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| Mariah Carey Biography : Biography of Mariah Carey |
Date and Place of birth
Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1970, in Long Island, New York, USA.
Family members:
She is the product of a mixed marriage. Her father Alfred Roy Carey, a Venezualan/African American, is an aeronautical
Engineer and her mother Patricia, an Irish/American, is a vocal coach and an opera singer (worked with the New York
City Opera). She has an older brother Morgan and an older sister, Alison.
Marital Status:
In June 1993, 24 years old Mariah Carey got married to 44 year old Tommy Mottola, in a huge, publicized ceremony.
Tommy, president of Sony records, was her music manager and mentor. They got a divorce in 1998. Mariah felt trapped in
her marriage and she immediately changed her image after separating from Mottola- reflecting a more liberated woman.
Her Childhood:
Mariah's parents got divorced when she was only three years old. She grew up with her mother, and they moved a lot in
order to make a living. Early signs of a truly unique voice started showing when the two-year old baby Mariah
beautifully imitated her mother's opera singing. At the age of four, she was already taking singing lessons, and she
often sang at her brother's radio.
How it all Started:
A day after graduating from Harborfields high School in Greenland, NY, the 17 year old Mariah moved to Manhattan with a
friend. She took various jobs to support herself such as waitress, coat check girl, working at hair salons and she
studied cosmetology all the while writing songs and trying to pursue her dream "singing". A year later, she started
singing backup for the singer Brenda K. Starr, who took Mariah with her one day to a party hosted by CBS records. At
that party, Mariah handed her demo to Tommy Mottola, the president of Colombia Records at the time. That night, while
listening to the tape on his way home, Tommy made a U-turn, went back to the party and Mariah signed her first contract
with Columbia.
Her Singing Career:
Her debut album "Mariah Carey (1990)" was a gigantic success. It sold more than 12 million copies, went platinum, and
set the record with four No 1 singles: "Vision of Love", "Love takes time", "Some day" and "I don't Wanna Cry". She
won "Best New Artist" and "Best Female Vocalist" at the Grammy awards.
Her second album "Emotions" in 1992, was another platinum album, with a No 1 single for the title track.
In March 1992, she appeared on "MTV Unplugged", which led to her sixth No 1 single of the Jacksons' "I'll be there"
song.
In 1993, she released her next album "Music Box" which generated another two No 1 singles with "Hero" and "Dream Lover"
and a Top Ten hit in "Without you". It was her best selling album yet, with more than 25 million copies sold
worldwide.
In 1994, she released a holiday smash titled "Merry Christmas" with the top hit "All I want for Christmas is you". It
sold more than 8 million copies within days from its release.
End of 1995, "Day Dream" was released, reaching more than 24 million copies in sales. Mariah became the first Female
artist to debut at #1 on the Charts with "Fantasy" and released another single "One Sweet Day" in collaboration with
the band Boyz II Men, which stayed at No1 for 16 weeks and another #1 single "Always be my Baby".
In 1997, she released "Butterfly" another astounding success generating two more #1 hits "My All" and "Honey". In 1998,
she released "#1's", a collection of her top singles including the breathtaking duet "When you Believe" with Whitney
Houston. In 1999, she released "$" with the hit single "Heart Breaker".
The new millennium, however, took an unfavorable turn. In 2001, she had a total collapse and was admitted more than
once to a hospital in New York. Her meltdown was very public and it was quite detrimental to her image. Her feature
film "Glitter" and its soundtrack, released in 2001, were badly rated.Consequently, "Virgin Records" which had
previously signed the biggest record contract ever with Mariah ($80 million), actually paid her $28 million to break
their deal in 2002.
But Mariah has real talent and is a true survivor.after a well earned break, she is back with .The Emancipation of
Mimi" released April 2005. With her new image, her new brand, Mariah is sounding better than ever.
With a multi-octaves voice from heaven, and a talent for writing songs that reflect her love and dedication for the
music and her fans, Mariah Carey truly is a super top Diva!
Awards:
In recognition of her fame and talent, Mariah Carey has collected a huge number of awards and honors. By the end of the
decade, Mariah had sold more than 160 million records and had a #1 single from every album. She is the only artist to
have topped the charts for every year of the nineties, she had more #1 album than any other female artist during that
decade, got more #1 singles (14) than any other artist in History, that is beating the record of top artists like the
Beatles and Micheal Jackson, and set the record of all time as the cumulative weeks spent at number 1. Not to mention
that she collected Platinum awards for every album released.
In 2000, she was awarded the "American Music Awards for Special Achievements", an award so precious, it has been only
previously given to Prince and Michael Jackson. The "Billboard of Music Award" awarded her "Artist of the Decade" and
the World Music Awards awarded "Best Female Artist of the Millennium"; awards which leave no doubt as to her talent and
success.
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