When one thinks of Mariah Carey, they usually think of her as the music world's alpha diva. It’s a reputation that isn’t entirely unjustified, there is so much more to her than outlandish demands and one hell of a voice.
The Long Island native signed her first record contract in 1988, signing to Columbia Records in 1988 by handing her demo tape to the head of the label at a party, who listened to the tape on his way home from the party, but became so enamoured with her voice that he immediately returned there to find that she’d left.
Needless to say, he found her soon after and the rest is history. Albums like “Music Box” and “Daydream” colonised the 90’s, and saw Carey working with everyone from Luther Vandross, to Boys II Men and even Wu-Tang Clan mentalist Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
While her commercial clout may have withered slightly at the turn of the century, 2005’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” showed that she had staying power with authority, to the tune of 12 million copies sold by 2008.
No more words need to be said about her astonishing voice, one that made no lesser authority than Stevie Wonder rate her in the same league as Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. However, Mariah Carey is, and always has been, the real deal, and there’s no better time to realize that than right here and right now.
As the holder of the longest #1 track in the Billboard Top 100 for a whopping 16 weeks, the chance to see Mariah Carey herself perform was an absolutely incredible opportunity.
The arena was buzzing with anticipation before she came onstage, and erupted with enthusiasm as soon as she walked out. From the moment that she bagan singing, it appeared that not a person in sight stopped singing along to the incredibly famous tracks. It was a great experience with everyone joining in even though the audience was absolutely massive, it really gave a sense of community and unification.
Although she's been performing for over 20 years now, her voice was as strong as ever, from her pitch perfect whistles, to her belting moments. Her witty interactions with the audience created a jovial and light hearted mood that everyone seemed to be enjoying, and that positioned alongside her performance of nearly every hit of hers made for a wonderful night.
Whether you're a fan or not, Mariah is an incredible, legendary performer who you should really check out if you get a chance.