

In January 2002, Carey and EMI (the corporate owner of Virgin Records, with whom Carey had signed a reported $80 million contract in April 2001) severed their relationship. Carey was released from the hospital after two weeks. The release of Glitter was subsequently pushed back from late August to late September 2001. In July 2001, Carey was admitted into a New York-area hospital and put under psychiatric care after suffering what her publicists called a "physical and emotional collapse." Carey had been preparing to promote her upcoming feature film debut, Glitter, and its accompanying soundtrack album, but cancelled all public appearances. 'Glitter,' Hospitalization and New Record Deal Carey's 1998 album, #1's, featured her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as the Academy Award-nominated "The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)," a duet with fellow pop diva Whitney Houston.

Her 1997 album, Butterfly, included 11 compositions written by Carey, and demonstrated her continued interest in hip-hop and R&B, including the Sean "Puffy" Combs-produced "Honey," her 12th No. It also included collaborations with R&B and hip-hop artists such as Wu-Tang Clan and Boyz II Men ("One Sweet Day"). In 1995 she released Daydream its first single, "Fantasy," debuted at No. Her November 1994 release, Merry Christmas, combined traditional Christian hymns with new songs. Her next album, Music Box (1993), cut back a bit on the lavish studio production techniques heard in her previous albums, and included the No. 1 single (a cover of The Jacksons' "I'll Be There"). This performance was released as an album and a home video, resulting in another No. In March 1992, Carey appeared on MTV's Unplugged. 1 single, and included the hits "Can't Let Go" and "Make it Happen." 'Music Box,' 'Daydream,' 'Butterfly' Her second album, Emotions, was released in 1992 the title track became her fifth No. 1 singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Some Day," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." After listening to the tape on the way home from the party, Mottola signed Carey immediately and set her to work on her first album, Mariah Carey (1990), which included four No. She intended to give the tape to Columbia's Jerry Greenberg, but Tommy Mottola, the president of Columbia Records (later Sony), intercepted it before she could hand it to Greenberg. Starr convinced Carey to bring along one of her demo tapes. Starr, went to a party hosted by CBS Records. When she was 18 years old, Carey and her friend, singer Brenda K. Early Music Career: 'Mariah Carey' and 'Emotions' Eventually, Carey would develop a voice that spanned five octaves.Īfter graduating in 1987 from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, Carey moved to Manhattan where she worked as a waitress and a coat check girl and studied cosmetology, while writing songs and actively pursuing a music career at night. She stunned her mother by imitating her operatic singing as early as age two, and was given singing lessons starting at age four. She has two older siblings: a brother, Morgan, and a sister, Alison.Ĭarey's parents divorced when she was three years old. Early LifeĬarey was born March 27, 1970, in Huntington, Long Island, New York, to Alfred Roy Carey, a Venezuelan aeronautical engineer and Patricia Carey, a voice coach and opera singer. 1 hits and more than 200 million records sold. 1 singles, including "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Carey went on to generate several more albums (later with other studios) and top singles, becoming one of the most commercially successful artists of all time with 19 No. At 18 Mariah Carey signed with Columbia Records, and her first album had four No.
