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.:: Biography ::. |
Name: Mariah Carey
Height: 5' 9"
Sex: F
Nationality: American
Birth Date: March 27, 1970
Birth Place: Huntington, New
York, USA
Profession: actress, musician
Education: Oldfield Middle
School Harborfields High School
(graduated in 1987)
Husband/Wife: Tommy Mottola
(Sony record executive producer;
married on June 5, 1993; divorced in
March 1998)
Relationship: Luis Miguel
(Puerto Rican; musician), Derek
Jeter (New York Yankees' player)
Father: Alfred Roy Carey
Mother: Patricia Hickey
Sister: Alison (older)
Brother: Morgan (older)
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Background:
"Music is what I love and it's what
I feel and it's in me and to know
that I can do something that I enjoy
and hopefully bring some enjoyment
to other people through what I do is
an incredible feeling and I am just
really thankful for it." Mariah
Carey
One of the most popular singers in
the world since the 1990s, Mariah
Carey was launched to stardom after
the release of her self-titled debut
album, Mariah Carey, in 1990. Four
hit singles from the album, "Vision
of Love," "Love Takes Time,"
"Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry,"
topped the rating charts and Carey
took home two Grammy Awards. She
continued with top-rated chart
albums like Emotions (1991) and the
EP MTV Unplugged (1992).
Carey was again widely recognized
with the release of best-selling
album Music Box in 1993. With its
hit tracks "Dreamlover" and "Hero,"
she topped the rating charts and the
song "Without You" became Carey's
biggest international hit. Another
well-liked album titled Daydream was
launched in 1995. Carey premiered at
No. 1 on the Hot 100 with the lead
single "Fantasy." A duet with Boyz
II Men titled "One Sweet Day," was
named the biggest record of the year
after it remained at the top of the
charts for 16 consecutive weeks.
Moving to a more hip-hop and R&B
sound, Carey drew praise with the
1997 studio album Butterfly and
1999's Rainbow. Her collaboration
with Joe and 98 Degrees in "Thank
God I Found You" received a
nomination at the 2001 Grammys. In
2002, she was handed a Billboard
R&B/Hip-Hop Award for her work in "Loverboy,"
a soundtrack of the 2001 film
Glitter.
Off screen, Carey was listed as one
of the 25 Most Intriguing People by
People Magazine in 2001 and the 36th
of FHM's Sexiest Girls in 2002. She
is the founder of Camp Mariah, a
tranquil escape located in Fishkill,
New York for inner-city youth to
enjoy the arts, bring in career
opportunities, and build
self-esteem. As for her romantic
life, Carey was once married to Sony
record executive producer Tommy
Mottola, but they divorced in 1998.
She reportedly dated Puerto Rican
musician Luis Miguel and New York
Yankees' player Derek Jeter.
Returning to the spotlight, Carey
recently attracted public attention
with the release of her 2005's The
Emancipation of Mimi, whose first
single "It's Like That" exploded on
the music charts. She could also be
seen acting in the film State
Property 2 (2005) and will play a
role in the upcoming The Sweet
Science (2005).
Childhood and Family:
Daughter to
Irish/African-American/Venezuelan
descendant parents, Mariah Angela
Carey was born on March 27, 1970, in
Huntington, New York. Her father is
Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical
engineer, and her mother is Patricia
Hickey, a former mezzo-soprano New
York City opera singer and freelance
vocal coach. Growing up in a
multiracial family, young Mariah
stumbled upon racial discrimination.
Her parents divorced when she was
three and Mariah continued to live
with her mother.
Displaying a knack for singing early
in her youth, three-year-old Mariah
often imitated her mother singing.
At the age of six, she started
showcasing her talent in front of
the public. Mariah went to Oldfield
Middle School where she began
developing her love of music by
writing songs. While attending
Harborfields High School, Mariah was
nicknamed Mirage because she never
showed up for class. Having a dream
to be a famous singer, she did not
pay much attention to her studies.
After she graduated in 1987, Mariah
headed to New York to pursue a
career in music.
During her early days in New York,
Mariah met Tommy Mottola (Sony
record executive producer), with
whom she eventually married on June
5, 1993. In March 1998, however, she
divorced him.
Off screen, Mariah Carey, whose
favorite singers are Aretha Franklin
and Stevie Wonder, is an
Episcopalian, and a philanthropist
who has donated a great deal of
money to such charity organizations
as The Make-A-Wish Foundation, the
National Adoption Center, and the
Fresh Air Fund. She now resides in
her apartment in New York.
Career:
Discovering a talent for singing
when just a child, Mariah Carey, who
once worked as a hair sweeper in a
salon, a coat check girl and a
waitress, was first brought before
the public when she sang backup for
freestyle balladeer Brenda K. Starr.
Carey captured the attention of
executive producer Tommy Mottola in
1988. Shortly after giving him her
demo tape, Carey signed her first
recording contract with Columbia
Records and her door to the
spotlight was opened.
In the year 1990, Carey's career
began with the release of her
self-titled debut album, Mariah
Carey, which hit the music shelves
in 1990. The lead single "Vision of
Love" and three more hits, including
"Love Takes Time," "Someday" and "I
Don't Wanna Cry" topped the rating
chart. Adding to her success, Carey
won two Grammy Awards, one for Best
Pop Vocal Performance (Female) and
Best New Artist in 1990.
Carey followed it up with her second
album titled Emotions in 1991, which
received almost the same success as
its predecessor. The album spawned
the title track "Emotions," which
rocketed to No. 1 in America. The
song led Carey to become the only
musician whose first five singles
all peaked at No. 1 on The Hot 100
chart in the United States. Two
other songs produced from the album,
"Make It Happen" and "Can't Let Go,"
also tore up the charts. Not only
providing her voice, Carey also
served as a co-producer for almost
all of her songs in her second
album. For her work, she received a
nomination at the Producer Of The
Year awards. In 1992, she continued
her triumph by launching the EP MTV
Unplugged. Carey again topped the
rating chart with the remake of
"I'll Be There," featuring Trey
Lorenz.
In 1993, Carey gained worldwide fame
with her album Music Box. It sold
over 10 millions copies in the US as
well as over 25 million copies
internationally. The smash singles "Dreamlover"
and "Hero" scorched through the
charts, landing at No.1.
Additionally, "Without You" reached
No. 1 on the UK chart and became her
biggest international hit. The
following year, Carey collaborated
with Luther Vandross to cover the
Diana Ross/Lionel Richie hit
"Endless Love," which received gold
certification. The album combined
with the duet brought her to become
one of the most-played singers on
the radio in the consecutive years.
After the 1994 holiday album Merry
Christmas, which contained the
instant classic "All I Want for
Christmas is You," Carey launched
another best-selling album titled
Daydream in 1995. The lead single of
"Fantasy" debuted at No. 1 on the
Hot 100. The album generated two
other top-rated singles. "One Sweet
Day," a duet with Boyz II Men, was
labeled the biggest record of the
year.
With the release of the 1997 album
Butterfly, Carey made a transition
to hip-hop and R&B. She also worked
with some of the hottest musicians,
stars like Sean Combs and Missy
Elliott. The first hit single
"Honey" premiered at No. 1 in the
US, and "My All" became her next
No.1 single.
Carey next released a collection of
all her American No.1 singles in the
album #1s in 1998. It saw her
collaborating with singing sensation
Whitney Houston on the soundtrack
for the film The Prince of Egypt's
"When You Believe." The song
launched her to become the most
successful female recording artist
in Pop history. Her cover of the
Brenda K. Starr hit "I Still
Believe" ripped apart the charts in
the following year.
Still focused on R&B oriented songs,
Carey finished the decade with the
launching of 1999's album Rainbow.
She teamed up with rap star Jay-Z in
the first single "Heartbreaker,"
which landed at No. 1 on the Hot
100. Rainbow's second single "Thank
God I Found You," a duet with Joe
and featured 98 Degrees singing back
up vocals, followed to top the
charts and also received a
nomination at the Grammys for Best
Pop Collaboration with Vocals in
2001. Her collaboration with
Westlife in "Against All Odds"
gained its popularity in the UK,
landing at No. 1. However, the
selling of the album proved to be
slower than her previous albums. It
indicated that Carey's fame was
beginning to slump.
In the new millennium, Carey was
awarded an American Music Award for
Special Achievement for having a No.
1 song in every year of the 1990s.
She was also named Billboard's
Artist of the Decade.
After leaving Columbia Records,
Carey signed an exclusive contract
with Virgin Records America for the
next five albums. The lead single
from Glitter's soundtrack, "Loverboy,"
hit the music store and became the
No. 1 best selling single for 2001's
movie soundtrack. Carey was awarded
the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop award for
Best Single in 2002. However, the
sales of the album did not do well.
As a result, the parent Company of
Virgin, EMI, disbanded the contract
with her, giving Carey $28 million
to walk away. Carey next signed
three album deals with Island/Def
Record in 2002, and made her debut
with the release of the
multi-platinum Charmbracelet.
Carey branched out to acting when
she played the small role of opera
singer Ilana, opposite Renee
Zellweger, in The Bachelor (1999).
She next was seen starring in
Glitter (2001, played Billie Frank)
but the film was a disappointment at
the box office. In 2002, after
having a guest spot in the Fox hit
"Ally McBeal," Carey costarred with
Mira Sorvino in WiseGirls (2002). It
premiered at the Sundance Film
Festival and aired on HBO. After
taking a break, Carey portrayed a
professionally dressed woman in
State Property 2 (2005) and will
play a role in the upcoming The
Sweet Science (2005).
"With this album, I am embracing my
independence and celebrating the
person that I have become. Over the
years, I have evolved into a better
person and an even better artist.
For the first time in my life, I am
proud and unafraid to be who I
really am, and that's what the music
of this album and its title reflect.
By naming my album The Emancipation
of Mimi and referencing 'Mimi,' a
nickname only used by those closest
to me, I am inviting my fans into my
life." Mariah Carey on The
Emancipation of Mimi
Carey released The Emancipation of
Mimi in 2005. It spawned "It's Like
That," which skyrocketed in the
charts. The song "We Belong
Together" also peaked at No. 1 on
Hot 100's Greatest Airplay Gainer as
well as on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. Within a week, the album had
sold more than 404,000 copies. |
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