Mariah Carey’s Early Life and How She Made it in Music

• Carey gets her first name from the song “They Call the Wind Maria,” which is from a 1951 musical called Paint Your Wagon. Her mother’s musical theater background inspired her to base her child’s name on the song.
• Mariah’s parents ended up splitting up due to a complicated combination of factors. Patricia, her mother, was disowned by her family for marrying a black man, and Mariah’s parents were the victims of racism on many occasions. The racial persecution that the Carey family endured made it hard for Mariah’s parents to sustain their relationship.
• After the divorce, Mariah’s sister Alison lived with her father, and Mariah and her older brother, Morgan, lived with their mother in Huntington, New York.
• Mariah was often home alone with plenty of time to kill as a young child. She has shared that the first time she remembers singing was as a three-year-old when she started trying to impersonate her mother’s operatic vocal techniques.
• Carey’s mother helped her chase after her dreams of becoming a musician by offering her coaching. In high school, Carey started working as a vocal singer and was often absent from her classes due to her jobs.
• After high school, Mariah moved to Manhattan to pursue a career in music, but ended up working a wide array of jobs to make ends meet. She spent an extensive amount of time in beauty school and was initially on a course to work in that industry. However, a lucky break and an opportunity from an NYC musician set Mariah on the path to stardom.
• Mariah was introduced to execs from CBS Records in 1988 by Brenda K. Starr. At the time, Mariah was performing with Starr as a backup singer. Tommy Mottola, the head of Columbia Records, heard a demo tape that Carey gave him and was instantly in love with her voice. However, Mariah was nowhere to be found when he heard the tape, and he had to search all over Manhattan for weeks to find her.
• Once Mottola started pursuing Mariah to sign her to Columbia, other labels began showing interest as well. In the end, Mariah chose to go with Columbia, and she went on to become their main female artist.
• Mariah’s first performance after signing was at the 1990 NBA Finals, where she sang “America the Beautiful,” showing off her impressive vocal range.

Mariah’s Debut Album and Breakthrough Success

• In June 1990, Mariah released Mariah Carey, her debut studio album. The record was produced by Rhett Lawrence, Narada Michael Walden, Ben Marguiles, Ric Wake, and Carey.
• Her first album, released via Columbia, was at the top of the US Billboard 200 Album Charts for 11 weeks straight. Critics couldn’t believe how impressive Mariah’s vocal ability was, and the record was certified 9x Platinum in the United States. 
• Around the globe, Mariah’s self-titled album has now sold over 15 million copies.
• The record features five singles: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” and “There’s Got to Be a Way.” Four out of five of these songs became number one hits.
• Mariah’s self-titled debut made history, making her the first artist since The Jackson 5 to hit the top of the charts with her first four singles.

Mariah Carey’s Album List

• Mariah Carey, 1990

• Emotions, 1991 (for which the title track was her fifth chart-topper)

• Music Box, 1993

• Merry Christmas, 1994

• Daydream, 1995

• Butterfly, 1997

• Rainbow, 1999

• Glitter, 2001

• Charmbracelet, 2002

• The Emancipation of Mimi, 2005

• E=MC², 2008

• Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, 2009

• Merry Christmas II You, 2010

• Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, 2014
• Caution, 2018

Mariah Carey Today

• Mariah has now sold over 200 million records around the world and is listed as one of the best-selling artists in any genre of all time. She’s performed and collaborated with dozens of artists, from Jay-Z to Boys II Men.
• Nineteen of Mariah’s songs have topped the Billboard Hot 100, and many of these tracks have been co-produced by Carey.
• She’s won five Grammy Awards, 10 American Music Awards, 15 Billboard Music Awards, and a host of other awards and honors. She’s also listed by Rolling Stone as the 79th greatest vocalist of all time, with the likes of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder.
• Successful singles include “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day,” and “Heartbreaker.” Songs like “Honey” moved her career more towards hip hop than she previously had been.
• Mariah has gone beyond her music. She starred in Glitter, a 2001 musical drama, for which she also worked on the soundtrack. She also released a memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, in 2020.
• Mariah has previously been married to Tommy Mottola and Nick Cannon. She was also engaged to billionaire James Packer, but the couple broke off their engagement in 2016. She had twins with Nick Cannon, named Moroccan and Monroe.
• Mariah Carey currently has a net worth of $320 Million.
• Mariah is well known for her Christmas music and tops the charts every December, but she’s taken it even further than that. In 2020, she released Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, featuring guests from Snoop Dogg to Jennifer Hudson.