Mariah Carey

Biography: With her unique talent and signature vocal abilities, Mariah Carey commanded the world's attention when she made her musical debut in the early nineties. In less than a decade, Mariah Carey emerged as one of the most popular and widely acclaimed talents in music. As a singer and songwriter, Mariah has been recognized with the most prestigious accolades in the industry including two Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, Billboard's "Artist of the Decade" Award and the World Music Award for "World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium" to name a few. As the best-selling female performer of all time, Mariah has continuously raised the bar and set the standard of excellence within the music industry worldwide.

With a mother who shared both talent and a love of music, Mariah was destined for a life of song having been named after They Call the Wind Mariah a melody from a popular Lerner and Loewe musical. From an early age, Mariah demonstrated extraordinary musical abilities. She started singing at the tender age of four and her innate talent quickly progressed. While attending middle school, Mariah began honing her song writing skills and upon high school graduation she immediately left for New York City to pursue a lifetime ambition - her dream of a musical career.

From the beginning, Nariah's luminous talent quickly distinguished her in New York and her vocals were in demand by a variety of artists. Her major break came while singing backup for Brenda K. Starr, who gave Mariah's demo tape to then Sony Music Entertainment Chief Tommy Mottola. Soon afterwards, Mottola signed Mariah to her first recording contract with Columbia Records.

With a fresh-face and angelic allure, Mariah exploded on the scene with a signature that displayed a vocal intensity that had never been seen before. Released in 1990, her self-titled debut was an immense hit, firmly establishing her as one of the most talented artists in the industry. The album which spawned an extraordinary four #1 singles: Vision of Love, Love Takes Time, Someday, and I Don't Wanna Cry, led to two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. Mariah continued her success with a series of singles from Emotions and MTV Unplugged albums that consistently placed her at the top of the charts.

With the 1993 release of Music Box, which included the chart-topping hit singles Dreamlover and Hero, Mariah produced her most commercially successful album to date going an astounding ten-times platinum. Mariah soon hit yet another career milestone with the release of her first holiday album Merry Christmas, which contained the instant c All I Want for Christmas is You. Over the next two years, she continued her relentless chart domination with the album Daydream (1995). Daydream's Fantasy single debuted at number one, making Mariah the second artist in history and the first female performer to accomplish that feat. The album's other single, One Sweet Day (recorded with Boyz II Men), stayed at the top of the charts for a mind-blowing 16 weeks. Mariah followed with the Hip-Hop and R&B infused Butterfly which introduced a new chapter in her career teaming her with the hottest names in the music business such as Sean Combs and Missy Elliott.

A true testament to her longevity, Mariah released #1's, a compilation of her chart-topping hits in 1998. The album also included a new song, "When You Believe (from the film The Prince of Egypt), a duet with Whitney Houston, pairing two of the most successful female recording artists in Pop history. Rainbow, with its chart-topping hit Heartbreaker, followed in 1999 with startling success.

Always at the top of her game, Mariah sparked the interest of the Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Records, who, in May 2002, signed her to an exclusive recording contract. Later that year, she made her Island Def Jam debut with the release of the multi-platinum Charm bracelet.

After more than a decade of hits that include the staggering success of 15 #1 singles, Mariah released The Emancipation of Mimi, in April 2005. Entirely written and co-produced by herself, her tenth studio album was an intimate portrayal of both the challenges and successes that she experienced during her rise to fame.

Apart from her musical achievements, Mariah's depth of person stems from her love and support of children in need; evident through her continuous involvement in a host of charities dedicated to ensuring their happiness and well being. Mariah is devoted to such charities as The Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Fresh Air Fund, Save the Music, and The National Adoption Center to name a few. With an unwavering effort through appearances, concerts, and donations to these organizations, Mariah has raised millions of dollars. Her generous involvement and on-going support of the Fresh Air Fund resulted in Camp Mariah, the fund's first camp named in honor of an individual. Always willing to offer her "best" self to others, Mariah has not only established herself as a talented artist, but also as a sincere kind-hearted individual worthy of the world's acclaim.… Expand