Mariah Carey Biography

(First Artist to Have Her First Five Singles Reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100)

Birthday: March 27, 1969 (Aries)

Born In: Huntington, New York, United States

Mariah Carey is regarded as one of the most prominent singers and songwriters of the 21st century. During a career spanning across 20 years, she has established her name as a vocal virtuoso, who has taken music to greater heights. This songbird possesses a five-octave vocal range and she has the ability to hit notes even beyond the 7th octave, which can even shatter glass. Her use of melisma and the whistle range have continued to awe and inspire artists since the last two decades. Her body of work includes song writing, singing, and production, not to mention the introduction of new sounds with each album. Her music styles range from Motown soul to R&B to Hip Hop and Pop and she can easily glide from a soulful ballad to hip-hop songs with élan. Although, this star had a troubled childhood, suffered emotional breakdowns but, she stood the test of time and emerged successful. Worldwide sales of her dozen studio albums have managed to surpass the 200 million mark, making her one of the most successful recording artists of all time. The passion for music in this immensely talented star is so visible in each of her performances that audiences from across the world respond with unbridled enthusiasm to her singing. To learn more about this true diva, scroll further.

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Quick Facts

Boyfriend: Bryan Tanaka

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Nick Cannon, Tommy Mottola

father: Alfred Roy Carey

mother: Patricia Hickey

siblings: Alison, Morgan

children: Monroe Cannon, Moroccan Scott Cannon

Born Country: United States

African Americans African American Women

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Females

Ancestry: Venezuelan American, Irish American

Notable Alumni: Harborfields High School

U.S. State: New Yorkers

More Facts

education: Harborfields High School

  • 1

    What is Mariah Carey's best-selling album?

    Mariah Carey's best-selling album is "Daydream," released in 1995.
  • 2

    What was Mariah Carey's first number one single?

    Mariah Carey's first number one single was "Vision of Love," released in 1990.
  • 3

    How many octaves can Mariah Carey's voice reach?

    Mariah Carey is known for her five-octave vocal range.
  • 4

    What record did Mariah Carey set with her song One Sweet Day?

    Mariah Carey set a record with her song "One Sweet Day" for the longest-running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • 5

    What is Mariah Carey's signature song?

    Mariah Carey's signature song is "We Belong Together," released in 2005.
Childhood & Early Life
Mariah Angela Carey was born to Patricia (Hickey), an Irish-American mezzo-soprano opera singer, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer. They got divorced when Carey was only three.
Her first public performance was at the age of six. By the age of sixteen, she was skipping classes to write songs and her brother, Morgan, paid for her first recording session. She finally graduated from Harborfields High School, in 1987.
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Career

Before Mariah Carey got her big break, she worked as a temp and juggled with a number of odd jobs such as a beautician, hair sweeper in a salon, waitress and as a coat check girl. After several years of struggling, she had earned ample money and finally, she moved to a well-off sector in New York with her family.

In 1988, Tommy Mottola, Head of Columbia Records, signed her and produced her debut, self-titled album, ‘Mariah Carey’, which contained four No.1 hits. These songs charted the top US music countdowns for weeks and even earned her a number of prestigious nominations and awards.

‘Emotions’, released in 1991, was a more mature album in terms of the quality of songs and music.

Her MTV Unplugged version in 1992, awed critics and went on to earn a triple-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Some of her popular singles through the 90s such as ‘Endless Love’ and ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ established her as a popular pop star and she soon began releasing a lot more albums.

‘Daydream’, released in October 1995, explored new avenues with R&B and hip-hop flavours and her signature pop tunes. The album’s song ‘One Sweet Day’ sung in collaboration with R&B group Boys II Men, remained on the American Music charts for almost 16 weeks.

She introduced ‘breathy vocals’, a new sultry style of singing, with her next album ‘Butterfly’, in 1997, which received positive reviews from both, critics and listeners.

In 1998, she recorded a duet with the famous, Whitney Houston, titled, ‘When You Believe’, for the animated film, ‘Prince of Egypt’.

In 1999, she released the triple-platinum album, ‘Rainbow’, under Columbia Records, which was compared to her previous release, ‘Butterfly’, in terms of the pattern of the songs. The song, ‘Heartbreaker’, became a smash hit and topped music charts.

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In 2001, she starred in ‘Glitter’ as ‘Billie Frank’, a girl who becomes a pop-star over night, after a chance meeting with a DJ. Both the film and her performance received negative reviews from the critics and the movie was a box-office failure.

In 2002, her ninth album, ‘Charmbracelet’ was released, which received mixed reviews from critics and listeners. Of all the singles in the album, ‘Through the Rain’, was the most successful one.

‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, released in 2005 is largely considered her ‘comeback’ album. Two singles from the album, ‘We Belong Together’ and ‘It’s Like That’ became instant chartbusters.

Her 2008 album, ‘E=MC2’, brought her back to the top of the pop-music charts in the United States.

After a bad review for her first feature film ‘Glitter’, sceptics lauded her return to films with ‘Precious’, in 2009, in which she played a social worker.

In 2010, she released, ‘Merry Christmas II You’, which became a top holiday album in the United States and became the second ‘Christmas’ album to top the ‘R&B/Hip-Hop’ charts as well.

In 2011, she collaborated with teenage sensation, Justin Bieber for his holiday album, ‘Under the Mistletoe’ and re-recorded her famous song, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’.

She wrote and recorded the song, ‘Mesmerized’ for the film, ‘The Paperboy’, in 2012. The same year, she appeared as a judge on the reality singing show, ‘The American Idol’.

In 2014, her fourteenth album, ‘Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse’. The album was earlier proposed to be titled as ‘The Art of Letting Go’.

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Mariah Carey made her directorial debut in 2015 with the Hallmark Channel Christmas movie ‘A Christmas Melody’. Mariah also acted in the movie.

In 2016, she was seen in the docu-series ‘Mariah's World’ that was broadcast on the E! network.

In 2017, she released the singles "I Don't" and "The Star". She also developed an animated Christmas film, titled "Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You", which was released direct-to-video.

In 2018, Mariah Carey released her fifteenth album titled ‘Caution’. In 2019, she re-released her holiday album ‘Merry Christmas’ for its 25th anniversary.

On December 4, 2020, 'Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special', a Christmas special starring Mariah Carey, was premiered on Apple TV+.

Major Works
‘Mariah Carey’, her debut album, released in 1990, sold over 15 million copies worldwide and contained four hit singles that charted the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ for weeks.
The album was also certified platinum nine-times by the RIAA and she became the first artist to have her four singles topping the music charts in the United States after ‘The Jackson 5’.
Awards & Achievements
She received the Grammy Award for ‘Best New Artist’ in 1991.
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She was awarded the ‘Legend Award’ as the ‘best-selling female pop artist of the millennium’, in 2000.
In 2003, she was ranked no.1 in MTV and Blender magazine’s list of the ’22 Greatest Voices in Music’.
In 2012, she was placed at the second spot on the VH1’s list of ‘100 Greatest Women in Music’.
Personal Life & Legacy

Mariah Carey began Tommy Mottola while working on her third album ‘Music Box’. They got married on 5 June 1993 and were together for four years till their separation in May 1997.

She married comedian-actor, Nick Cannon, on April 30, 2008 in The Bahamas and on April 30, 2011, she gave birth to fraternal twins, Monroe and Moroccan. The couple announced their separation in 2014.

In 2015, she started dating Australian billionaire James Packer and was briefly engagaed to her. They parted ways in 2016.

In 2016, she began dating choreographer Bryan Tanaka.

Facts About Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is known for her love of butterflies and often incorporates them into her music videos and performances as symbols of transformation and hope.

Mariah Carey holds the record for the most number one singles by a solo artist on the Billboard Hot chart, showcasing her incredible vocal talent and enduring popularity.

Mariah Carey has a unique talent for writing and composing her own songs, showcasing her creativity and artistry beyond her impressive vocal range.
Mariah Carey is a dedicated philanthropist who has worked with various charities and organizations to support causes such as children's rights, education, and disaster relief efforts.
Mariah Carey has a fun and playful side, often sharing lighthearted moments with her fans on social media and showing her appreciation for their support in creative ways.

Awards

People's Choice Awards
2010 Favorite R&B Artist Winner
1996 Favorite Female Musical Performer Winner
Billboard Music Award
2005 Female R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year Winner
2005 Female Billboard 200 Album Artist of the Year Winner
2005 Hot 100 Single of the Year Winner
2005 Rhythmic Single of the Year Winner
2005 Hot 100 Airplay of the Year Winner
1999 Female Artist of the Decade Winner
1998 Special Award - Female Artist 13 #1 Singles Winner
1996 Top Hot 100 Singles Artist Winner
1996 Special Award - 16 weeks at #1 Winner
1994 #1 Female Artist Winner
1991 #1 Pop Artist Winner
1991 #1 Adult Contemporary Artist Winner
1991 #1 Hot 100 Singles Artist Winner
1991 #1 Album Winner
Grammy Awards
2006 Best Contemporary R&B Album Winner
2006 Best R&B Song Winner
2006 Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Winner
1991 Best New Artist Winner
1991 Best pop vocal performance, female Winner
1990 Best New Artist Winner
Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Mariah Carey in Chronological Order

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URL
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