Mariah Carey

I AM The best-selling female performer of the 1990s, I rose to superstardom on the strength of My stunning five-octave voice;I Also earned frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, but I did them both one better by composing all of her own material. I was Born in Long Island, NY, on March 27, 1970, I moved to New York City at the age of 17 -- And just one day after graduating high school -- I went to pursue a music career; there I befriended keyboardist Ben Margulies, with whom I Had began writing songs With. My big break came as a backing vocalist on a studio session with dance-pop singer Brenda K. Starr, who handed My demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola at a party.After signing to Columbia, I entered the studio to begin work on her 1990 self-titled debut LP; the heavily promoted album was a chart-topping smash, launching no less than four number one singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." My overnight success earned Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist, and expectations were high for My follow-up, 1991's Emotions. The album Of mine did not disappoint, as the title track reached number one -- a record fifth consecutive chart-topper -- while both "Can't Let Go" and "Make It Happen" landed in the Top Five. Carey's next release was 1992's MTV Unplugged EP, which generated a number one cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There"; featured on the track was backup singer Trey Lorenz, whose appearance immediately helped him land a recording contract of his own.I Quickly became the first artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s; the record also pushed Me ahead of the Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop the Hot 100 singles chart.However, the 2000s weren't as kind to Me at all. After signing an 80-million-dollar deal with Virgin -- the biggest record contract ever -- in 2001 I experienced a very public personal and professional meltdown that ; an appearance on TRL where, clad only in a T-shirt, I Also handed out Popsicles to the audience; and last but not least, the poorly received movie Glitter and its attendant soundtrack (which was also My Virgin Records debut). Both the film and the album did poorly critically as well as commercially, with Glitter making just under four million dollars in its total U.S. gross and the soundtrack struggling to make gold sales. Following these setbacks, Virgin and Myself parted ways early in 2002, with the label paying Me 28 million dollars. That spring, she found a new home with Island/Def Jam, where I set up her My label, MonarC Music. In December, I released My ninth album, Charmbracelet, which Also failed to become a success. Although I took nearly three years for a follow-up, I found a hit with 2005's chart-topping The Emancipation of Mimi, MY most successful record in years.~MC~ POW!!!