Biographic - Sunday January 1, 2012 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Born in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1970, she was named for the song "They Call the Wind Maria" which came from the 1969 Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood movie "Paint Your Wagon" her mother was a voice coach and opera singer so it ws no surprise that Mariah Carey grew up determined to become a professional singer. Mariah Carey began singing at the age of 4 and first performed in public at the age of 6. At 17, she moved to Manhattan, working as a waitress while pursuing her dream of a career in music. Mariah landed a job as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. A few months later, Starr gave Mariah's demo tape to Columbia records head Tommy Mottola at a party. One listen on his car stereo was enough to land Mariah a recording contract! She became the first artist in history to have her first five singles top the U.S. charts. Meanwhile, she had become romantically involved with Mottala 20 years her senior the couple were married in 1993. Mariah and Tommy separated in 1997, by which time she was established as one of the most successful artists in the world, and as a producer and songwriter of great acclaim. But by the end of the decade, relations with her record company and soured, and she signed with another label. It was the beginning of a period of both professional and personal difficulty, her semi-autobiographical movie "Glitter" was a flop, as was the soundtrack album. Her health was suffering, and she checked into a hospital to recuperate, in early 2002, her new record company paid $28 million to terminate her contract. To add to her woes, her father died of cancer later that year. In 2005, the pendulum swung back. Her album "The Emancipation of Mimi" which has so far sold more than 12 million copies earned ten Grammy nominations. The single "We Belong Together" not only gave Mariah her first U.S. chart topper in five years, it stayed at the top for 14 weeks and was named the world's most-played single of the Year. With her music career resurrected, she returned to acting, and an acclaimed performance in the 2009 movie "Precious" earned her numerous award nominations. To date, she has sld more than 200 million records. In 2008, "Touch My Body" gave Mariah her 18th U.S. chart-topping single, more than any other solo artist. Mariah has also found joy in her private life. She married entertainer Nick Cannon in 2008, and on their third wedding anniversary, she gave birth to twins.

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