Mariah Carey Exposed

Very few people have not heard of Mariah Carey. Many have been captivated by her soft and five-high octave voice, as well as her signature “whistle register” at the end of a stanza; others have been dazzled by her perfect smile and characteristic great-looking hair; for some, her stunning tall figure and charisma onstage and off have led them to be forever followers of her enchanting music.

Artist of the Millennium

This Artist of the Millennium winner had definitely earned her accomplished title. The few-attempts actress but more successful as a singer, record producer and songwriter, she’s come a long way from her recording debut with Columbia Records back in 1990. Her first album, Mariah Carey, garnered her multi-platinum awards and four or her singles went number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart. She eventually married her executive producer at that time, Tommy Mottola. Her duet with a boy band, Boyz II Men, “One Sweet Day”, which till now can rings a range of emotions to my ears, made history when it spawned 16 weeks in the number one chart, and no song has yet matched that record.

Various Musical Styles

Like the ever-changing styles of Pablo Picasso, Carey began to explore other musical styles. Although she garnered much success in pop music and R & B, she gradually transitioned to hip hop music. The release of her song Butterfly in 1997, right after she had separated from her husband, Mottola, the change in musical style was quite clear and evident. This also led her to leave working with Columbia Records in 2000 and onto Virgin Records with a $100 million contract.

Glitter

Her career began to decline after the poor reception of her first movie, Glitter, leading the company to buy her contract out for $50 million. She moved onto Island Records in 2002 where her path remained unsuccessful, until her release of “We Belong Together”, which Billboard awarded the “Song of the Decade”; thus, hailing her as a living legend and a symbol of music.

Breakthrough Performance Award

Her second attempt to venture into film in “Previous: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire” in 2009 was met with positive wide recognition. She accepted the “Breakthrough Performance Award” for her well-received performance.

Humble Beginnings

A native of Huntington, New York Mariah’s exotic looks are from her paternal Venezuelan and African-American descent as well as her maternal Irish descent which her mother claims she had inherited from him. Her mother had begun her career as a vocal coach and was occasionally an opera singer. She met and eloped with her husband but was disowned by her family for marrying a colored man. Growing up with the neglect of her mother’s family had left a great mark on Mariah. She had questions of the family’s judgement on her parents and on her as well.

Immediate Family

Eventually, she overcame them as she considered herself fortunate and unique many others who are a combination of being multi-racial.Carey’s family’s struggles extended not only to their immediate family but to their community as well; many who were new to their ethnicity. Although not a happy ending for Mariah’s family, her parents eventually divorced, unable to cope with the strain experienced in their marriage by outside forces. Carey was brought up by her mother while her older sister moved with her father. Growing up, Carey excelled in music, arts and literature while not very interested in other subjects in elementary. Being called a “white girl” by children in her neighborhood made her feel different due to the color of her skin, lighter than African-American children yet darker than that of Caucasian children.

When Carey’s mother remarried, Carey, now an adult, began working as a waitress, moving from one job to another two to three weeks at a time. She kept her musical ambition in mind, focused to complete her demo tape and eventually catch the attention of record producers.

Tommy Motolla

By 1987, a good supporter and friend of Carey, Starr, accompanied her to attend a recorder’s gala. There, Carey handed her demo tape to Tommy Mottola, who was the executive producer of Columbia Records. On his way back home, Mottola listened to the demo tape. Listening to just the first two songs, Mottola knew he had found a star while listening to the quality of Mariah’s voice. Just like in the fairy tale of Cinderella, he turned his car around to return to the gala, only to discover that Mariah was not there. Searching for her endlessly or two weeks, Mottola finally contacted Carey through Starr’s management. Mottola quickly signed Mariah Carey in with Columbia Records and invested about $1 million to promote her as a rising star. Although the opening began with weak sales, as an unknown name, the album eventually gained more popularity and reached the top of Billboard 200. The novice artist who made an appearance at the 33^rd annual Grammy Awards left the stage with trophies for the Best New Artist award as well as one for female vocal performance.

Artist of the Decade

In addition to her many awards and honors during her career, she also received the Artist of the Decade award during the 1990s. MTV also ranked her as one of the 22 Greatest Voices in Music. Commonly compared to rivals Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, she separates herself from the two by producing her own material and also co-writing them. She has definitely set herself apart from other artists with over 52 million of her albums sold.

Twins Monroe and Moroccan and Husband Nick Cannon

In 2008, she married Nick Cannon, 10 years her junior; an American rapper, actor, comedian and television/radio personality. Carey announced her pregnancy by 2010, and she gave birth to fraternal twins, coincidentally, on their wedding anniversary. Her children’s names are Monroe and Moroccan Scott. During her pregnancy, it was made quite clear that she was experiencing some complications, such as pre-eclampsia, hypertension, as well as gestation diabetes, the latter during the third trimester. By the 35^th week, Carey underwent C-section and welcomed her children into the world.

Despite all the ups and some slumps during her career, Mariah Carey remains to be one of the most honored, popular and singing icons of all time.