Mariah Carey’s five-octave vocal range, revolutionary riffs and runs, and outstanding songwriting skills shifted the landscape of pop music at the turn of the 21st century.
Mariah Carey has had an enormous impact on the pop music landscape, generating nineteen Number One hits, second only to the Beatles. As a singer, songwriter, performer, and record producer, Carey has sold more than 220 million records; won five Grammy Awards, nineteen World Music Awards, ten American Music Awards, and twenty Billboard Music Awards; and her debut record produced four Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. With her five-octave vocal range and revolutionary riffs and runs, Carey’s incomparable voice has earned her such accolades as the Songbird Supreme.
At 17, Carey moved from Long Island to New York City, landing a pivotal role as a backup singer. In a move that foreshadowed the take-charge professionalism of her career, she pitched her own demo to CBS Records and was fast-tracked as a “priority artist.” Carey’s self-titled 1990 debut, the “album that launched a million runs,” cemented a chart-topping tradition that continued throughout her career. That year, she won the Grammy for Best New Artist, and the single “Vision of Love” won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Throughout the 1990s, Carey took more creative control with each album. She drew inspiration from the growing success of hip-hop, working with Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the “Fantasy” remix – a move that helped spark the R&B/hip-hop marriage that dominated the charts through the 2000s. The Emancipation of Mimi was not only the best-selling album of 2005, but it proved to be such a creative gamechanger that some critics considered it her “comeback album.”
Carey’s accomplishments go well beyond record sales and charts. She co-founded Camp Mariah, where inner-city children explore creative interests. Her well-received role in the 2009 film Precious solidified her versatility. Melismatic singers like Beyoncé and Christina Aguilera are inspired by Carey’s vocal prowess, and her legacy continues to shine – the 1994 holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” remains one of the best-selling singles of all time. Mariah Carey’s high notes will reverberate for generations.
