Mariah Carey |
Carey at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival |
Background information |
Born | (1970-03-27) March 27, 1970 (age 43)
Huntington, New York, U.S. |
Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop, soul |
Occupations | Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, philanthropist |
Instruments | Vocals, piano |
Years active | 1988–present |
Labels | Columbia, Virgin, Island |
Associated acts | Brenda K. Starr, Trey Lorenz, Knoc-turn'al, Allure, Da Brat, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Jermaine Dupri, Bone Thugs N Harmony, NeYo |
Website | mariahcarey.com |
Mariah Carey[1] (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and philanthropist. Under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, Carey released her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990; it went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993 and success with hit records Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993), and Merry Christmas (1994), Carey was established as Columbia's highest-selling act. Daydream (1995) made music history when its second single "One Sweet Day", a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running number-one song in U.S. chart history. During the recording of the album, Carey began to deviate from her R&B and pop beginnings and slowly traversed into hip hop. This musical change became evident with the release of Butterfly (1997), at which time Carey had separated from Mottola.
Carey left Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records. Before the release of her first feature film Glitter (2001), she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Following the film's poor reception, she was bought out of her recording contract for $50 million, which led to a decline...