Mariah Carey is undoubtedly one of the most iconic singers of our generation. Famous for her whistle tones and impressive five-octave vocal range, the singer-actress has released several hits and achieved international acclaim.
Curious to know more about the “Songbird Supreme”? Here are a few FAQs about Mariah Carey.
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What Is Mariah Carey’s Real Name?
Mariah Carey is actually her real name, although the last name “Carey” was adopted by her paternal grandfather when he moved from Venezuela to New York. The family’s original last name was Nuñez.
Carey has said that her first name was inspired by the Broadway song “They Call the Wind Maria”.
How Old Is Mariah Carey?
There is some confusion about the singer’s birthdate. She was born on March 27, either in 1969 or 1970. This means that Mariah Carey’s age could be either 49 or 50.
How Tall Is Mariah Carey?
Mariah stands at a height of 1.73m or about 5’7”.
Where Was Mariah Carey Born?
Carey was born in Huntington, New York but later moved to a better neighbourhood in Greenlawn.
Who Are Mariah Carey’s Parents?
Mariah Carey’s mother is Patricia Hickney, a trained opera singer and vocal coach. Her father Alfred Roy was an aeronautical engineer.
Is Mariah Carey Black?
Carey’s mixed ethnicity caused some issues for her and her family when she was growing up. Her father is of Afro-Venezuelan and African-American heritage, and her mother is Irish. Still, Mariah Carey’s nationality is undoubtedly American.
What Was Mariah Carey’s Childhood Like?
The family struggled a lot financially in Mariah’s early years, especially since Patricia’s divorce from Alfred Roy. This did not stop Mariah from excelling in school, earning good marks in literature, art, and music.
Mariah Carey’s background in music was largely thanks to her vocal coach and singer mom; she started developing her whistle register at a young age with the latter’s help. Carey also began writing poems and songs in high school, collaborating with Gavin Christopher and then-unknown songwriter and producer Ben Margulies.
How Did Mariah Carey Start In The Music Industry?
Carey attempted to get her demos with Margulies passed onto music labels, but she wasn’t successful. What helped her break into the music scene was a valuable connection – rising singer Brenda K. Starr. Starr helped Carey network with the right people and handed out her demos to record execs and music labels.
It was through Starr that Tommy Mottola, then the head of Columbia Records, heard about Carey. He signed her immediately, thus starting Carey’s journey to becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Check out this video of a young Mariah Carey singing:
What Songs Is Mariah Carey Most Famous For?
The iconic diva has had many hit songs and record-breaking albums. Her first album yielded four number-one singles: “Vision of Love”, “Someday”, “Love Takes Time”, and “I Don’t Wanna Cry”. The release of her second album saw another number-one, “Emotions” – making Carey the first and only artist to ever have their first five singles top the US Billboard 100.
Her next three albums would prove to be just as successful, if not even more so, than her first two. In fact, they spawned some of her biggest hits, such as “Dreamlover”, “Hero”, “One Sweet Day” (the longest-running number-one US single in history), “Always Be My Baby”, and the modern Christmas classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.
After a few professional and personal stumbling blocks, Carey returned to the charts with her hit album The Emancipation of Mimi, releasing “We Belong Together” and “Shake It Off”. With this album, she became the first female artist to become the best-selling album of the year and occupy the top two spots on the Billboard charts.
What Did Young Mariah Carey Look Like And What Does She Look Like Today?
It’s interesting to look at young pictures of Carey, who was gorgeous then and now.
What Awards Has Mariah Carey Won?
Mariah Carey’s impact and legacy aren’t measured by how many awards and accolades she’s received, but she sure has received many!
In 1991, she won her first Grammy award for Best New Artist. She was also named the Artist of the Decade for the 1990s by Billboard. In the 2000 World Music Awards, Carey was given the Legend Award for her best-selling albums and contributions to music.
More recently, Carey has been honoured with her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also placed second on the VH1 list of “100 Greatest Women in Music”.
Currently, Carey holds the records for the most weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 at 79 weeks. She also has the most number-one singles for a solo artist (18) and is second only to The Beatles.
What Religion Does Mariah Carey Practice?
According to ex-husband Nick Cannon, Carey is very religious. She’s a devout Episcopalian, an Anglican faith based in the United States.
Is Mariah Carey Married?
Mariah Carey is not currently married, having ended her engagement to Australian billionaire James Packer in October 2016, just nine months after announcing it.
Is Mariah Carey Divorced?
Carey’s first husband was Tommy Mottola, the Columbian Records exec who helped launch her career. However, due to creative differences (and her growing success), Carey and Mottola officially split in 2000 after seven years of marriage.
But Carey’s most famous ex has to be rapper, host, and former Nickelodeon star Nick Cannon. The marriage was slightly controversial in the media, considering that Cannon was more than a decade her junior. The pair married in 2008 and had twins in 2011: Moroccan and Monroe. Cannon and Carey finalised their divorce in 2014.
Conclusion
When Mariah Carey came onto the scene almost three decades ago, it was obvious from the get-go that she wasn’t just another singer who’d have her 15 minutes of fame.
Today, Carey enjoys legend status and is one of the greatest pop divas of all time.
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