| Wednesday 3 September 2003 |
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Mariah Carey maintains her status as a diva
Younger female artists, such as Beyonce Knowles, Christina Aguilera and Ashanti, are itching to claim Mariah Carey's diva title. Since Carey's much-publicized bout with exhaustion in 2001, her rift with Virgin Records soon after, and the death of her father in 2002, the singer is on a mission to prove that she's still capable of wowing audiences with her five-octave range. Carey's return to the stage is a result of a new recording deal with Island/Def Jam Music Group, a new look and a new work ethic: Learn to relax. Critics have been largely supportive.
In her 13-year career, Carey produced an album almost every year while on her ex-husband Tommy Mottola's label, Sony Music, as well as including a greatest hits album and a special edition album of all her No. 1 singles. While touring the world to promote each album, Carey managed to make publicity appearances and perform at most major award shows, win multiple Grammy Awards and lend her voice to various projects. For example, she was featured on the title song for the soundtrack for the animated film "Prince Of Egypt", where she sang the duet, "When You Believe", with notorious diva Whitney Houston.
In addition, Carey collaborated with numerous artists. Although the R&B singer is known for her ballads, she always included up-tempo songs on each album that featured the rapper of the moment, a trendy tactic used prominently in today's hip-hop music. Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliot, Da Brat and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony were featured on Carey's past albums.
Unfortunately, her career hit a rough patch when she attempted to produce the big-budget film "Glitter" in 2001, which tanked at the box office. The movie soundtrack, which lacked the substance of past Carey albums, also failed. And within weeks of the movie's release, she was dropped from Virgin Records, which had financed the film and had signed Carey for a reported $80 million - the largest recording deal for a single artist in music history.
After the negative publicity, Carey took a hiatus from performing to recoup and shop around for a new record label. Not long after her break, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter signed with Island Records and headed back to the studio to write new songs. She worked with top-notch producers, such as Terry Lewis and Jermaine Dupri, to create her most hip-hop oriented record to date, "Charmbracelet", released in December 2002.
Carey continues to reflect on heartache and pain in the lyrics on "Charmbracelet", and the songs are nothing short of emotional and inspirational, which is characteristic of her singing style. With the album still on the charts, and Carey seemingly enjoying the tours and the publicity again, wresting her diva crown away from her may be more difficult than the newcomers realize. (Herald Tribune)
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