Carey, Mariah << muh RY uh >> (1970-…), is an American singer whose style blends soul , pop, hip-hop , and gospel music. She has a powerful, flexible voice that can reach a wide range of notes. In 2013, she was a judge on the singing-competition television show “American Idol.”
Carey was born on March 27, 1970, in Huntington, New York. In 1988, Tommy Mottola, a record executive, signed Carey to a recording contract. Carey and Mottola married in 1993 and divorced in 1998.
Carey became the best-selling female pop vocalist of the 1990’s. Her first album, Mariah Carey (1990), included four hit singles: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday,” and “I Don‘t Wanna Cry.” She won 1991 Grammy Awards for best female vocalist and best new artist. She also recorded such hit singles as “Emotions” from Emotions (1991); “I’ll Be There” from MTV Unplugged (1992); “Dreamlover,” “Hero,” and “Without You” from Music Box (1993); and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from Merry Christmas (1994). The latter song became a number-one hit in 2019. Carey’s 1995 album Daydream included the hit singles “Fantasy” and “One Sweet Day.” Butterfly (1997) included the hits “Honey” and “My All.” Rainbow (1999) had the hits “Heartbreaker” and “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now).” The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) featured several hits, including “We Belong Together” and “It’s Like That.” E=MC2 (2008) included the hit single “Touch My Body.” Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009) featured the hit “Obsessed.”
Carey starred in the motion picture Glitter (2001) and recorded the film’s sound track. Both the movie and the album were commercial disappointments. Film critics praised Carey’s performance as a social worker in Precious (2009), directed by Lee Daniels. She also acted in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013). In 2015, Carey began starring in her own stage show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. From 2016 to 2017, she starred in the documentary television series “Mariah’s World,” which followed the singer through a concert tour and a planned wedding.
Carey wrote the children’s book All I Want for Christmas is You (2015, illustrated by Colleen Madden). She also wrote the memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020), with Michaela Angela Davis.
