Biography

To have earned the title of “biggest selling female recording artists of the 1990s" is no small feat. Given the talent and the record-selling abilities of Madonna, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Shania Twain, the feat seems near impossible. Mariah Carey’s unprecedented 120 million albums and singles sold says a lot for her own talent and her own popularity.
Blessed with a seven-octave voice helped her breakthrough into the music scene, Carey is as much a product of hybrid roots as she is of a scene that was ripe for sexy, soulful divas. Born to parents that defy traditional comparisons, one can only say that Mariah Carey’s story is “original". Her father is a black Venezuelan aeronautics engineer and her mother is an Irish-American opera singer.

It is perhaps the multi-cultural origins of Mariah Carey that allowed her to create music that defied traditional labels and gain acceptance from multi-cultural audiences. Her audience isn’t stereotypically “black" nor is it “white". Her audience can best be described as anyone and almost everyone, as her record sales indicate.

Carey, who is single now after her failed marriage to Columbia Records mogul Tommy Mottola, has had 14 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, placing her on the company of the Beatles (20) and Elvis (18). She has spent a total of 60 weeks at the top of the same chart, also setting a record. Still, records take second place to her talent, a talent that is bewildering in its immensity.

In addition to completely mastering her powerful vocal chords, Carey has also proved herself as a songwriting powerhouse. She has written every single #1 hit she has had with the exception of her cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There." Perhaps the biggest sign of her success is her continued popularity. While other stars of the early 90’s slowly faded away, Carey only seemed to get stronger. Her latest album, 1999’s Rainbow featured a debut single “Heartbreaker" that, you guessed it, went to #1 on the charts….

Filmography

Wisegirls (2002) .... Rachel
It's Your New Year's Eve Party (2001) (TV) .... Herself/Performer
Stars 2001: Die Aids-Gala (2001) (TV) .... Herself
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Herself/Performer
Glitter (2001) .... Billie Frank
VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross (2000) (TV) .... Performer/Presenter
... aka VH1 Divas 2000 (2000) (TV) (USA: short title)

Mariah #1's (1999) (V) .... Herself
Mariah Carey's Homecoming Special (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Pavarotti & Friends 99 for Guatemala and Kosovo (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Bachelor, The (1999) .... Ilana
30th NAACP Image Awards (1999) (TV) .... Co-Host
1998 Billboard Music Awards (1998) (TV) .... Herself/Performer
Mariah Carey: Around the World (1998) (TV) .... Herself
Divas Live: An Honors Concert for VH1 Save the Children (1998) (TV) .... Performer
... aka VH1 Divas Live (1998) (TV) (USA: short title)
Motown 40: The Music Is Forever (1998) (TV) .... Herself
Gift of Song, The (1997) (TV) .... Herself
Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden (1995) (TV) .... Herself
Here Is Mariah Carey (1993) (TV) .... Herself
MTV Video Music Awards 1991 (1991) (TV) .... Herself/Performer
33rd Annual Grammy Awards, The (1991) (TV) .... Herself (Performer & Awards Winner)