Mariah Carey Biography

Synopsis
Mariah Carey was born March 27, 1970, in Huntington, Long Island, New York, and began taking voice lessons at age four. At 18 she signed with Columbia records, and her first album had four No. 1 singles, including "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry." She went on to produce several more albums (later with other studios) and top singles, and is one of the best-selling female artists of all time

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Early Life
Singer Mariah Carey was born March 27, 1970, in Huntington, Long Island, New York, to Alfred Roy Carey, a Venezuelan aeronautical engineer; and Patricia Carey, a voice coach and opera singer. Has two older siblings: a brother, Morgan, and a sister, Alison. Carey is known as one of the top "pop divas" of the 1990s, having sold more than 80 million albums worldwide. Her voice spans more than five octaves and she writes most of her own music.

Carey's parents divorced when she was 3 years old. She stunned her mother by imitating her operatic singing as early as age two, and was given singing lessons starting at age four. After graduating in 1987 from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, Carey moved to Manhattan where she worked as a waitress, coat check girl, and studied cosmetology while writing songs and actively pursuing a music career at night.

Early Music Career
When she was 18 years old, Carey and her friend, singer Brenda K. Starr, went to a party hosted by CBS Records. Starr convinced Carey to bring along one of her demo tapes. She intended to give the tape to Columbia's Jerry Greenberg, but Tommy Mottola, the president of Columbia Records (later Sony), intercepted it before she could hand it to Greenberg. After listening to the tape on the way home from the party, Mottola signed Carey immediately and set her to work on her first album, Mariah Carey (1990) which included four No. 1 singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Some Day," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Her second album Emotions was released in 1992; the title track became her fifth No. 1 single, and included hits "Can't Let Go" and "Make it Happen."

Success on the Pop Charts

In March 1992, Carey appeared on MTV's Unplugged. This performance was released as an album and a home video, resulting in another No. 1 single (a cover of The Jacksons' "I'll Be There"). Her next album Music Box (1993) cut back a bit on the lavish studio production techniques heard in her previous albums, and included the No. 1 singles, "Dreamlover" and "Hero." Her November 1994 release Merry Christmas combined traditional Christian hymns with new songs. In 1995 she released Daydream; the first single "Fantasy" debuted at No. 1. It also included collaborations with R&B and hip-hop artists, such as Wu-Tang Clan and Boyz II Men ("One Sweet Day").

Her 1997 album, Butterfly, included 11 compositions written by Carey, and demonstrated her continued interest in hip-hop and R&B, including the Sean "Puffy" Combs-produced "Honey," her 12th No. 1 hit. Carey's 1998 album,#1's, featured her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as the Academy Award-nominated "The Prince of Egypt (When You Believe)," a duet with fellow pop diva Whitney Houston.

Overcoming Obstacles
In July 2001, Carey was admitted into a New York-area hospital and put under psychiatric care after suffering what her publicists called a "physical and emotional collapse." Carey had been preparing to promote her upcoming feature film debut, Glitter, and its accompanying soundtrack album, but cancelled all public appearances. The release of Glitter was subsequently pushed back from late August to late September 2001. Carey was released from the hospital after two weeks.

In January 2002, Carey and EMI (the corporate owner of Virgin Records, with whom Carey had signed a reported $80 million contract in April 2001) severed their relationship. Though the film and soundtrack for Glitter failed to generate the desired box office and sales totals, Carey reportedly walked away from Virgin with nearly $50 million as part of her severance agreement. In May 2002, she signed a deal with Universal Music Group's Island/Def Jam Records. In December 2002, Carey staged a comeback with her eighth album, Charmbracelet, which debuted in third place on the charts. The record's accompanying tour, her first in more than three years, launched in June 2003.

In Recent Years
In 2012, Carey was chosen as a new judge for season 12 of the popular FOX television show American Idol, taking a seat alongside Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban.

Carey has sold around 160 million albums worldwide. She is the third best-selling female artist of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. With 2008’s Touch My Body (from her eleventh studio album E=MC²), Carey passed Elvis Presley to become second only to the Beatles for the most No. 1 hit singles in the United States.

Outside of her music career, Carey is active in fundraising for The Fresh Air Fund, an independent nonprofit agency that has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.6 million disadvantaged New York City children since 1877.

In January 2015, Carey inked a deal to become the latest diva songstress to take up residency in Las Vegas beginning in May.

Personal Life
In June 1993, Carey married Mottola in a spectacular ceremony at Manhattan's St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The couple divorced in 1998. Carey then dated Latin singer Luis Miguel for three years, but their relationship reportedly ended in the summer of 2001.

Carey married rapper/actor/talent show host Nick Cannon on April 30, 2008, in a secret ceremony in the Bahamas. The couple had been dating for less than two months, their romance having blossomed after he appeared in her music video for "Bye Bye." In 2011, Carey and Cannon welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe. After six years of marriage, in August 2014, the couple announced their separation. It was also reported that a confidentiality agreement was issued that bars discussing the details of their split publicly. In January 2015, it was reported that Cannon officially filed for divorce.

Mariah Carey’s List Is Short: All She Wants Is Immortality

If the forces of commerce haven’t completely secularized Christmas, Mariah Carey seems ready to finish the job. I, at least, can imagine a Nativity scenario in which the wise men reach Bethlehem and find Ms. Carey’s face glowing in the manger. Right now her 21-year-old Yuletide jam “All I Want for Christmas Is You” stands atop Billboard’s Holiday 100 chart, where it’s been, on and off (but mostly on), since the chart appeared in 2011.

It has also hovered near or at the top of choices for bricks-and-mortar shopping, according to the retail-media-experience provider PlayNetwork. (The Shins’ cover of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” demoted it to No. 2.) That’s also her position on YouTube’s top 20 Christmas songs of the month.(The “superfestive” version she recorded with Justin Bieber is in seventh place.) No. 1 on YouTube is “Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix, the a cappella outfit with a best-selling Christmas album.

Ms. Carey’s pursuit of winter dominion is more thorough than those of the other acts. Last week, she completed her Christmas residency at the 2,900-seat Beacon Theater in New York, the second of what I hope will be many. And on Saturday the Hallmark Channel unveiled “A Christmas Melody,” a peculiar romantic family comedy that Ms. Carey directed and only kind of stars in. And given how often you can still hear her 1995 hit “Always Be My Baby” while standing in a checkout line, Ms. Carey might just own a chunk of the year-round shopping experience, too.Photo

Ms. Carey in “A Christmas Melody” on Hallmark. CreditBrian Douglas/Crown Media

This is all a savvy bid for, if not relevance, then at least seasonal permanence. Even if it’s for only two months, Ms. Carey wants us to want her, to need her. She’s become to Christmas what the pumpkin spice latte is to fall: nutmeg, foam and caffeine. Meanwhile, her determination to be mandatorily anti-blues makes her a human flu shot.

This is to say that she’s also a genius. Who knows where Taylor Swift and Rihanna will be in 20 years? If they need it, though, Ms. Carey is devising a road map for the future. Her popularity may rise, spectacularly crash, then rise again, as may the quality of her artistry. But she’s lasted. And not only by heading to Las Vegas for one of those long, lucrative engagements that turn legend to kitsch. (“Mariah Carey #1 to Infinity” ends a 26-show run at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in late February.) She has endured by attempting to colonize a holiday.

Most stars, in being synonymous with Christmas, can become partially encased in classicality — whether they’re Nat King Cole or Brenda Lee,Wham! or the Waitresses. Ms. Carey is trying to be something more with this holiday version of herself: transcendent, ludicrous, fun.

Jokey brand extension is one way to enjoy “A Christmas Melody.” In telling the story of Kristen (Lacey Chabert), a widowed single mom whose Los Angeles fashion boutique goes bust, the movie is as blandly watchable as everything else in Hallmark’s Christmas lineup, which includes titles like “I’m Not Ready for Christmas,” “Merry Matrimony” and “’Tis the Season for Love.” But Ms. Carey’s participation makes the generic badness of “A Christmas Melody” a touch better than its neighbors. She treats herself like a woman who’s come to family entertainment from Venus.

Ms. Carey has cast herself as the villain: Melissa McKean-Atkinson, Kristen’s former classmate, head of the PTA, consummate mean girl, big fan of pearls. Ms. Carey’s idea of ho-hum suburbanism and vicious glamour are a riot. Melissa catches Kristen up on her life thus: “Married now. Twelve glorious years. Three children. Huge four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, two-story.” The pearls give you one sense of the character’s ridiculousness. Another sense? The fact that the only modifier the children get is “three.”Photo

Fina Strazza, age 10, in “A Christmas Melody.”CreditBrian Douglas/Crown Media

It’s as if Ms. Carey has slurped the same hooch that Hoda and Kathie Lee do a lot of mornings on “Today.” This portrait is almost as loony as whatever Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are up to in “Sisters,” and only half as condescending. Ms. Carey isn’t pretending to know the average woman. That’s part of her Christmastime appeal. She’s not an elf, Mrs. Claus, or that poor soul who’s married to Bob Cratchit. She’s a version of her spoiled-bratalter ego, Bianca, traipsing among the mortals who’ve purchased, say, Ms. Carey’s pavé crystal hoop earrings with four charms,on Home Shopping Network. That’s how holiday she is.

Ms. Carey’s performance as the social worker in Lee Daniels’s “Precious” proves she can act, and strongly. But on Hallmark she deploys herself only sparingly — stingily, I’d say. And when she does, it’s weird. She’s lit like a sci-fi planet on the verge of explosion. And rarely does she share the frame with other actors. Most of the time, she’s alone in a shot, looking off somewhere to the right. I imagine that’s a strategy to heighten Melissa’s obnoxiousness. But the effect more or less puts her in a different product — specifically anythingstarring Agnes Moorehead.

This attempt to do camp in “A Christmas Melody” means she’s missed her own point. Or, that Ms. Carey, who’s in her mid-40s, suspects that camp is all she has. But “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is much more than that. Ms. Carey wrote it with Walter Afanasieff. They gave it sleigh bells and the sonic architecture of a textbook Phil Spector production.

So semi-scientifically, the song is probably impossible to resist. It’s endured partly because of the timelessness of its arrangement, which theAV Club unpacked a few weeks ago. But it’s also a masterpiece of generosity. That’s an aspect of Ms. Carey that’s easily overlooked because she’s also the woman who, in music videos, has been guilty of rigging her appeal by surrounding herself with goofier, rounder, less well-lit co-stars.

Listening to the original version, you realize that the mix places the emphasis on the backing vocalists, who begin Ms. Carey’s sentences or seem to complete her thoughts. This is the forever part of the song. You realize you’re not really singing with her, but with the backup folks. For instance, when they belt and hold the rising “And I,” so do you. It’s one of the happiest kinds of singalongs because the song doesn’t aim to overwhelm you with the singer’s prowess (another departure for Ms. Carey). It makes room on her sleigh for you.

In 2012, Ms. Carey performed the song with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, with classroom instruments in a tiny room on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.” This might be the best of the show’s viral collaborations, just for the way the reconsideration nails the inexorable joy of the original song, which is also written all over Ms. Carey’s face. When it’s time for the “and I,” her backing vocalists (Mr. Fallon and the Roots) expand to include a row of four kids who’ve snapped into the frame from the floor, like Muppets or pictures in a pop-up book. It’s been viewed well over 17 million times on YouTube. About a million of those belong to me.

Ms. Carey has been wise to extend her Christmas empire. Only Cookie Lyon would dare attempt to snatch the holiday from her. But Ms. Carey didn’t need the Beacon Theater or a droopy Hallmark movie to stake her claim. She wrote an unkillable song, and no matter what the charts eventually say, that will always be our baby.

Nick Opens Up About Mariah Carey in His Latest Interview, Calls Her an "Angel"

Nick Cannon has been making the promotional rounds for his new film, Chi-Raq, and during an interview with Ben Lyons for IMDb Asks, the actor opened up about his Christmas plans with his twins, Monroe and Moroccan, and ex-wife, Mariah Carey, revealing that his children want "every toy commercial that's on Nickelodeon." He added, "They got it down, Mommy's getting me this, Daddy's getting me this, Santa's getting me this. They use the gadgets better than me, every tablet, etc."

Nick also spoke about Mariah and how their kids idolize her, saying, "They get to see her [Mariah] in every aspect, travel the world, and on the stage. Her ability to sing right there on the spot for them. Mommy is an angel, a goddess to them, and Daddy's fun and silly. It's kind of cool for them to watch how they embrace entertainment. It's almost something that's very a matter of fact to them."

Nick and Mariah split in 2014 after six years of marriage, and even though these two aren't together anymore, they have managed to put their differences aside and remain amicable exes. Earlier this year, the duo reunited for Easter and Halloween, and during a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Nick touched on his peaceful relationship with his ex, saying "We'll always be family." Take a look at the family's cutest moments together, and then check out even more celebrities who are still friends with their exes.

We Need To Talk About Mariah Carey

This is Mariah Carey. She’s one of the best selling music artists ever, and she has one of the greatest voices the world has ever heard.

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(Mariah in 1993, holding two American Music Awards)

Mariah’s career is legendary. She scored a number-one single every year of the ’90s, duetted with the biggest names in music — from Ol’ Dirty Bastard to Luciano Pavarotti — and she’d sold more than 70 million albums by the time she was 26 years old.

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Moreover, she wrote 17 of those number-one hits, created a genre of music, and inspired a generation of singers.

I mean, seriously, look at all the singers that have been dubbed “The Next Mariah.” So many of them have come and gone, or they’re on their way down the road to obscurity…

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Leona Lewis is incredibly talented, but her music failed to connect with the masses after her hit “Bleeding Love.” Christina Aguilera faded after experimenting with her sound too much and alienating most of her fan base, and now, Ariana Grande is fighting to distance herself from the Mariah comparisons, which, in all honesty, is a good thing.

It would be a Sisyphean task for any new artist to live up to Mariah’s storied career; even Mariah herself is having trouble maintaining the legacy she’s built.

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After nearly 25 years in the music business, it seems Mariah is beginning to crumble under the weight of her career. She’s competing with herself, but it’s a battle she can’t win.

It’s now been ten years since the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, the album that catapulted Mariah back into the good graces of the public. The music was great, and the live performances were stellar.

However, in 2008, things took a turn for the resurrected diva. She released E = mc2, her follow-up to Emancipation, an album that managed to quiet critics who thought she was done after the commercial failures that were Glitter and Charmbracelet.

Brief backstory: In the beginning, every move Mariah made was heavily calculated, which is the case with most pop stars. But things were more difficult for her because even the way she dressed was monitored by her then-husband Tommy Mottola, the music exec who discovered her.

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Once Mariah divorced Mottola in ‘97, she began to be freer with her wardrobe. Bye bye to the woman who stood still on stage and wore gowns that covered every inch of her body while singing ballads.

Let’s cut to 2009, the year the world was met with the death of Michael Jackson. Mariah was chosen to sing “I’ll Be There,” a song made popular and originally sung by The Jackson 5.

Since the beginning, Mariah’s career has been built on the notion that she can do no wrong, and it’s an idea that has persisted in spite of a difference in vocals from the ’90s to present day.

But why should she sound the same now, as she did when she was 25 years old? The voice is an organic instrument, so it will experience wear and tear. Mariah shouldn’t put herself through the trouble of trying to live up to her former self, and fans shouldn’t expect that of her.

The worse thing about nostalgia is that it leaves no room for change. Is remembering things as they were always the best answer? Point is: Mariah Carey is different, and that’s OK.

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And her being different doesn’t change the amazing music she’s blessed the world with.

Reminder: Mariah’s catalogue of hits is the stuff of legend.

Things You Probably Didn't Know about Mariah Carey

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With hits such as "Vision of Love" and "I Don't Wanna Cry," pop diva Mariah Carey holds the record for most No. 1 debuts in Billboard Hot 100 history. Find out 50 interesting things you probably didn't know about this award-winning singer and diva.

She was clearly born to sing! Carey was named after "They Call The Wind Mariah," a song from the musical "Paint Your Wagon."

Her full name is Mariah Angela Carey. She was born in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1970, to an Irish-American mother Patricia Hickey and an African American/Venezuelan father Alfred Roy Carey.

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Her mother was a mezzo-soprano New York City opera singer and a freelance vocal coach; whereas, her father was an aeronautical engineer.

One day Carey, shocked her mother by imitating her singing opera. She was two years old and had her first voice lessons at age 4.

Her family was target for their multiracial roots - people would burn crosses on their lawn, poison their dogs, their car was blown up, and a shot fired through the kitchen window while they were eating dinner.

Mirage was her high school nickname because she cut class so often.

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Before hitting it big, she worked a number of odd jobs to support herself, including hat/coat-checker, hostess, hair sweeper in hairdressing salons, and waitress.

Carey studied cosmetology in Manhattan.

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Mariah Carey started out as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr.

Her big break came when one of her demo tapes got into the hands of Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola. She got a contract with Columbia Records, and released her self-titled debut album in 1990.

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Her debut record earned her two Grammy Awards.

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Her godmother is R&B icon Patti LaBelle.

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Some music critics say Mariah sang one of the highest notes ever produced by a human voice during a performance of "Emotions" at the 1991 MTV Music Video Awards.

Her first marriage was to the president of Columbia Records (Tommy Mottola) in 1993 but they divorced in 1998. She became vegetarian while she was married to him.

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She was then romantically linked to singer Luis Miguel.

In 1994, Carey released her holiday album Merry Christmas has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and is the best-selling Christmas album of all time.

"All I Want For Christmas is You," is the second Christmas song to bear that title. Vince Vance & The Valiants' released a popular song called "All I Want For Christmas is You" in 1989, but Carey's song bears no similarities with their Christmas country staple.

She sang back up on Babyface's 1997 hit "Every Time I Close My Eyes."

Mariah has her own personal limo for her dog, jack russell terrier, Jack.

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Her song with Boys II Men, "One Sweet Day" holds the record for being the longest running number one song in history after spending 16 weeks on the Billboard 100.

She bought Marilyn Monroe's white baby grand piano for $662,500.

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She left Columbia in 2000 and signed a $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records.

Her 2001 movie "Glitter"earned her the Razzie Award for "Worst Actress" for her role.

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2001 was a difficult year for the singer. According to her publicist at the time, Carey had issues with exhaustion due to her hectic schedule and she experienced a short period of hospitalization.

Her song Obsessed is directed at Eminem. He claimed the two had a sexual relationship, although she denied it and said they just spent time together.

She signed a contract with shaving company Gillette to head their "Legs Of A Goddess" advertisement campaign which then prompted her to insure her legs for $1 billion.

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Her musical influences among others are Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Gladys Knight, Minnie Riperton and Stevie Wonder.

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Mariah Carey graced the cover of the March 2007 "Sex & Music" issue of PlayBoy in a swimsuit. Mariah refused to do any nudity in any of the pictures.

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She has more number one hit singles than Elvis Presley. The Beatles are the only artists ahead of her in that category.

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Cary met actor/comedian Nick Cannon while they were shooting a music video for "Bye Bye", on an island off the coast of Antigua. They got married shortly after in a private ceremony at her private estate on Windermere Island in The Bahamas. When asked about their 11-year age gap by Oprah, Mariah said "Age ain't nothing but a number."

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She became pregnant shortly after they married but unfortunately had a miscarriage. She did not share this personal information until 2010 when they announced she was pregnant with twins.

Mariah and Nick welcomed Monroe and Moroccan Cannon via c-section in April 2011.

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After giving birth, she signed up to become the global ambassador for Jenny Craig and she claims to have lost 70 pounds (32kg) om the program.

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Her favorite actor / actress is James Dean and Marilyn Monroe which inspired her daughters name, Monroe Cannon. Meanwhile, their son Moroccan Scott was named after the location in which Cannon proposed to Carey in her Moroccan-style room and Scott is Cannon's middle name.

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Dembabies is the website they use to share photos of their adorable children.

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Carey always labels her albums, videos, photographs, and clothing with butterflies.

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She writes, co-writes, produces and co-produces her own songs, including all of her number one hits, except her cover of "I'll Be There."

Mariah has worked with a range of musicians, as Brian McKnight, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Cam-ron, Carole King, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, 98 Degrees, Joe, Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Aretha Franklin, Shania Twain, Miguel, Nicki Minaj and many more.


She is the most successful selling female artist in music history and is the only female artist to have straight #1 singles and albums.

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Mariah has a host of awards including 5 Grammy Awards, 18 World Music Awards, 10 American Music Awards, 32 Billboard Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Of all of her No. 1 hits, 2005′s "We Belong Together" spent the most time at the top of the charts with a 14-week run.

With 18 Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, Mariah holds the record for the most No. 1s by a female artist.

Her favorite place to relax is either at a beach or at an amusement park.

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She is a practicing Episcopalian Christian.

Carey fans are known as her "Lambily. According to the Lambily website, Mariah started calling her loved ones, friends, and fans "lambs" in 2000.

Mariah Carey's net worth is $510 million.

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Mariah loves swimming and water aerobics.

Referred to as the "songbird supreme" by the Guinness World Records, she is famed for her vocal range, power, melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register.

She works with the Fresh Air Fund that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts and introduces them to career opportunities. She is the co-founder of a camp located in Fishkill, New York and set up Camp Mariah.

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