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Do not fill this in! == Artistry == === Influences === {{multiple image | total_width = 230 | align = right | image1 = Stevie Wonder 1973.JPG | image2 = Aretha Franklin 1968.jpg | footer = Carey's major influences include [[Stevie Wonder]] (left) and [[Aretha Franklin]] (right). }} Carey has said that from childhood she has been influenced by [[Billie Holiday]], [[Sarah Vaughan]] as well as R&B and soul musicians including [[Al Green]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Gladys Knight]], [[Aretha Franklin]], and [[George Michael]].<ref name="black"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 30, 2018 |title=Mariah Carey: 'George Michael's death took a toll on me' |url=https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/george-michael/mariah-carey-tribute-interview/ |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=Smooth Radio |archive-date=December 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202051828/https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/george-michael/mariah-carey-tribute-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Her music contains strong influences of [[gospel music]], and she credits [[the Clark Sisters]], [[Shirley Caesar]], and [[Edwin Hawkins]] as the most influential in her early years.<ref name="black"/> When Carey incorporated [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] into her sound, speculation arose that she was making an attempt to take advantage of the genre's popularity, but she told ''[[Newsweek]]'', "People just don't understand. I grew up with this music."{{sfn|Shapiro|2001|p=124}} She has expressed appreciation for rappers such as [[the Sugarhill Gang]], [[Eric B. & Rakim]], the [[Wu-Tang Clan]], [[The Notorious B.I.G.]] and [[Mobb Deep]], with whom she collaborated on the single "[[The Roof (Back in Time)]]" (1998).<ref name="vinsky">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jisEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96|title=Higher and Higher|last=Willis|first=Andrew|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|date=November 18, 1998|access-date=August 14, 2011}}</ref> Carey was heavily influenced by [[Minnie Riperton]], and began experimenting with the whistle register due to her original practice of the range.<ref name="vinsky"/> During Carey's career, her vocal and musical style, along with her level of success, has been compared to [[Whitney Houston]], whom she has also cited as an influence.<ref name="FOX">{{Cite news|first=Roger|last=Friedman|title=Mariah Calls, Whitney Falls|date=December 18, 2002|agency=Fox News Channel|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,73318,00.html|access-date=April 25, 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090604210447/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,73318,00.html | archive-date= June 4, 2009 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Carey and her peers, according to Garry Mulholland, are "the princesses of wails... virtuoso vocalists who blend chart-oriented pop with mature [[middle of the road (music)|MOR]] [[torch song]]."<ref name="Mul">{{harvnb|Mulholland|2003|p=57}}</ref> Author and writer Lucy O'Brien attributed the comeback of [[Barbra Streisand]]'s "old-fashioned showgirl" to Carey and [[Celine Dion]], and described them and Houston as "groomed, airbrushed and overblown to perfection."<ref name="Mul"/> Carey's musical transition and use of more revealing clothing during the late 1990s were, in part, initiated to distance herself from this image, and she subsequently said that most of her early work was "schmaltzy MOR."<ref name="Mul"/> Some have noted that unlike Houston and Dion, Carey writes and produces her own music.<ref name="James">{{harvnb|James|2010|p=74}}</ref> === Musical style === [[File:Mariahparade2.jpg|thumb|right|Carey performing at the [[Walt Disney World]] Resort in 2010]] Love is the subject of the majority of Carey's lyrics, although she has written about themes such as loss, sex, race, abuse and spirituality.<ref name=ViceMC>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/d3bp3k/mariah-carey-caution-songwriters-hall-fame-underrated|title=Mariah, Our Living Meme, Deserves More Credit for Her Songwriting|last1=Mokoena|first1=Tshepo|last2=Ingold|first2=Jeffrey|date=November 16, 2018|magazine=Vice|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-date=July 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730040722/https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/d3bp3k/mariah-carey-caution-songwriters-hall-fame-underrated|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2005-05-05/music/i-gotta-be-mimi/|title=I Gotta Be 'Mimi'|last=Wilson|first=Cintra|work=[[LA Weekly]]|date=May 5, 2005|access-date=June 26, 2011|archive-date=March 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307115120/http://www.laweekly.com/2005-05-05/music/i-gotta-be-mimi/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She has said that much of her work is partly autobiographical, but ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's Christopher John Farley wrote: "If only Mariah Carey's music had the drama of her life. Her songs are often sugary and artificial—[[NutraSweet]] soul. But her life has passion and conflict," applying it to the first stages of her career. He commented that as her albums progressed, so too her songwriting and music blossomed into more mature and meaningful material.<ref name="time">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,134725,00.html|title=Pop's Princess Grows Up|last=Farley|first=Christopher John|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=August 19, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024110314/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,134725,00.html|archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref> Jim Faber of the ''[[Daily News (New York)|New York Daily News]]'', made similar comments, "For Carey, vocalizing is all about the performance, not the emotions that inspired it. Singing, to her, represents a physical challenge, not an emotional unburdening."<ref name="uGMRL"/> While reviewing ''Music Box'', Stephen Holden from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' commented that Carey sang with "sustained passion," while Arion Berger of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote that during some vocal moments, Carey becomes "too overwhelmed to put her passion into words."<ref name="g5NvI"/> In 2001, ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote that "Carey's [[Strawberry Shortcake]] soul still provides the template with which [[teen pop|teen-pop]] cuties draw curlicues around those centerless [[Diane Warren|[Diane] Warren]] ballads."<ref name="Q5Zfi"/> Following Carey's divorce with Tommy Mottola, Carey broke free of adult contemporary arrangements in favour of what Alex Macpherson of ''[[The Guardian]]'' described as "a lovingly crafted, hip-hop-inflected quiet storm".<ref name="auto">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/22/mariah-carey-where-to-start-in-her-back-catalogue|title=Mariah Carey: where to start in her back catalogue|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=The Guardian|archive-date=March 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330124124/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/22/mariah-carey-where-to-start-in-her-back-catalogue|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey often records her layered background vocals, which has been described as "a swooning bank of a hundred Mariahs".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/11/popandrock.alexispetridis|title=Mariah Carey, E=MC2|access-date=April 29, 2023|magazine=The Guardian|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190430105249/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/11/popandrock.alexispetridis|url-status=live}}</ref> The singer claims that "it's because I started out as a backup singer and doing sessions as a background vocalist learning from some of the greatest background vocalists, and also people like [[Luther Vandross]]. Growing up, I admired his texture in and of itself but also his use of background vocals".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mariah-carey-secret-rock-album-prince-rolling-stone-podcast-interview-1234595524/|title=Why Mariah Carey Made a Secret Alt-Rock Album – and Four Other Things We Learned From Our New Podcast|access-date=April 29, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=April 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429142840/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mariah-carey-secret-rock-album-prince-rolling-stone-podcast-interview-1234595524/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[David Foster]] stated that Carey "thinks like a record producer and lays her vocals down like a virtuoso guitarist".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.fozfan.com/2004/08/15/after-tonight/|title=AFTER TONIGHT|access-date=April 29, 2023|magazine=Song of the Week|archive-date=April 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429142843/https://www.fozfan.com/2004/08/15/after-tonight/|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey's songwriting is noted for its "eccentric verbosity".<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/mariah-carey-the-ultimate-pop-diva-of-our-age-may-be-a-joke-but-shes-no-punchline-1.248645|title=Mariah Carey, the ultimate pop diva of our age, may be a joke but she's no punchline|access-date=May 29, 2014|magazine=The National News|archive-date=April 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422003959/https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/mariah-carey-the-ultimate-pop-diva-of-our-age-may-be-a-joke-but-shes-no-punchline-1.248645|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://poprescue.com/2022/07/22/review-memoirs-of-an-imperfect-angel-by-mariah-carey-cd-2009/|title=REVIEW: "MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL" BY MARIAH CAREY (CD, 2009)|access-date=May 29, 2014|magazine=Pop Rescue|archive-date=July 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722110141/https://poprescue.com/2022/07/22/review-memoirs-of-an-imperfect-angel-by-mariah-carey-cd-2009/|url-status=live}}</ref> Jeffrey Ingold of ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' argues that her lyrics are "among the most verbose in pop music."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3bp3k/mariah-carey-caution-songwriters-hall-fame-underrated|title=Mariah, Our Living Meme, Deserves More Credit for Her Songwriting|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=Vice|archive-date=April 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421190338/https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3bp3k/mariah-carey-caution-songwriters-hall-fame-underrated|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey's output makes use of [[electronic musical instrument|electronic instruments]] such as [[drum machine]]s,<ref name="viber"/> [[electronic keyboard|keyboards]] and synthesizers.<ref name="pop">{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/mariah-carey-emc2|title=Mariah Carey: E=MC² < Reviews|last=Sawey|first=Evan|work=[[PopMatters]]|date=May 1, 2008|access-date=February 10, 2010|archive-date=May 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525092023/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/mariah-carey-emc2|url-status=live}}</ref> Many of her songs contain piano-driven melodies,<ref name="rs">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mariahs-e-mc2-a-first-listen-to-careys-eleventh-studio-album-20080228|title=Mariah's E=MC2: A First Listen to Carey's Eleventh Studio Album|last=Hoard|first=Christian|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=February 28, 2008|access-date=August 8, 2011|archive-date=August 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822083115/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mariahs-e-mc2-a-first-listen-to-careys-eleventh-studio-album-20080228|url-status=dead}}</ref> as she was given piano lessons when she was six years old.<ref name="nick3"/> Carey said that she cannot read [[sheet music]] and prefers to collaborate with a pianist when composing her material, but feels that it is easier to experiment with faster and less-conventional [[melody|melodies]] and [[chord progression]]s using this technique.<ref name="nick3"/> While Carey learned to play the piano at a young age, and incorporates several ranges of production and instrumentation into her music, she has maintained that her voice has always been her most important asset: "My voice is my instrument; it always has been."<ref name="shapiro20"/> Carey began commissioning [[remix]]es of her material early in her career and helped to spearhead the practice of recording entirely new vocals for remixes.<ref name="MTV-Oct2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/c/carey_mariah/news_feature_031009/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901094755/http://www.mtv.com/bands/c/carey_mariah/news_feature_031009/|archive-date=September 1, 2011|title=Mariah: Remixes, Reunions and Russia|last=Norris|first=John|publisher=MTV|date=October 20, 2003|access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref> Disc jockey [[David Morales]] has collaborated with Carey on several occasions, starting with "[[Dreamlover (song)|Dreamlover]]" (1993), which popularized the tradition of remixing R&B songs into [[house music|house]] records, and which ''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]'' magazine named one of the greatest dance songs.<ref name="xYM1F"/> From "[[Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)|Fantasy]]" (1995) onward, Carey enlisted both hip-hop and house producers to re-structure her album compositions.<ref name="shapiro17"/> ''Entertainment Weekly'' included two remixes of "Fantasy" on a list of Carey's greatest recordings compiled in 2005: a National Dance Music Award-winning remix produced by Morales, and a [[Sean Combs]] production featuring rapper [[Ol' Dirty Bastard]].<ref name="UrIRl"/> The latter has been credited with popularizing the R&B/hip-hop collaboration trend that has continued into the 2000s, through artists such as [[Ashanti (singer)|Ashanti]] and [[Beyoncé]].<ref name="MTV-Oct2003"/> Combs said that Carey "knows the importance of mixes, so you feel like you're with an artist who appreciates your work—an artist who wants to come up with something with you."<ref name="viberness">{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wy0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57|title=Cinderella Story|last=Willis|first=Andrew|work=Vibe|date=November 18, 1998|access-date=August 14, 2011}}</ref> In an article in ''[[The New York Times]]'', writer [[David Browne (journalist)|David Browne]] discusses how the once-ubiquitous melisma pop style was heavily popularized by singers such as Carey. Browne commented, "beginning [in 1990], melisma overtook pop in a way it hadn't before. Mariah Carey's debut hit from 1990, "Vision of Love", [set] the bar insanely high for notes stretched louder, longer and knottier than most pop fans had ever heard." Browne further added "A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma. (Men like Brian McKnight and Tyrese also indulged in it, but women tended to dominate the form.)"<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/arts/music/26browne.html|work=The New York Times|first=David|last=Browne|title=Out With Mariah's Melisma, In With Kesha's Kick|date=August 10, 2010|access-date=November 10, 2011|archive-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201030211/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/arts/music/26browne.html?_r=2|url-status=live}}</ref> === Voice and timbre === Carey possesses a five-octave [[vocal range]].<ref name="autogenerated6">{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F8F8CB38C60AA77&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Who Can Carey a Tune?|last=Zwecker|first=Bill|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=January 22, 2002|access-date=June 16, 2011|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224043110/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F8F8CB38C60AA77&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="KKHEv"/><ref name="E12Ji"/> Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by the ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' due to her ability to sing in the [[whistle register]],<ref name="James"/> she was ranked as the greatest singer of the past twenty years in a 2003 [[MTV2]] online poll.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mariah Carey Hits a Really High Note on MTV2 List|last=Gundersen|first=Edna|work=[[USA Today]]|page=1E|date=March 14, 2003|id={{ProQuest|408944042}}}}</ref> Carey said of the result, "What it really means is voice of the MTV generation. Of course, it's an enormous compliment, but I don't feel that way about myself."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/31/1048962696862.html|title=Princess Positive is Taking Care of Inner Mariah|last=Oleman|first=Sarah|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=April 1, 2003|accessdate=August 10, 2011|archive-date=August 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816082050/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/31/1048962696862.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' named her the fifth-greatest singer of all time and the "architect of modern pop".<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=January 1, 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/|access-date=January 2, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=January 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101151200/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/|url-status=live}}</ref> Regarding her [[voice type|type of voice]], several critics have described her as a [[coloratura soprano#Lyric coloratura soprano|lyric coloratura soprano]] or just a soprano.<ref name="Ym1CZ"/><ref name="books.google.ca">{{Cite book|title=Rock-N-Roll Gold Rush|last=Dean|first=Maury|year=2003|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=978-0-87586-207-1|page=34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJS4EArRBwoC&q=whitney+houston&pg=PA87|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309191259/https://books.google.com/books?id=lJS4EArRBwoC&q=whitney+houston&pg=PA87|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jon Pareles]] of ''The New York Times'' described Carey's lower register as a "rich, husky alto" that extends to "dog-whistle high notes."<ref name="nytreview">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/13/arts/review-pop-venturing-outside-the-studio-mariah-carey-proves-her-mettle.html|title=Review/Pop; Venturing Outside the Studio, Mariah Carey Proves Her Mettle|last=Pareles|first=Jon|work=The New York Times|date=December 13, 1993|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-date=August 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828121401/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/13/arts/review-pop-venturing-outside-the-studio-mariah-carey-proves-her-mettle.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey herself describes her voice as that of an alto singer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/05/mariah-carey-theyre-calling-me-a-diva-i-think-im-going-to-cry |title=Mariah Carey: 'They're calling me a diva? I think I'm going to cry!' |newspaper=The Guardian |last=Freeman |first=Hadley |date=October 5, 2020 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225114109/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/05/mariah-carey-theyre-calling-me-a-diva-i-think-im-going-to-cry |url-status=live }}</ref> Sasha Frere-Jones of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' adds her [[timbre]] on "[[Vision of Love]]" possesses various colors, stating, "Carey's sound changes with nearly every line, mutating from a steely tone to a vibrating growl and then to a humid, breathy coo."<ref name="newyorker"/> In an analysis of Carey's voice for [[Classic FM (UK)|ClassicFM]], singer [[Catherine Bott]] claims that Carey's [[chest voice]] could go up "higher in [[pitch (music)|pitch]] than any classical singer that [Botts had] ever met."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/mariah-carey-singing-voice/ |title=A technical analysis of Mariah Carey's voice in 'Without You' |website=ClassicFM |last=Roberts |first=Maddy Shaw |date=December 18, 2018 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224011301/https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/mariah-carey-singing-voice/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Her sense of pitch is admired and Jon Pareles adds "she can linger over sensual turns, growl with playful confidence, syncopate like a [[scat singing|scat singer]]... with startlingly exact pitch."<ref name="nytreview"/> Carey claims that she has had [[Vocal cord nodule|nodules]] on her vocal cords since childhood, due to which she can sing in a higher register than others. However, tiredness and sleep deprivation can affect her vocals due to the nodules, and Carey explained that she went through a lot of practice as a child to maintain a balance during singing.<ref name="vinsky"/><ref name="3fqV5"/> Carey is noted for her vocal improvisation skills.<ref>{{harvnb|Soto-Morettini|2014|p=107}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://online.berklee.edu/takenote/vocal-improvisation-techniques-famous-pop-rb-singers/|title=Vocal Improvisation Techniques of Famous Pop and R&B Singers|last=Goodman|first=Gabrielle|date=August 25, 2022|publisher=[[Berklee College of Music]]|access-date=April 29, 2023|archive-date=April 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428045056/https://online.berklee.edu/takenote/vocal-improvisation-techniques-famous-pop-rb-singers/|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey stated in a 2021 interview with the ''[[Daily Express]]'' that with her voice, it's all about "timing, vocal rest and sleep".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1415805/mariah-carey-voice-nodules-nodes-interview-pandemic-albums-records-sold-grammys|title=Mariah Carey on voice condition which provides her unique five-octave vocal range|access-date=March 29, 2021|newspaper=Daily Express|date=March 28, 2021|archive-date=March 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329031320/https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1415805/mariah-carey-voice-nodules-nodes-interview-pandemic-albums-records-sold-grammys|url-status=live}}</ref> Towards the late 1990s, Carey began incorporating [[Breathy voice|breathy vocals]] into her material.<ref name="charm">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2535321.stm|title=Carey Charm Offensive|last=Levell|first=Tim|agency=BBC News|date=December 2, 2002|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-date=August 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802122234/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2535321.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Tim Levell from BBC News described her vocals as "sultry close-to-the-mic breathiness,"<ref name="charm"/> while ''USA Today''{{'}}s Elysa Gardner wrote "it's impossible to deny the impact her vocal style, a florid blend of breathy riffing and resonant belting, has had on today's young pop and R&B stars."<ref name="gold">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2002-12-02-charmbracelet_x.htm|title=Carey Sounds Like 'Gold' on 'Charmbracelet'|last=Gardner|first=Elysa|newspaper=USA Today|date=December 22, 2002|access-date=August 3, 2011|archive-date=May 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527100229/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2002-12-02-charmbracelet_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview, Ron Givens of ''Entertainment Weekly'' described it this way, "first, a rippling, soulful ooh comes rolling effortlessly from her throat: alto. Then, after a quick breath, she goes for the stratosphere, with a sound that nearly changes the barometric pressure in the room. In one brief swoop, she seems to squeal and roar at the same time."<ref name="siSJg"/> Winston Cook-Wilson wrote that "In her vocal prime, she was able to access upper-echelon dog-whistle notes even her forebear [[Minnie Riperton]] couldn't muster."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/11/mariah-careys-caution-is-the-sound-of-a-legend-with-nothing-to-prove/|title=Mariah Carey's 'Caution' Proves There's Still No One Quite Like Her|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=May 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518042416/https://www.spin.com/2018/11/mariah-careys-caution-is-the-sound-of-a-legend-with-nothing-to-prove/|url-status=live}}</ref> Her phrasing in the whistle register can be heard in the 1999 ''Rainbow'' track "Bliss" and the singer was praised for her perfect pitch and clear enunciation.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.theroot.com/18-mariah-carey-songs-you-ve-probably-never-heard-1790859289|title=18 Mariah Carey Songs You've Probably Never Heard|access-date=April 19, 2023|magazine=The Root|archive-date=April 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419175029/https://www.theroot.com/18-mariah-carey-songs-you-ve-probably-never-heard-1790859289|url-status=live}}</ref> Alex Macpherson of ''[[The Guardian]]'' noted that Carey's voice on ''[[Butterfly (Mariah Carey album)|Butterfly]]'' is "an instrument of texture rather than volume, with pillows of lavishly layered vocals and nuanced phrasing magnifying the emotional intensity of the songs."<ref name="auto"/> [[Randy Jackson]] said that "It's in the tone, that buttery tone that she has with her voice that is unbelievably amazing and unbelievably identifiable."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/pitn/date/2005-04-30/segment/01|title=Profiles of Mariah Carey and Usher|access-date=April 19, 2023|agency=CNN|archive-date=April 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419175030/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/pitn/date/2005-04-30/segment/01|url-status=live}}</ref> === Stage performances and videos === [[File:MariahRAH270519-32 (49620848628).jpg|thumb|Carey pressing her [[in-ear monitor]], while hitting a whistle note during her [[Caution World Tour]] in 2019]] Despite being called a "show stopper" and "the 1990s pop phenomenon",<ref name="CNNMCLP">{{Cite news|title=Mariah Carey walks off stage after technical snag|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/01/entertainment/mariah-carey-show-snag/index.html|agency=CNN|date=January 1, 2017|access-date=May 19, 2021|archive-date=May 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519092419/https://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/01/entertainment/mariah-carey-show-snag/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey suffered from stage fright in her early years in the music industry.<ref name="PaperMag1MC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.papermag.com/the-ultimate-diva-mariah-carey-1427528523.html|title=The Ultimate Diva: Mariah Carey|website=Paper Magazine|date=March 27, 2015|access-date=February 18, 2021|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127182100/https://www.papermag.com/the-ultimate-diva-mariah-carey-1427528523.html|url-status=live}}</ref> One of her earliest performances was at [[MTV Unplugged (Mariah Carey EP)|MTV Unplugged]], which received positive reception as Carey silenced critics saying her vocals were studio-made.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/3017594/mariah-carey-unplugged-twenty-five-years/|title=Pay Homage to Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged|access-date=February 18, 2021|agency=MTV News|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125221337/http://www.mtv.com/news/3017594/mariah-carey-unplugged-twenty-five-years/|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey's "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" rendition at the [[Super Bowl XXXVI]] was called "stunning" by ''Billboard''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8476545/mariah-carey-wants-to-do-super-bowl-halftime-show|title=Mariah Carey Says She'd 'Love' to Do a Super Bowl Halftime Show|access-date=February 18, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208014418/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8476545/mariah-carey-wants-to-do-super-bowl-halftime-show|url-status=live}}</ref> She also performed "[[America the Beautiful]]" at the [[1990 NBA Finals]] in which ''Rolling Stone'' writer, Brittany Spanos, stated the players were struck "with awe by the incredible talent of a burgeoning young star".<ref name="RollingStoneMC">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/mariah-carey-performances-vision-love-butterfly-999954/america-the-beautiful-1000028/|title=15 Incredible Mariah Carey Performances|date=February 19, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204926/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/mariah-carey-performances-vision-love-butterfly-999954/america-the-beautiful-1000028/|url-status=live}}</ref> The singer received the only standing ovation of the night at the [[48th Annual Grammy Awards]], after performing the medley of "We Belong Together and "[[Fly Like a Bird]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/983834771.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+09%2C+2006&author=Ben+Rayner&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Mariah+Carey%2C+meet+U2%2C+Kelly%3B+Comeback+stalled+as+U2+takes+five+Grammys+Canadians+come+up+empty-handed+at+awards+show&pqatl=google|title=Mariah Carey, Meet U2, Kelly; Comeback Stalled as U2 Takes five Grammys Canadians Come Up Empty-handed at Awards Show|author-link=Ben Rayner|last=Rayner|first=Ben|newspaper=Toronto Star|publisher=Torstar|date=December 9, 2005|access-date=May 10, 2011|archive-date=July 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725044403/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/983834771.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+09%2C+2006&author=Ben+Rayner&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Mariah+Carey%2C+meet+U2%2C+Kelly%3B+Comeback+stalled+as+U2+takes+five+Grammys+Canadians+come+up+empty-handed+at+awards+show&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although Carey's performance at ''[[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve|Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2017]]'' was marred by technical issues, she returned to the stage a year later and, according to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', "effectively redeemed herself".<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5084034/mariah-carey-hot-tea-meme-nye-2018/|title=Mariah Carey's New Year's Eve Tea Disaster Is the Hottest Meme of 2018 So Far|date=January 2, 2018|magazine=Time|access-date=July 15, 2023|archive-date=July 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715212149/https://time.com/5084034/mariah-carey-hot-tea-meme-nye-2018/|url-status=live}}</ref> Carey is known for being very static during her live performances; some reviewers credited her stage fright and lack of confidence as the reasoning,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2010/02/24/mariah-carey-gets-into-the-groove-at-gibson/|title=Mariah Carey gets into the groove at Gibson|publisher=The OCR|date=February 24, 2010|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204924/https://www.ocregister.com/2010/02/24/mariah-carey-gets-into-the-groove-at-gibson/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/mariah-carey-fans-worry-singer-can-t-actually-move-after-static-american-music-awards-performance-a3958001.html|title=Mariah Carey fans worry singer can't actually move after static American Music Awards performance|publisher=The Evening Standard|date=October 10, 2018|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=December 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210195803/https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/mariah-carey-fans-worry-singer-can-t-actually-move-after-static-american-music-awards-performance-a3958001.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while others pointed out that her performances focus on her vocals and the quality of her songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2014/02/26/watch-mariah-careys-bet-honors-performance/|title=Watch Mariah Carey's BET Honors Performance|publisher=Entertainment Focus|date=February 26, 2014|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305111806/https://entertainment-focus.com/2014/02/26/watch-mariah-careys-bet-honors-performance/|url-status=live}}</ref> Her onstage hand gesticulations have usually been mimicked,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gossipcop.com/nick-cannons-daughter-monroe-channels-mom-mariah-carey-in-adorable-new-ad/2565559/|title=Nick Cannon's Daughter Monroe Channels Mom Mariah Carey In Adorable New Ad|publisher=Gossip Cop|date=July 21, 2021|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721175508/https://www.gossipcop.com/nick-cannons-daughter-monroe-channels-mom-mariah-carey-in-adorable-new-ad/2565559/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/11/13/flying-with-mariah-carey-at-borobudur.html|title=Flying with Mariah Carey at Borobudur|publisher=The Jakarta Post|date=November 13, 2018|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204925/https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/11/13/flying-with-mariah-carey-at-borobudur.html|url-status=live}}</ref> as the singer has a tendency for "using her hands to point, flutter and sweep through the air as she deftly crests each run".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ozy.com/news-and-politics/why-wild-gesticulating-could-indicate-genius/75182/|title=WHY WILD GESTICULATING COULD INDICATE GENIUS|publisher=OZY|date=February 6, 2017|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204927/https://www.ozy.com/news-and-politics/why-wild-gesticulating-could-indicate-genius/75182/|url-status=dead}}</ref> When reviewing Carey's 2014 concert, Michael Lallo wrote that "If you're Mariah, you ... stroke your hair a lot. When a high note is on the horizon, you brace yourself by touching your ear and adopting a pained expression, provoking the crowd into losing its collective mind."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/mariah-carey-review-this-real-diva-knows-how-its-done-20141108-11j1na.html|title=Mariah Carey review: This real diva knows how it's done|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=November 8, 2014|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721204926/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/mariah-carey-review-this-real-diva-knows-how-its-done-20141108-11j1na.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The music video for "[[Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)|Fantasy]]" was the first that Carey directed entirely on her own.<ref name="nickson8"/> Carey had been open about the fact that she had not been happy with some of her previous music videos, and has subsequently been noted for self-directing and co-producing her subsequent videography.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Every Mariah Carey Music Video From 1990 to Today: Watch Her Evolution|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8480243/mariah-carey-music-video-evolution/|access-date=August 31, 2021|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831184826/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8480243/mariah-carey-music-video-evolution/|url-status=live}}</ref> The song "[[Honey (Mariah Carey song)|Honey]]" pushed Carey further towards hip hop and R&B than before.<ref name="nickson8">{{harvnb|Nickson|1998|pp=161–162}}</ref> The music video gained further attention, as Carey, for the first time in her career, was provocatively dressed, giving viewers a "taste of the freer Mariah."<ref name="nickson8"/> ''Billboard'' ranked Carey 73rd on its list of "The 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time" in 2020, stating that "over three decades, [Carey] has gone from breezy girl next door, flaunting a denim collection as wide as her vocal range, to secret agent, runaway bride and even her own stalker in a collection of music videos that play like mini-dramas".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9440075/100-best-music-video-artists|title=The 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time: Staff List|magazine=Billboard|date=August 27, 2020|access-date=July 21, 2021|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827203952/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9440075/100-best-music-video-artists|url-status=live}}</ref> The music video for "[[The Roof (Back in Time)|The Roof]]" was ranked 18th on [[Slant Magazine]]'s "100 Greatest Music Videos.<ref name="100video">{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/100-greatest-music-videos/205/page_9|title=100 Greatest Music Videos|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=June 30, 2003|access-date=September 12, 2010|archive-date=December 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221224506/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/100-greatest-music-videos/205/page_9|url-status=live}}</ref> The music videos for "Honey" and "[[Heartbreaker (Mariah Carey song)|Heartbreaker]]" remain among the [[List of most expensive music videos|most expensive ever made]], costing over $2 million.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Carey|first1=Mariah|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1157767321|title=The meaning of Mariah Carey|date=2020|last2=Davis|first2=Michaela Angela|isbn=978-1-250-16468-1|edition=1st|pages=215|publisher=Henry Holt and Company |oclc=1157767321|access-date=July 4, 2022|archive-date=May 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503001726/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1157767321|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://music.uk.msn.com/photos/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=150253228&page=3|title=The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made: Mariah Carey – Heartbreaker|work=[[MSN Music]]|date=October 17, 2009|access-date=March 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809234423/http://music.uk.msn.com/photos/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=150253228&page=3|archive-date=August 9, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, Carey was honoured at the [[African American Film Critics Association]] with a Special Achievement Innovator Award for her "visual storytelling in her music videos and specials".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/mariah-carey-george-c-wolfe-aafca-special-achievement-awards-1234694514/|title=Mariah Carey, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom's George C. Wolfe Nab AAFCA Special Achievement Awards|access-date=February 18, 2021|website=Deadline|date=February 16, 2021|archive-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217003840/https://deadline.com/2021/02/mariah-carey-george-c-wolfe-aafca-special-achievement-awards-1234694514/|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page