American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969. She is known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, and distinctive whistling technique. Carey is the only artist in history to have all five of her initial Billboard Hot 100 singles peak at number one. Her debut album “Vision of Love” was released in 1990 and went multi-platinum. Carey’s first-holiday album “Merry Christmas” was released in 1994 and sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
Likewise, Carey has received numerous awards throughout her career, including five Grammy Awards and 18 American Music Awards. In addition, she has sold more than 200 million records globally, making her one of the best-selling music artists. Carey is also known for her philanthropic work; she has donated millions of dollars to various charities.
Family And Early Life Of Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey, born on March 27, 1970, in Huntington, New York, is of African American (black) and Irish heritage. Her grandfather changed her name from Nunez to “Carey” after moving to New York. Her mother was a former Opera singer and vocal coach. Mariah’s parents divorced when she was three years old.
Mariah began writing poems and early songs while attending Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She graduated from high school in 1987. Mariah met Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies at Harborfields and quickly began collaborating on complete songs with lyrics and music. After graduating, Mariah, Gavin, and Ben continued to work together to create a full-length demo while living in New York City.
Pop singer Brenda K. Starr eventually heard the sample and gave the music to Mariah at industry parties. While transporting Mariah to various events, she passed around the demo tape. On his way home from the gala, Tommy Mottola listened to the tape in the car. He was certain that Mariah Carey would become a star after hearing the first two songs.
It took two weeks to find her, but when he did, Tommy immediately signed Mariah to a recording contract and put together a team to plan her commercial debut. To Tommy, Mariah was Columbia’s answer to Arista Records’ Whitney Houston.
Career Of Mariah Carey
Initial Phase
On June 12, 1990, Mariah Carey released her self-titled debut studio album. Columbia invested $1 million in publicizing the record, according to reports. At first, sales were sluggish, but eventually, the album was certified 9X platinum in the United States alone and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. In addition, the record reached number one on Billboard’s charts and won her a Grammy for Best New Artist and Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Mariah’s second album, 1991’s “Emotions,” was a commercial triumph, but her third studio effort, 1993’s “Music Box,” took her career to new heights. Music Box spent 128 weeks on the Billboard chart and sold 28 million copies worldwide. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Her career was not long-lived, either. Her second album, “Merry Christmas,” was also a hit, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide. Likewise, The next three recordings by her would sell 20 million, 10 million, and 8 million copies worldwide.
“All I Want for Christmas”
Mariah Carey’s holiday album is best known for its single “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which would become one of the most-sold and lucrative singles of all time with global sales of 16 million and counting. In addition, the song appears in numerous Christmas movies and on streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora, where it has a popular hit during the holidays.
The song, which allegedly took only 15 minutes to write, has earned Mariah and producer Walter Afanasieff about $600,000 in royalties since its release. In addition, the song has generated more than $60 million in gross royalties.
Contract With Virgin Records
Mariah left Columbia Records in April 2001 and signed a $100 million, five-album deal with Virgin Music. After inflation, that’s the same as $150 million today. It was at the time the most lucrative music contract ever signed.
Moreover, Mariah’s first record for Virgin was entitled “Glitter.” It was a film soundtrack based on the same name. The movie is about a fictitious version of Mariah and premiered in 2001. Critics and audiences alike panned the film and album, which came as a result of insufficient promotion. One of the most profitable box-office bombs ever made, it is also one of Hollywood’s biggest flops.
Mariah was already in the hospital before the film’s debut, requiring emergency treatment for severe exhaustion. In addition, she has reportedly had a physical and mental breakdown.
Over time, the album has sold over 3 million copies. For any other artist, that would have been outstanding. But unfortunately, Mariah’s new $100 million deal with Virgin Records was an unmitigated disaster.
After signing a $28 million contract with Mariah, the label was desperate to get out of it. The money paid to destroy the agreement was $28 million. When everything was said and done, Mariah received roughly $50 million for producing one album for Virgin.
Return To Success
After being dumped by Virgin, Mariah signed a $24 million, five-album contract with Island Records. Even Though, Her Island releases sold poorly, with her most popular song being 2005’s “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which has sold 10 million copies worldwide.
Mariah Carey was first signed to Def Jam Records in 1995 and later moved to Epic Records in 2015, where she is still recording.
Likewise, She made $18 million in 2012 after appearing on one season of American Idol.
She extended her residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for two years in 2015, signing a $30 million deal. It helped her become one of the most profitable recording artists of 2016, with $27 million in total income.
Net Worth Of Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey has a net worth of $320 million. Mariah Carey is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. In addition, she is the second-best-selling female artist in history, trailing Madonna.
She has more number one tunes than any other female songwriter/producer in US chart history. Likewise, She has won five Grammys, ten AMAs, and fifteen Billboard Music Awards.
Relationship Of Mariah Carey
In 1993, Mariah married musician Tommy Motalla. They divorced in 1998. She was married to singer Nick Cannon from 2008 until 2016. The twins were born in April 2011 due to her relationship with actor Nick Cannon. In 2016, she was engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer before calling it off a year later. From 1998 until 2001, she dated Luis Miguel.
Awards And Achievements
- Billboard Music Award for Top Female Artist 1994, 1991
- Grammy Award for Best New Artist 1991
- Grammy Award for Best R&B Song 2006
- Billboard Music Award for Top Artist 1991
- Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance 1991
- Billboard Music Award for Artist of the Decade 1999
- Billboard Icon Award 2019
- Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance 2006
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group 1999
- Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album 2006
- Billboard Music Award for Top Hot 100 Song 2005
- World Music Award-Chopard Diamond Award 2003
- American Music Award for Favorite Female Artist Pop/Rock 1996, 1995, 1993
- Echo Award for Best International Rock/Pop Female Artist 1995
- Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Love Song 2005
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album 2006
- American Music Award for Favorite Female Artist Soul/R&B 2005, 1998, 1996
- NRJ Music Award for International Female Artist of the Year 2000
- MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female 1994
- Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B /Soul-Single Female 2006, 1991
- Billboard Music Award for Top Hot 100 Artist 1996
- World Music Legend Award for Outstanding Contribution To The Music Industry 1998
- Glamour Woman Of The Year 1998
- American Music Award Honorary Award 2008
- People’s Choice Award for Favorite R&B Artist 2010
- PRS for Music Special International Award 2019
Social Media Presence
Mariah Carey is one of the most followed celebrities on social media. Likewise, She has over 18 million followers on Twitter, over 8 million on Instagram, and over 60 million on Facebook.
Additional Information
| Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе: | Mariah Carey |
| Nickname: | Mimi |
| Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе: | Mariah Carey |
| Gеndеr: | Female |
| Аgе: | 53 |
| Віrth Dаtе: | 27 March 1969 |
| Віrth Рlасе: | Huntington, New York, U.S |
| Nаtіоnаlіtу: | American |
| Неіght: | 1.73m |
| Ѕехuаl Оrіеntаtіоn: | Straight |
| Relationship Ѕtаtuѕ: | Divorced |
| Spouse(Ex): | Tommy Mottola(1993-1998)Nick Cannon(2008-2016) |
| Рrоfеѕѕіоn: | American singer, Songwriter, Actress, and Record Producer |
| Nеt Wоrth іn 2022: | $320 million |
Instagram: @mariahcarey
Twitter: @MariahCarey
Facebook: @Mariah Carey
YouTube: @Mariah Carey