Mariah Carey
Just over 20 years since its release, Mariah Carey has revisited her chart-topping tenth album, unveiling The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition).
Released April 12, 2005, The Emancipation of Mimi marked a pivotal comeback moment in her career. Spending two weeks atop the Billboard 200, the project won three Grammys and spawned one of the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits of all time, the 14-week leader “We Belong Together.”
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One day shy of the record’s 20th birthday, Carey announced its anniversary reissue, with dozens of bonus tracks, remixes and collaborations set to appear on the package.
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“I’m really happy to celebrate ‘Mimi’s Emancipation’ with this special anniversary re-release,” Carey said in a statement at the time. “While working on this edition, I got to relive all the memories from this pivotal moment in my personal and professional life.”
Indeed, the anniversary edition of the album is a walk down memory lane for all Carey fans, with the first half of the record featuring its original 14 tracks, along with an additional five bonus cuts. Almost identical to its 2020 vinyl reissue, the first disc is completed with the addition of “Don’t Forget About Us,” “Sprung,” “Secret Love,” the Jermaine Dupri-featuring “Makin’ It Last All Night (What It Do),” and an additional remix of “We Belong Together.”
The second disc serves as a veritable treasure trove of material for diehard fans, launching with the long-awaited official release of “When I Feel It,” which was reportedly left off the original release due to sample clearance issues.
Remixes from the likes of Solange, Kaytranada, David Morales, and Scott Storch are also included, along with a cappella renditions of “Shake It Off,” “Circles,” and “Joy Ride,” while her 2024 American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special performance of “We Belong Together” closes the package.
“This album has some of my biggest hits to date, as well as some personal favorites that are very special to me,” Carey added of the new reissue. “Forgotten gems, unreleased bonus tracks and different remixes with incredible collaborators — all of these and more are now available in one place for the first time ever!”
Listen to Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition) below.
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It seems Mariah Carey is restarting her soft girl era. She has been spotted holding hands with Anderson .Paak, and she is all smiles.
As spotted on Bossip, the iconic songstress may have a new man in her life. Earlier this month, she was seen out and about with Anderson .Paak in Aspen, Colo. While neither performer addressed the nature of their outing, it seemed that the two were out on a date. Now, it looks like the two might be an official item, as they were spotted again in the snowy vacation town on Sunday (Dec. 29.) Mariah Carey and Anderson .Paak were holding hands leaving Duemani, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in the area. She was wearing a three-quarter black fur coat with a shimmery dress. He, on the other hand, played it more casual with a newsboy cap, a blue suit and a tweed overcoat.
An unnamed source tells The Sun to be close to them says the pair have been hanging out for several months now. “Mariah and Anderson have been hanging out for months, and have a flirty connection,” the insider says. “But he has a reputation as a ladies’ man in Hollywood and is still legally married to his wife.” Anderson .Paak met his wife, Jaylyn Chang, while at music school. They would wed in 2010 but would file for divorce back in January. They share two children Soul Rasheed and Shine Tariq. Mariah Carey also has two children Monroe and Moroccan, with ex-husband Nick Cannon.
You can see the two holding hands below.
#MariahCarey and #Anderson.Paak are definitely “Leav[ing] The Door Open” for those dating rumors 👀 All we know at the link in bio!
📽️: BACKGRID pic.twitter.com/PovdZ0lWiE
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 30, 2024
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Mariah Carey is definitely in the midst of her season as evidenced by her Christmas-themed tour, which stopped in Brooklyn earlier this week. Among the celebrities in the crowd, Rihanna was in attendance with Jason Lee and the Fenty Beauty founder got one of her billionaire boobs signed by Mariah Carey.
In a video shared on Jason Lee’s social media account, Rihanna was seen having a fangirl moment as she attempted to get Carey’s attention. With a security escort in tow, Carey floated to Rih-Rih’s section near the front of the stage and reached over the security barrier to greet one another. With the two superstars having the moment, a pen made its way to Carey’s hand as the Bajan businesswoman lowered her skintight white top and exposed her left breast to get signed in red ink.
Taking the microphone, Rihanna says to the sold-out Barclays Center crowd, “Mariah Carey is signing my t*t, y’all. This sh*t is f*cking epic!” which sparked a heavy round of applause. Afterward, the two embraced and the crowd cheered as they parted ways.
Carey was in Brooklyn for the final date of her Christmas Time tour, which suffered a previous delay due to illness.
Check out the moment below.
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“The way this song was born is probably contrary to what everyone thinks,” Muni Long says with a laugh of her R&B hit “Made for Me.” That’s because the compassionate ballad — which arrived in 2023 before catching fire on TikTok, followed by a Mariah Carey remix this year — was inspired by a different kind of love story.
As Muni Long recalls, it was November 2022 and she had given birth to her son two months prior (all of which she kept private until this August, when she performed with him on her hip during her opening set touring with Chris Brown). She says she was “getting the itch to write,” so she had a studio put in her house. One day, the Grammy Award winner began listening again to a piano chord progression she had sent a while back to her friend, producer Jordan XL. “I just started literally doing what the song says,” Muni Long adds, “looking around this room, seeing baby toys. And I write this song about my baby because he’s right next door.”
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Still not satisfied with the track after performing it live a couple of times, Muni Long questioned what was missing — “Does it need drums?” she wondered. At her A&R executive’s suggestion, she booked a session with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. While working on other songs with the pair, she played the track she had become obsessed with. “They were polite, but nobody had a crazy reaction,” she recalls. Two weeks later, they sent her a new version — complete with drums.
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Yet Muni Long was still unsure: “ ‘Maybe it is just a piano vocal,’ ” she thought. “I toyed with it for a couple of months, asking others, ‘Is this good? Am I tripping?’ Then Tunji [Balogun, Def Jam Recordings chairman/CEO] said, ‘This is the song we’re going with.’ I’m like, ‘If you’re willing to stand behind this, then do it.’ ”
In January, the catchy track with its emotional chorus gained traction on TikTok thanks to a challenge tied to a lyric: “Twin, where have you been?” The boost helped “Made for Me” hit a No. 8 peak on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100 in March. In May, Muni Long sustained momentum with her Carey remix. And now, her hot streak continues with “Make Me Forget,” her first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay. Both hits appear on her newly released second album, Revenge.
This story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Anyone who’s read Mariah Carey‘s bestselling 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” will know that the singer has often described her life as a “rollercoaster.” It’s a term that came up again Saturday (April 13) on the second night of Carey’s “The Celebration of Mimi” residency in Las Vegas, though unlike her at-times tumultuous career, this was one ride that you never wanted to end.
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Taking place at Dolby Live inside the Park MGM Hotel, the 16-date residency is billed as a celebration in advance of the upcoming 20th anniversary of Carey’s critically-acclaimed album, The Emancipation of Mimi, though the festive affair felt more like a career-spanning retrospective of hits.
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Indeed, after a brief voiceover intro that referenced her “rollercoaster” life, Carey descended upon the stage to open with “Vision of Love,” her Billboard No. 1 debut single from 1990. What followed was a nostalgic journey through some of Carey’s biggest hits, each in chronological order of when they were released, and many accompanied by a story or quip about how the song came to be.
Introducing “Dreamlover,” Carey reminisced about rehearsing with Aretha Franklin at 1998’s Divas Live concert, where Franklin remarked that she “loved” the song, and playfully suggested that the two perform the track instead of their scheduled duet instead. While the Divas Live setlist went ahead as scheduled — sans “Dreamlover” — Carey said she couldn’t believe the song got the Queen of Soul’s approval. “I was like ‘Oh my god,’” Carey squeaked in mock surprise on stage. “Ms Franklin was talking to me!“
Backed by a four-piece band, eight dancers and three background vocalists (including Trey Lorenz who duets with Carey on “I’ll Be There”), the songs are interspersed with old interview clips from each album cycle and motivational quotes on screen narrated by Carey herself.
Because the concert went through Carey’s catalog in chronological order, crowd-pleaser “Hero” was performed early on in the show rather than as her usual encore. But the revised setlist offered other surprises as well, like Carey’s memorable cover of Badfinger’s “Without You,” which the singer typically only performs internationally, and “Looking In,” the poignant Daydream album closer that Carey last performed in 2013.
The loudest cheers were saved for the Butterfly era, which Carey has called her “favorite” and “most personal” album. Perched on a pink and lavender couch elevated high above the stage, the singer ran through a medley of the album’s R&B cuts, including “Babydoll,” “Breakdown” and “The Roof,” which Carey recently remade for her MasterClass course. After an uptempo mashup of “Honey” and “Heartbreaker” (from the Rainbow album) it was time for the main event.
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When The Emancipation of Mimi was released in 2005, critics hailed it as Carey’s “comeback album,” following muted reactions to 2002’s Charmbracelet, and her movie soundtrack Glitter, which was released on September 11 (neither of those albums were performed at the residency, though Carey’s dancers break out some moves during a Glitter/Charmbracelet interlude that serves as a set change). Mimi though, was an immediate hit with fans, spawning two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, while sending Carey across a world tour that took her as far as Tunisia and Japan.
Here in Vegas, the album was showcased in all its glory, with Carey rising from the stage in a glamorous gold gown to the refrains of “I Wish You Knew,” an old-school soul ballad with a spoken-word bridge that’s a favorite among the singer’s lambily. That was followed by a one-two punch of “It’s Like That” and “Say Something,” which kept the already buoyant crowd on its feet.
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Though Mimi was released in 2005, the songs sounded just as fresh and relevant as they did (almost) 20 years ago. Case in point: Carey opened “Shake It Off” with an interpolation of Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t,” which samples the track in its second verse. Carey has said she wanted to create something “timeless” with The Emancipation of Mimi, and the residency proves she has more than succeeded.
Though Carey is known for sprinkling some “diva” moments into her shows, she largely eschews the antics this time around in favor of letting the music speak for itself. The singer has been known to be wheeled or carried off-stage by dancers, but this time she walks(!) in heels(!) by herself(!) in between costume changes (of which there were five on the night). Carey walking herself backstage is a small detail of course, but in a way, it perfectly incapsulates the feeling of the show.
While Carey has performed in Vegas before, she has never sounded or looked better. And while other artists of her caliber would rest on familiar songs or arrangements, Carey continues to push herself with musical director Daniel Moore, to offer deep cuts for the fans, while reinventing her hits in new and novel ways.
And then there’s the walking thing.
Closing the show in a nude mesh Swarovski gown, Carey capped the triumphant night with The Emancipation of Mimi’s signature songs, “We Belong Together” and “Fly Like a Bird,” before the curtains began to slowly close on the star-lit stage. Standing solo before the sold-out crowd, the superstar waved farewell, then picked up her dress and shuffled her stilettos offstage, unaccompanied — and unfazed.
If The Emancipation of Mimi was about freeing Carey from her past, the “Celebration of Mimi” residency is about seeing her legacy forward. No one has ever doubted the singer and songwriter’s talent, but two decades removed from her landmark album, Mariah Carey is proving that she can still do it all on her own — and on her own terms — high heels and all.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame released its list of nominees for the year, featuring high-profile women artists like Mariah Carey and Sade.
On Saturday (Feb. 10), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their full list of nominees for 2024. Fans and observers noted that women artists made up a significant amount of the nominees list, with Mariah Carey, Cher, Sade and Sinead O’Connor being included among the inductees for the first time. Mary J. Blige was also among the inductees after being nominated previously.
The rest of the list includes A Tribe Called Quest (who were nominated last year as well), Dave Matthews Band, Eric B. & Rakim, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Jane’s Addiction, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis and Ozzy Osbourne. In order to be considered, nominees have to have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before the year they are selected for nomination. The final list of inductees, which are voted on by over 1,000 figures from the music industry along with artists and historians, will be announced in April. The 2024 induction ceremony will take place at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
The addition of these notable women musicians to the nominees’ list is a definitive response to criticism of the Hall’s past decisions. “It is something that has come up in the past,” said Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Greg Harris during an interview. “And quite frankly, in recent years, the nominating committee and the voting body have definitely been electing more diverse members.”
“We continue to work to recognize and honor the impact and influence of female artists by inducting more into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” the Hall of Fame wrote in the press release about the nominees. “As our past three inductee classes have shown, we are committed to making a difference in this area.” According to data released by the institution, from the inception of the Hall in 1986 to 2020, 13% of inductees were women and 37% of them were people of color. From 2021 to 2023, those numbers rose – 33% of inductees were women, and 48% were comprised of people of color.
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Kelly Clarkson is always celebrating her fellow female powerhouses, and in a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, she shared her love for Mariah Carey‘s songwriting skills.
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“People don’t give her enough credit,” Clarkson said. “People give her credit as, like, a singer. I don’t think people give her credit as a writer. I don’t think people realize. She wrote all that s—. Financially, she’s rocking it because of what she’s done. I think people think of her as a songbird and they don’t think of her as the writer that she is. We talk about Carole King, we talk about James Taylor — those are all amazing people, yes, but I’m just saying.”
Clarkson is gearing up to release her tenth studio album, Chemistry, on June 23 via Atlantic Records, which she described as a “relationship album,” not just an album about divorce following her split from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. “It was very thought out and very much on purpose to have the album not just be a divorce or breakup album. It was more of a relationship album… Chemistry,” she explained. “With ‘Magic,’ it’s like, OK, it’s hard, relationships are hard. This is worth it. I’m willing to get beat up for this. If you can do it, and I’ll do it, if we do this together, I can do it.”
She continued, “It was important to me because I think it’s a waste when somebody says that they jump in and they wash it all off. It’s like, I don’t want to wash it all off. My whole thing is like, yes, there’s parts that you let go of, dreams or hope or things like that, but there is a very big part of that relationship that I never thought I’d experience love like that. I never thought I would ever have that. People are fortunate to have that, to at least experience it. It didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean it was all bad. It just means it didn’t end well.”
Chemistry features previously released track “Favorite Kind of High” as well as double singles “Mine” and “Me.” Watch the full Apple Music interview with Kelly Clarkson below.
Mariah Angeliq caught up with Billboard News to discuss the criticisms that inspired her latest single “Ricota,” running away from home to pursue music and how she thrives as a woman in reggaeton.
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“I [grew up] listening to music because of my mom. She has a love for music and named me Mariah because Mariah Carey was her favorite artist,” she explains. “When I was like 9, I realized yeah, I wanna be on the screen. That could be me.”
The Miami native has seen much success in a short time, including her breakout single “Perreito,” which she performed at Billboard’s 2022 Latin Music Week and later with the chart-topping “EL MAKINON” alongside Colombian star Karol G.
Mariah recalled meeting producer Nely “El Arma Secreta” at age 16 and was motivated by the Luny Tunes hitmaker to begin singing in Spanish. “For all my teenage years, I was singing in English and thinking to myself that I was going to be like the next fire R&B American artist,“ she tells Billboard.
Around that time, Mariah ran away from home to fully immerse herself in the pursuit of music, something she says her family didn’t take seriously early on. Despite the lack of enthusiasm from her loved ones, she pressed forward. “We always know as artists that we’re going to make it,” she says. “I always believed in myself, and in my music.”
Her most recent single, “Ricota,” came in response to Internet “haters” hurling insults at the 23-year-old singer regarding her weight. “They started saying I was fat and I’m not here looking for validation. I think what that’s what the message of the song is,” Mariah explains. “Society has such a distorted perspective of beauty. But while I was getting all those negative comments, I received a DM saying that I was ‘bien ricota,’ so I got inspired.”
When it comes to navigating reggaeton, which for most of its history has been male-dominated, she draws on inspirations like Ivy Queen and her own “boss” energy. “I feel like I’ve navigated or learned to navigate through it really well because of my attitude and my strong character. You just gotta learn to speak up for yourself and have a voice.”
Mariah will embark on a European tour this summer, and possibly a U.S. tour to follow.
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The long-running Pride festival in Los Angeles, California will have two superstar headliners this year – Megan Thee Stallion and Mariah Carey.
The organizers of Pride In The Park announced on Tuesday (March 28th) that the R&B legend and the Hip-Hop star will be the featured headliners for the flagship event for Southern California’s LGBTQ+ community.
Carey shared the flyer for the festival on her Twitter account with fans, writing: “I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of LA Pride 2023! I am happy to be back in person celebrating with the LGBTQIA+ community here in Southern California and throughout all of the lands!!! Let’s come together to celebrate love, inclusion, and Pride.”
“I can’t wait to headline LA Pride in the Park and celebrate the phenomenal LGBTQIA+ community,” Megan Thee Stallion said when contacted by the press. “This incredible event advocates for diversity, inclusivity, and equality, so I’m honored to perform and have a blast with all of the Hotties in attendance.”
“Having two women of color headline the event was very intentional,” said Gerald Garth, the board president of L.A. Pride. “Both have been groundbreaking in their own rights by centering women’s empowerment. Mariah’s been a fan favorite among the LGBT community for decades, and she’s been a great friend and supporter, and Megan is the same.” Other performers at the festival have yet to be announced.
The festival will take place in Los Angeles State Historic Park in the Chinatown neighborhood from June 9th to June 11th with Megan Thee Stallion as the headliner for the 9th, and Carey as the headliner on the 10th. The festival precedes the annual Los Angeles Pride Parade that will take place in Hollywood on the 11th, which is a Sunday.
It returns after a bit of turbulence, with the 50th-anniversary edition of the festival having to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions about the commitment to racial and gender inclusiveness by the Christopher Street West Association, L.A. Pride’s parent group, also led to two separate festivals being held last year – one in West Hollywood and the other in Chinatown.
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