Who is Mariah Carey? 

Mariah Carey is an American singer/songwriter, record producer and actress, who is most known for her 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, which is now the best holiday song sung by a female artist. 

Mariah’s Life Story 

Mariah was born on the 27th of March 1969 (54 years of age as of 2023) in Huntington, New York. Having two siblings, Alison and Morgan Carey, her mother was a vocal coach and a former Opera singer, Carey began performing as a child. She had graduated highschool in 1987 from Greenlawn, New York as she moved to New York to pursue her singing career. Carey had created a demo tape that led Tommy Mottola to sign her in 1988, they had later married in 1993. Mariah had become known very quickly as all of her albums became a huge hit. She has won Grammy Awards for the best new artist and best female pop vocalist. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became a holiday classic and one of the best selling songs of all time.

Although a huge success, Carey grew tired of the sweet and wholesome picture that her label had established for her.  In 1997, after announcing her separation from Mottola (divorced in 1998) she released “Butterfly” which inspired her independence. This album was largely impacted by hip-hop and rap. We started to notice that all of Carey’s albums were based on her life happenings. 

“The singled “Heartbreaker” (featuring Jay-Z) topped the charts in 1999, making Carey the first artist to hit number one on the billboard singles chart in each year of a decade. The achievement underscored her status as one of the best-selling vocalist in the world that decade” (Britannica)

In 2001, Carey signed an $80 million contract with Virgin Records that had finally made her the highest-paid recording artist. Although her career was interrupted when she was hospitalized and found out that he has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2018. In addition to Careys recording career, she has also continued to act. 

“After she had appeared in the drama Tennessee in 2008, she earned praise for her portrayal of a social worker in the critically acclaimed Precious (2009). Her later film credits included Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)  and Girls trip (2017).  She also lent her voice to All I Want for Christmas Is You (2017), an animated film inspired by her hit song” (Britannica)

Finally in 2013 Carey joined a television talent show American Idol as a judge during its 12th season. Then 2 years later she had started a series in Las Vegas, ending with her last appearance in 2020. Finally Her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey was published in 2020 as she also wrote multiple children’s books.