 it received much better reviews from 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 third 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-discovery 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 ended 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 had a caesarean section. Kerry happily took on parenting duties, but still managed to treat fans to the festive 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.