Biography
Once named the most successful artist of the 1990s by Billboard magazine, pop diva Mariah Carey overcame an industry biased towards her mixed ethnicity to become one of the most successful solo artists of all time. Following her self-titled debut album, Carey spent the next several years topping the charts while becoming the first artist to ever have their first five singles reach No. 1. Though reluctant at first to sing on stage, Carey …
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Career Milestones
1988 | Began career as a backup singer for freestyle balladeer Brenda K. Starr |
1988 | Presented her demo to Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party and he signed her to a recording contract shortly after |
1990 | Released her debut album, Mariah Carey, which included the breakthrough hit, "Vision of Love" |
1991 | Followed up with the comparably successful sophomore effort, Emotions |
1993 | Released MTV Unplugged from her appearance on the music series; hit No.1 with her remake of "I'll Be There" |
1993 | Released the album, Music Box, featuring the hit "Dreamlover" |
1993 | Starred in the NBC special "Mariah Carey" |
1994 | Merry Christmas is released, launching the hit holiday original, "All I Want For Christmas" |
1994 | Teamed up with Luther Vandross to cover the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie hit, "Endless Love" |
1995 | The concert special "Mariah Carey: Daydream from New York to Tokyo" aired on FOX |
1996 | Collaborated with Boyz II Men on "One Sweet Day," which is later named the biggest recording of the year |
1997 | Founded Crave Records under Sony Music Entertainment |
1997 | Released the album, Butterfly, marking her transition to a more hip-hop inspired sound |
1998 | Shut down operations at Crave Records in July |
1998 | Teamed with Whitney Houston for the single "When You Believe," the theme song for the animated feature "The Prince of Egypt" |
1998 | UPN aired the concert special "Mariah Around the World" |
1999 | Had a small role as an opera singer in "The Bachelor" |
1999 | Released the album, Rainbow, featuring the hit single "Heartbreaker" |
1999 | Teamed up with rap star Jay-Z for the single, "Heartbreaker" |
2000 | Performed in the VH1 special, "Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross" |
2001 | Left Columbia Records and signed a contract with EMI's Virgin Records worth a reported $80 million |
2001 | Starred in the semi-autobiographical film, "Glitter"; also released an accompanying soundtrack album |
2002 | Acted opposite Mira Sorvino in "Wise Girls"; screened at Sundance |
2002 | Made guest appearance on FOX's "Ally McBeal" |
2002 | Signed a contract with Island Records, valued at more than $22 million; also launched the record label MonarC |
2002 | Virgin bought out Carey's contract for $28 million |
2005 | Released her multi-platinum album, The Emancipation of Mimi; nominated for eight Grammy awards, including Record of the Year |
2006 | Played an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband in the indie film "Tennessee" |
2006 | Signed a deal with Pepsi to write and produce 20 exclusive ringtones and star in TV commercials |
2008 | Released eleventh studio album E=MC² |
2009 | Earned critical praise for her performance as a social worker in "Precious" |
2009 | Released her album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel |
2012 | Announced as new judge of "American Idol" (Fox) alongside Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, and returnee Randy Jackson |
Awards
2005 | Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album |
2005 | Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance |
2010 | Palm Springs International Film Festival for Breakthrough Performance Award in Precious |
2010 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Precious |