“JI can’t believe it!” 1.6 billion… “These numbers are incredible, the love I have for my fans is unquantifiable. I am forever grateful and blessed!”, threw Mariah Carey on Instagram when she discovered this incredible number, that of downloads of All I Want for Christmas Is You, his famous Christmas song, on the streaming site Spotify. The star is right to thank “Lambily”, the name she gives to her community of fans (whom she affectionately calls her lambs, lamb in English). Because, according to The Economist, as co-author, co-producer and performer of the song, she earns nearly 2.5 million euros each year with this hit.
Since its release in 1994, the title has allowed him to earn 70 million euros! According to legend, she only took fifteen minutes to write the lyrics and melody. Good job! The sound even entered the Guinness Book as the most listened to song of all time. But beware ! Mimi does not want to be locked in this golden cage. Because she is not the singer of a single hit, far from it: Mariah Carey also has a thirty-five-year career, marked by some bitter failures but above all resounding successes.
Born March 27, 1969, in New York State, she is the daughter of an African-American aeronautical engineer of Venezuelan origin and a singing teacher of Irish origin. As the youngest child, with a sister and a brother who are a decade older than her, she grew up in a rather privileged neighborhood, but suffered from racism. Her parents divorced when she was only 3 years old, and she was left alone with her mother. “I had a totally dysfunctional childhood, she confides to W magazine. It’s surprising that I got through it!”
In high school, she skipped most classes. She wants to become a singer, that’s her only goal, and she moves to New York at 18 to live her dream. She then takes on odd jobs as a waitress to pay her rent and her singing lessons. But the hassle doesn’t last long! In December 1988, barely a year after arriving in Manhattan, the singer Brenda K. Starr, for whom she is a backing vocalist, introduces her to the boss of Sony Music, Tony Mottola. She makes him listen to her songs, and the music industry mogul falls under the spell… And makes him sign a contract for ten albums!
In 1990, the disc Mariah Carey hits the shelves, and the success is dazzling. Three years later, she married Tony Mottola and dated Music box which propelled it onto the world stage. The successes follow one another and, like a true diva, the new star does not hesitate to clash with music icons. In 1995, Madonna declares in an interview that she would rather commit suicide than be Mariah Carey? Mimi responds scathingly: “I happened to listen to Madonna when I was in middle school, when she was popular.” And boom ! Mariah can afford it, with a successful career.
But relations with her producer husband are on the other hand tense: he wants to control her, both in the artistic and private fields. Mimi is sometimes sequestered at home… “When I got married, I thought it was for life, will she explain to the magazine People. If only someone had given me a slap to wake me up!” The couple ended up separating with a bang in 1997. Freed from this shackles, she could finally resort to the hip-hop and soul sounds that she loved. The woman and the artist are free: in 2001 she signed a contract worth 100 million dollars with Virgin Records. The ace, Glitter, the first album with his new record company, was a flop.
Released on September 11, 2001, the day of the World Trade Center attacks, it seems marked by a curse. The film of the same name in which she played the leading role was also a failure, Mimi even receiving the Razzie Awards for worst actress of the year. The early 2000s are a long nightmare. She is hospitalized for nervous breakdown, and the media started making fun of his looks and his weight. As a bonus, her father dies while she was trying to reconnect with him. She takes refuge with her mother, a very bad idea as their relationships have always been terrible.. She broke her contract with Virgin and released a new album with Universal in 2002, Charmbracelet, tribute to his father which allows him to reconnect with his audience thanks to a world tour.
She works, again and again, to forget the bites of life and rediscover the heights of glory.. April 4, 2005, when the album was released The Emancipation of Mimi, his fans hold their breath. Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg And Kanye West participated in the record: this time, it’s make or break. And as if by magic, she wins. The opus ranks number 1 in sales for the year 2005. A happiness that never arrives alone, his private life is also in good shape.
In 2008, she married actor and musician Nick Cannon and, three years later, experienced the joy of motherhood by giving birth to twins. A highly publicized pregnancy and birth, as always with Miss Carey. To melt away the pregnancy pounds, she began a draconian diet and made a triumphant return, enhanced by advertising contracts with Pepsi or Venus razors which crowned her “goddess legs”. The detractors sneer, she doesn’t care, and she’s right. In 2014, the Time declares it “biggest pop star in history”. But the same year, she divorced and embarked on a long journey through the desert…
The fact remains that in this month of December, as for thirty years, she is once again a global star. Present in all homes, as much among anonymous people as among stars. “At Christmas, I love being fucked with Mariah Carey,” the actor recently admitted Philippe Lellouche has Paris Match. We might as well face it once and for all: so do we…
The whims of the diva
Working with Mimi is not easy! During the filming of the shows or films in which she participates, she requests private toilets, breaks to take a nap, as well as the presence of an assistant in front of her and another behind, to catch her in the event of a fall. An employee must also always be by her side so that she can put her chewing gum in her hand whenever she wants. For a long time, she also asked for a red carpet in front of the hotel where she was staying and gold faucets in her room. Whims that wrote his legend but also played tricks on him: in 2017, on the set of the film The Househer scene was cut during editing after she had rewritten the text!
The men in her life
Mariah, then a waitress and backup singer, met Tony Mottola, the boss of Sony Music, during a party in December 1988. He divorced and married the singer in 1993. The producer was morbidly jealous, their story was noisy until upon their separation in 1997. Mimi regains her freedom, then falls into the arms of Derek Jetera baseball player, Luis Miguela Latin singer and, rumor has it, in those ofEminem. On April 30, 2008, she married the rapper and actor Nick Cannon with whom she will have twins in 2011. After another divorce in 2014, she became engaged for a few months to an Australian billionaire, James Packer. She broke up even though the businessman had offered her a $10 million engagement ring! For several years, she has discreetly been making perfect love with Brian Tanakaa dancer ten years his junior.
A mother like no other
Having become a mother at 42, Mariah loves her status as a mother. After a miscarriage from which she struggled to recover, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on April 30, 2011. She explained that she had fired many nannies, particularly those who were too close to Monroe and from Moroccan, and now accompanies his 12-year-old children in their desire for entertainment. On November 23, she brought her little one on stage at the Hollywood Bowl, making her sing and play guitar in front of thousands of people. “I love seeing them get into this music performance space and the fact that they’re excited to do it”, she told the magazine Access.
A mental illness that is eating away at her
In 2018, Mimi opens up as she rarely does in a magazine interview People explaining that he suffers from bipolar disorder. “Until recently, I lived in total denial, isolation and constant fear that someone would reveal my condition.” According to her, her depressive episodes began in 2001 and were characterized by a total lack of energy while she had to increase the number of concerts and trips. She claims to have finally found serenity by surrounding herself only with positive people. And feels much stronger since she revealed this illness. “I refuse to allow it to define who I am or control me!” Mimi, a strong woman who nothing can resist?
Discography
1990 : MARIAH CAREY
His first album made him a global star at 21 years old. In total, four titles at number one in the charts and 15 million records sold!
1994: MERRY CHRISTMAS
With this Christmas album, including All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah offers herself a place for life at the foot of the pine trees. And sold 17 million records!
1995: DAY DREAM
Best-selling album of his career with more than 31 million copies sold. Mariah is then at the peak of her career, nothing seems to be able to resist her.
2001: GLITTER
She starred in this film and released the soundtrack immediately: two bitter failures and the end of her contract with Columbia. It is the beginning of a crossing of the desert.
2005: THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI
After several failures, she returned to success. It is the best-selling album of the year in the United States, praised by the public and critics.
2015: RESIDENCE IN LAS VEGAS
Like any self-respecting diva, she begins a series of sold-out concerts in the gaming capital. And finds her audience again.
2018: THE VOICE
She makes a notable appearance in the talent show. His charisma, his showmanship and his ever-powerful voice allow him to break through the screen.
DECEMBER 2023: ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
His Christmas title, released almost thirty years ago, is still at the top of the charts and on all streaming platforms. It doesn’t smell like pine!
Bruno Godard