Early Life
Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York. She is the youngest of three children born to Patricia (née Hickey), an opera singer and vocal coach of Irish descent, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer of African-American and Afro-Venezuelan heritage. Her name was inspired by the song "They Call the Wind Maria" from the 1951 Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon. Carey began singing at the age of three, often imitating her mother's operatic performances. She attended Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, where she began writing poetry and lyrics, graduating in 1987. During high school, Carey worked as a demo singer and began collaborating with musicians such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape.
Career
1988–1992: Debut Album and Early Success
In December 1988, Carey attended a music executive's party with singer Brenda K. Starr and handed her demo tape to Tommy Mottola, the head of Columbia Records. Impressed by her talent, Mottola signed Carey to Columbia and enlisted producers Ric Wake, Narada Michael Walden, and Rhett Lawrence for her debut album. Released on June 5, 1990, Mariah Carey showcased her incredible vocal range and blended several musical genres, including gospel, pop, and R&B. The album was a commercial success, and Carey won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocalist in 1991. Her follow-up album, Emotions (1991), featured the title track, which became her fifth consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.
1993–1996: Continued Success and Personal Milestones
Carey married Tommy Mottola on June 5, 1993. That same year, she released Music Box, which included hits like "Dreamlover" and "Hero," both reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, she released the holiday album Merry Christmas, featuring the perennial hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which has become a holiday classic and one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her 1995 album Daydream included the hit "Fantasy," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Carey the first female artist to achieve this feat.
1997–2004: Artistic Evolution and Challenges
In 1997, Carey released Butterfly, marking a departure from her earlier pop sound to incorporate more hip-hop and R&B influences. The album received critical acclaim and included hits like "Honey." After her divorce from Mottola in 1998, Carey gained more creative control over her music. However, in 2001, she faced personal and professional setbacks with the release of the film Glitter and its accompanying soundtrack, both of which were commercial failures. Carey experienced a physical and emotional breakdown during this period but returned in 2002 with the album Charmbracelet.
2005–2007: Resurgence with The Emancipation of Mimi
Carey made a significant comeback with her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi, which topped the charts in the United States and was warmly received by critics. The album's second single, "We Belong Together," became a "career re-defining" song for Carey, spending 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning her three Grammy Awards.
2018–2024: Recent Projects and Continued Influence
In 2018, Carey released her fifteenth studio album, Caution, which received universal acclaim from critics. She embarked on the Caution World Tour in 2019 and continued to celebrate her legacy with anniversary editions of her previous albums. In 2020, Carey published her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. She also released a compilation album titled The Rarities in 2020, featuring rare and unreleased songs from various stages of her career. In 2023, Carey embarked on her Merry Christmas One and All! tour, which grossed approximately $30 million and sold more than 200,000 tickets.
Artistry
Influences and Musical Style
Carey's music is influenced by a variety of genres, including gospel, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. She has cited artists such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin as inspirations. Her incorporation of hip-hop elements into her music, particularly in the mid-1990s, was pioneering for a pop artist and has influenced many contemporary musicians.
Vocal Ability
Carey is renowned for her five-octave vocal range and melismatic singing style. She is also known for her use of the whistle register, a technique she began experimenting with due to her admiration for Minnie Riperton. Her vocal prowess has earned her the nickname "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records.
Achievements
Carey has won numerous awards throughout her career, including five Grammy Awards, nineteen World Music Awards, ten American Music Awards, and fourteen Billboard Music Awards. She holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles by a solo artist (19) and has sold over 220 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2020, she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Carey has been married twice: first to Tommy Mottola from 1993 to 1998, and then to actor and comedian Nick Cannon from 2008 to 2016. She and Cannon have two children together, twins named Moroccan and Monroe, born in 2011. In 2018, Carey revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder in 2001 and had been undergoing therapy and taking medication to manage the condition.
Philanthropy
Carey is a philanthropist who has been involved with several charitable organizations. She co-founded Camp Mariah with the Fresh Air Fund in 1994, a camp that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts and introduces them to career opportunities. In 1999, Carey was presented with a Congressional Award for her contributions to expanding opportunities for all Americans through her personal contributions and setting exceptional examples for young people through her own successes in life.