Wednesday 24 November 1999

This diva is no Prima Donna

A mobile phone goes off in the middle of the interview. Instead of snapping with anger at the interruption, superstar Mariah Carey asked a radio journalist with concern: "Will that affect your recording of this interview?" You might think someone as huge as Carey would have some prima donna airs. After all, consider her achievements.

In less than a decade, she has made music history as the artiste who has spent the most number of weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Her single, Heartbreaker, from her new album Rainbow, was number one for 60 weeks, beating even the legendary Beatles' 59-week record. Heartbreaker is her 14th number one single, making her the artiste with the most number of hit singles.

And yes, she's the biggest selling female artiste of the 90s - more than 120 million copies sold from her nine albums. For all that, the 29-year-old American singer still has her head firmly rooted between her shoulders. She may have been hailed as a diva, but a prima donna she certainly isn't.

She said: "I've met a lot of celebrities and they have this glazed over look about them - like they look at you but they don't really see who you are. It's weird that people change when they become famous. It's as if there's this club of snobbery that they join. I think it's really important for people to stay grounded and be in touch with who they really are. My lifestyle is definitely different now, but I'm exactly the same person that I was before."

Here's more proof: It is 8 pm, and Carey is huddled on her bed in her dimly lit hotel room, casually clad in a simple army-green strap top, designer jeans and grey high-heel boots. Her hair is curled - a deliberate move made to please a fan. "She wrote to me saying that she missed my curly tresses. So I curled my hair for her," she laughed.

ALL SMILES

Carey is all smiles and every bit the hospitable host despite not having had dinner yet after a long and hectic day of interviews and photo shoots. "Pardon me if I ramble or go off a tangent, because I only had two hours of sleep last night after a 16-hour flight." She took the bother to offer us drinks herself. If the phone incident shows how considerate she is, Carey is also no pushover.

Her latest album Rainbow sees her collaborating with such artistes as Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot, Usher, 98 degrees, and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Rainbow is an appropriate name because it's a showcase of all these different talents of different races, creating an album with a variety of textures."

Carey, herself, is of mixed parentage. Her father is Black-Venezuelan, and her mother, Irish-American. "Rainbow is really a symbol of hope. I want to tell my fans that we don't have to put each other down, or judge each other based on how we look. The name of the album was chosen to represent the fact that we can all coexist harmoniously, like a rainbow. So long as we can find that inner peace within ourselves, that's fine. We can be happy."

She confesses that she has found her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. "I was a mess before. I used to feel isolated and I walked around like this," she said, lifting her arms to shield her body and lowering her head. "But I'm happy now. I've found my inner peace," she smiled.

Carey's divorce from Tommy Mottola, CEO of Sony Music, was finalised in March last year. She also split up with boyfriend Derek Jeter, a member of the New York Yankees, in June last year. And she has now found new love with Latino singer Luis Miguel. So, will wedding bells be ringing soon?

"That's a tough question," she laughed. "I can't say no because I really don't know, and to say yes would be too optimistic." Her latest album Rainbow is available here in music stores.

CAREY'S ACTING DEBUT NEXT YEAR

THE main thing on Mariah Carey's mind these days is her upcoming movie, All That Glitters, for which Carey will be writing songs and starring in. All That Glitters, about a singer who is struggling to make it in the business in the early '80s, marks Carey's acting debut. The movie is expected to be released late next year.

For the past two years, she has been taking lessons from acting coach Sheila Gray. "It's been great exploring a whole new creative side of me," she said. And speaking of new, does Carey intend to change her sultry image and abandon those skimpy and body-hugging outfits she dons on her album covers for a more wholesome look? After all, many of her fans are teenagers.

"If someone else, like Janet Jackson or Madonna has a sexy image, nobody would make a big deal of it. But, it's strange that when I do it, every body kicks up a big fuss. I'm expected to have this innocence about me. But I believe that at the end of the day, people buy my albums for my music, and not the skimpy outfits. So, I just do what I enjoy and what I think is right. I'm happy."

DREAM COME TRUE FOR S'PORE FAN

IT was a fantasy come true for Mr Mohd Arshid Salman on Saturday. The 22-year-old retail assistant, who owns every Mariah Carey album, got a chance to meet his idol face to face. He was among fans from all over Asia to meet the American artiste in Hongkong. He had won free tickets to Hongkong to meet her through a contest in The New Paper. All readers had to do was name the singer's latest album.

Said Mr Arshid: "I called in eight times. I was so ecstatic when I found out I had won. I begged my boss to let me take leave to go. I want to hug Mariah. She's so lovely!" But he didn't get to do that on Saturday - just a handshake, a group photograph with his idol and an autographed CD. So is he disappointed? "Not at all. I got to see her face to face. That is more than enough for me."

(The Electric News Paper)



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