Mariah in control
Could the pop princess survive without her prince? That was the $64 question on people's minds after pop diva Mariah Carey, then 27, and her husband, Sony Music president and CEO Thomas "Tommy" D. Mottola, then 47, parted ways, ending their four-year marriage (Together since 1990, they married in 1993, separated in 1997 and divorced in 1998). It was common knowledge that Mottola played a major role in Mariah's rise to recording superstardom. People thought the divorce would signal the end of her phenomenal career.
Never doubt a princess, particularly with terrific talent and a drive to match. For years, Mariah coproduced her own records and wrote most of her own songs, and she was confident enough about what she could do and of her fans' loyalty to turn to a direction some people have advised her to avoid. The result: 1997's Butterfly, a four-million seller which features songs done in an edgier hip-hop and R&B sound. Butterfly was an important turning point in more ways than one. Surprising her ever-loving fans, it changed her image in one swift stroke. The album featured some of her most sensual, personal songs ever - backed by gloriously sexy videos. With this album she stripped away her teen-friendly, dancing-in-a-field-in-a-flannel-shirt, old image to reveal a sexier, more adult side. ("I think Butterfly was a natural evolution for me," she says.) Not only did the album impress music lovers - it went platinum its first week - it also impressed critics, who have always admired her range and whispery tones, with its edgier feel.
Her success makes her the '90s best-selling female recording artist - with an astonishing 90 million albums sold. She has 13 number-one singles, a record unmatched by any other contemporary female solo act. Mariah's also the first artist ever to have three different songs zoom to number one in their first week on the air. Her musical success continued with a collection of her greatest hits, her participation on the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, and her latest hit album, Rainbow, which featured "Heartbreaker". She spread her wings into acting, joined New York City's effort to recruit foster and adoptive parents, and relished her independence. "What I've learned over the years," she says "is that I can trust my instincts."
Of course, in the beginning, her career instincts were just budding. As an 18-year-old waitress and aspiring singer, Mariah says she embraced the idea of putting her career in the hands of Mottola, whom she first met at a party. Growing up on Long Island, New York, she had dreamed of becoming a pop star since the age of four, and Mottola, already a byword in the music industry, clearly had the power to help her realize her ambition. Getting personal with the boss was another matter, however. Marriage was initially the last thing on Mariah's mind. "I actually had a phobia about that," says this youngest child of a half-Venezuelan, half-black engineer and an Irish opera singer who divorced when Mariah was three. "I used to think, people always get divorced. Why get married?" Nevertheless, despite their 20-year age difference, the professional relationship between Mariah and the then-married Mottola blossomed into a romance that ended in a lavish Charles-and-Di inspired wedding.
Married bliss, alas, was short, and when the end of the Carey-Mottola union came, people thought it would have the same seismic of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz divorce. These days, Mariah refers to her marriage as "my previous situation". "I feel like when I talk about that stuff, I'm dredging up the past and getting everyone pissed off with me again," she says. "I can't go back and change all that. I can just go forward with a positive outlook. At the time of the split, there were speculations that part of the reason for the separation was Mariah's spending more time outside the suburban New York mansion she and her ex lived in, a situation which apparently didn't sit well with Mottola, who reportedly kept his wife under extremely close watch. The reason she spent so much time outside was originally business-related: She had been very active in personally scouting talent for her then-new vanity label, Crave Records, an enthusiasm that's brought her onto the Manhattan nightlife circuit. She may have realized she was missing out on life. She has been forthcoming about how she feels about Mottola attempting to control her every move - personally and professionally. "I'd had the desire to go into acting for a long time, but my relationship didn't allow me to explore the side of the things. It was kind of a big issue," she avers.
When possible projects arouse, she claims she wasn't even told about them. Mottola maintains that this was not the case. "From the very beginning, I've been 100 percent supportive of any and all of Mariah's creative endeavors," he says. "And I continue to be there for her." (He has no choice, business speaking. His ex wife continues to be one of the top two money earners for Sony Music, along with that other May-December lover, Celine Dion, who's been married since the early 1990 to the much older Rene Angelil.) Whatever may have happened with her "previous situation", one thing's for sure - Mariah's in total control. This typical Aries has taken charge of her music, her career, her life, her image, and her destiny, which is to continue reigning as a pop princess. The 29-year old singer has been calling the shots as never before. "I don't think anyone knows as much about what's right for me as I do," she says, a hint of defiance in her low, breathy voice. "I've been written 99 percent of everything I've ever sung. I know what my audience wants. I think I know best."
She had all ready entered the field of acting, complete with intensive training under an acting coach. Mariah's planning to follow up her cameo appearance as an opera singer in the romantic comedy The Bachelor with her first big starring role in All That Glitters, about an up-and-coming singer. On the personal side, the press is having a heyday on Mariah stories, something which was not the case when she was still married to Mottola. She sold off the mansion in suburban New York once shared with Mottola (for a reported $20.5 million) and moved into and renovated the Upper East Side bachelorette townhouse she now calls home. And this once-reclusive singer had gossip columnists working overtime on rumored romances with everyone from Puff Daddy (false, she insists) to Leonardo DiCaprio (also false) to New York Yankees star Derek Jeter (true, but now they're just friend) to 29-year old Latin singer Luis Miguel (true, ongoing - Miguel is known as the Elvis of Mexico, and he met Mariah last December 1998 in Aspen, Colorado). Above all, Mariah's goal nowadays is to find the balance between stability and freedom. "I still need to go out and have fun. I need to hung out with my girl friends, blast music in a car and go to a club if I want. Right now, I feel good. I'm in a relationship where I feel supported, and I don't feel too stifled." (Woman's Magazine)
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