Mariah Carey Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === 1988–1992: Career beginnings, debut album and ''Emotions'' === [[File:Mariah Carey 1990 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Carey exiting [[Shepherd's Bush Empire]] after promoting her single "[[Vision of Love]]" on ''[[Wogan]]'' in 1990]] In December 1988, Carey accompanied Starr to a music executive's party, where she handed her demo tape to the head of [[Columbia Records]], [[Tommy Mottola]].<ref name="nick17"/><ref name="nick16"/> After listening to the tape during the ride home, he immediately requested the driver turn around. Carey had already left the event, and in what has been described as a modern-day [[Cinderella]] story, he spent two weeks looking for her.<ref name="nick17"/> Another record label expressed interest and a bidding war ensued. Mottola signed Carey to Columbia and enlisted producers [[Ric Wake]], [[Narada Michael Walden]], and [[Rhett Lawrence]] for her first album.<ref name="nick17"/> Columbia marketed Carey as the main female artist on their roster, competing with [[Arista Records|Arista]]'s [[Whitney Houston]] and [[Madonna]] of [[Sire Records]].<ref name="nick18"/> On June 5, 1990, Carey made her first public appearance at the [[1990 NBA Finals]], singing "[[America the Beautiful]]". The highlight was the piercing whistle note toward the song's conclusion, sparking CBS Sports anchor [[Pat O'Brien (radio and television personality)|Pat O'Brien]] to declare, "The [[The Palace of Auburn Hills|palace]] now has a queen."<ref name="eZTkj">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-81746#:~:text=Her%20obscurity%20faded%20forever%20on,Pat%20O'Brien%20to%20declare|title=A Look Back: 7 All-Star NBA Musical Performances|last=Anderson|first=Trevor|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=June 16, 2014|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720151615/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-81746#:~:text=Her%20obscurity%20faded%20forever%20on,Pat%20O'Brien%20to%20declare|url-status=live}}</ref> Columbia spent upwards of $1 million promoting Carey's debut studio album, ''[[Mariah Carey (album)|Mariah Carey]]''.<ref name="nick19"/> After a slow start, the album eventually topped the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] for eleven consecutive weeks, after Carey's exposure at the [[33rd Annual Grammy Awards]], where she won the award for [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] for her single "[[Vision of Love]]".<ref name="eZTkj1">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/461628961.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+21%2C+1991&author=AP&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Major+Grammy+winners&pqatl=google|title=Major Grammy Winners|last=Bartha|first=Agatha|work=[[Toronto Star]]|date=February 12, 1991|access-date=August 18, 2011|archive-date=July 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725002927/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/461628961.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+21%2C+1991&author=AP&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Major+Grammy+winners&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="jtml6">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56149786.html?dids=56149786%3A56149786&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=May+13%2C+1991&author=David+Landis&pub=USA+TODAY+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=%60BATHGATE%27+WAIT&pqatl=google|title='Bathgate' Wait|last=Landis|first=David|work=[[USA Today]]|date=May 13, 1991|access-date=August 14, 2011|quote=R.E.M.'s Out of Time has knocked Mariah Carey off the top of the Billboard album chart after 11 weeks.|archive-date=July 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724230951/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56149786.html?dids=56149786%3A56149786&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&type=current&date=May+13%2C+1991&author=David+Landis&pub=USA+TODAY+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=%60BATHGATE%27+WAIT&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album's singles "Vision of Love", "[[Love Takes Time]]", "[[Someday (Mariah Carey song)|Someday]]", and "[[I Don't Wanna Cry]]" all topped the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref name="Hot 100"/> ''Mariah Carey'' was the best-selling album in the United States in 1991,<ref name="yjtgw">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73919427.html?dids=73919427:73919427&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+01%2C+1992&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=1991%27s+Chart-Toppers%3A+Garth%2C+Mariah+%26+CC&pqatl=google|title=1991's Chart-Toppers: Garth, Mariah & CC|last=Harrington|first=Richard|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=January 1, 1992|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-date=July 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724233654/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/73919427.html?dids=73919427:73919427&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+01%2C+1992&author=Richard+Harrington&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=1991%27s+Chart-Toppers%3A+Garth%2C+Mariah+%26+CC&pqatl=google|url-status=dead}}</ref> and achieved worldwide sales of 15 million copies.<ref name="bet"/> The following year Carey co-wrote, co-produced and recorded her second studio effort, ''[[Emotions (Mariah Carey album)|Emotions]]''.<ref name="nick21"/><ref name="nick22"/> Described by Carey as an homage to [[Motown]] [[soul music]], Carey employed the help of [[Walter Afanasieff]], who only had a small role on her debut, as well as [[Robert Clivillés]] and [[David Cole (record producer)|David Cole]], from the [[dance music|dance]] group [[C+C Music Factory]].<ref name="nick23"/> Carey's relationship with Margulies deteriorated over a songwriting royalties dispute. After he filed a lawsuit against Columbia's parent company, [[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony]], the songwriting duo parted ways.<ref name="nick22"/> ''Emotions'' was released on September 17, 1991. The [[Emotions (Mariah Carey song)|title track]], the album's lead single, became Carey's fifth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist whose first five singles reached the chart's summit.<ref name="people">{{Cite news |title=A Complete Guide to All of Mariah Carey's Number One Hits |newspaper=People |url=https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-number-one-hits-complete-guide/ |access-date=July 7, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115111523/https://people.com/music/mariah-carey-number-one-hits-complete-guide/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Though critics praised the album's content and described it as a more mature effort, the album was criticized as calculated and lacking originality.<ref name="nick25"/> While the album managed sales of eight million copies globally, ''Emotions'' failed to reach the commercial and critical heights of its predecessor.<ref name="sales"/> Carey did not embark on a world tour to promote the album.<ref name="shapiro1"/> Although she attributed this to [[stage fright]] and the vocally challenging nature of her material, speculation grew that Carey was a "studio worm" and that she was incapable of producing the perfect pitch and five-[[octave]] [[vocal range]] for which she was known.<ref name="nycc"/><ref name="shapiro2"/> In hopes of ending any speculation of her being a manufactured artist, Carey booked an appearance on ''[[MTV Unplugged]]''.<ref name="nick26"/> The show presented artists "unplugged" or in a stripped setting and devoid of studio equipment.<ref name="nick26"/> Days prior to the show's taping, Carey and Afanasieff chose to add a cover of [[the Jackson 5]]'s 1970 song "[[I'll Be There (The Jackson 5 song)|I'll Be There]]" to the set-list. On March 16, 1992, Carey played and recorded an intimate seven-song show at [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]] in Queens, New York.<ref name="nickson27"/> The acclaimed [[revue]] was aired more than three times as often as the average episode,<ref name="nickson28"/> and critics heralding it as a "vocal Tour de force".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312805,00.html|title=Carey On|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=March 30, 2011|date=December 25, 1992|archive-date=December 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222095520/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312805,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Carey's live version of "I'll Be There" became her sixth number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Sony capitalized on its success and released it as an [[Extended play|EP]]. It earned a triple-[[RIAA certification|Platinum]] certification by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA),<ref name="riaa"/> and earned Gold and Platinum certifications in several European markets.<ref name="nickson29"/> 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