Mariah Carey is an American pop singer, who is best known for her outstanding singing. She was one of the most successful women of the 1990s and had great musical success into the early 2000s. Her mother was a vocalist and former opera singer. Carey began singing at an early age, after graduating in 1987 from Greenlawn High School, New York, she moved to New York City to pursue her career in music.
Carey recorded a demo tape that prompted Columbia Records executive Tommy Motola to sign her in 1988; The pair ended up romantically dating and got married in 1993. Her debut album Maria Carey was released in 1990, the album showcased her brilliant vocal range and brought together many musical genres including gospel, pop and rhythm and blues (R&B). Her debut album was a huge success, and in 1991 Carey won Grammy Awards for best new artist and best female pop vocalist.
In the same year, the title track from her latest album, Emotions, became her fifth consecutive single that was considered a chart-topper. Successful albums followed, including Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995), of which more than 10 million copies were sold in the United States, as well as Merry Christmas (1994). All the recordings had music videos that made Carey a hit on MTV.
Despite her success, Carey wanted to rebrand herself because she was tired of the sweet and beautiful images her label has created for her. After announcing his separation from Motola in 1997 (they divorced in 1998), she released Butterfly (1997), signaling her newfound independence. The album was influenced by hip-hop and rap, and featured new sexy Mariah Carey. "Heartbreaker" (with JAY-Z) topped the charts in 1999, and Carey became the first artist to have a number one hit on the Billboard charts every year in 10 year period of time. As a result, she established herself as one of the best-selling musicians in the world in 10 years.
In 2001, Mariah signed an $80 Million contract with Virgin Records, making her the highest paid recording artist. However, her career was soon interrupted when she was hospitalized for irregular behavior. Carey later revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2002, Virgin Records terminated Carey's contract. Later that year, she signed with Island/Def Jam, but her debut album for the label, Charmbracelet (2002), was disappointing. However, she made a comeback with her most successful album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), which became the top selling album of the year in the United States, selling over six million copies. She also won three Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B.
"Touch My Body," by E=MC2 released in 2008, became Carey's 18th number one single on the Billboard charts, surpassing the King of Rock, Elvis Presley on the all-time chart, just two songs short on the Beatles record. Recent records include Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), Another Christmas Album (2010), Me. In Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse (2014) and Caution (2018).
Her other works include spending time on screen in Tennessee, Precious, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Girl's Trip, American Idol and more. Mariah Carey also wrote a memoir in 2020 called The Meaning Of Mariah Carey and is expected to release a children's book this year.
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