10 Fun Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an iconic singer and songwriter who has sold over 200 million records worldwide and had 18 number-one singles worldwide, including We, Belong Together, Touch My Body, and Emotions. She's also a Guinness World Record holder and has won 5 Grammy Awards and 16 American Music Awards, among others. But here are some facts that you might not have known about Mariah Carey!
1) She used to be bullied as a kid
Mariah Carey always seemed larger than life, but before she became a star, she was just an ordinary girl with outsized ambition. But growing up wasn’t easy. She was bullied at school and suffered bouts of depression. When Mariah was 11, her father died after being shot by her uncle during an argument; he was 21, and she saw it happen in front of her. It took years for her to come to terms with the trauma and emerge from under its shadow. As for high school, she attended four schools before graduating in 1991.
2) Her parents were both musicians
Mariah Carey is an iconic music star and one of the best-selling singers of all time. Many personal hardships have shaped her life, but she's risen to the top to become a truly inspirational individual. Here are ten fun facts about her you might not know!
1) Mariona was born on March 27th, 1970, in Huntington, New York, to her parents, Patricia and Alfred.
2) Patricia was a vocalist, and Alfred used to be in a band with Harry James before becoming his manager.
3) She became famous before being signed by Columbia Records
In 1990, at 18, Carey became a professional singer by singing backup vocals. The following year she signed with Columbia Records and was named Mariah Carey. Although she was not a huge success, her breakthrough came in 1992 with the release of her first album Mariah Carey which led to widespread success when her second album, Emotions, was released in 1993.
In 1994, she had an internationally successful collaboration with Boyz II Men on the song One Sweet Day, which holds the record for longest-running number one single in history. She has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling female artist.
4) She was singing in the bathroom when she was discovered
The legend goes that Tom Snow, a music executive, heard Mariah singing in the bathroom at a Red Lobster in Manhattan. It was 1980. He said she sounded like the little girl from The Exorcist singing out of her head. He helped her with early cuts of Vision of Love and became her manager.
What do you think? If you had to start your own business, what would it be? I have always wanted to have my coffee shop so I could meet many new people daily. There are some coffee shops where everyone knows each other, which is nice too but it wouldn’t be for me. I want my shop to feel warm and inviting with comfy seats, great music playing all day long, fresh food options on display behind the counter, and excellent service from friendly staff. How about you? Would you instead work at someone else's restaurant or start your own? Maybe even one with friends? Perhaps you could create a family-owned place together! Start by looking into businesses already successful in your area and get to know them, find out who they partner with (bakery, coffee shops, etc.), and contact those partners. Ask questions like: Do they cater? Do they offer catering services? Could they recommend another location as an example of their food quality? Will they give us recipes for our menu if we provide ingredients? Research menus around town until you find something that sounds good enough to recreate at home-then. Invite your friends over for pizza night. One person will prepare the dough while others make toppings from scratch. Make sure everyone helps!
5) She co-wrote her debut single, Vision of Love
Mariah Carey is one of the world's most successful singers. She's sold more than 200 million albums and singles, is a seven-time Grammy winner, has two Guinness World Records, and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and Hollywood Walk of Fame. But how much do you know about this music legend?
There are a few things you might not know about the entertainer: She can speak three languages fluently (English, Spanish and French); she hates spicy food; her daughter Monet has her mom's voice; she grew up around musicians with plenty of instruments in their home because her dad was a musician with various jazz bands, and she studied culinary arts for years before focusing on performing arts.
6) Her voice sounds terrific despite being sick with a cold on many occasions
She owns two dogs, twins Moroccan and Monroe. They were born on the same day as her twins, Moroccan was a girl, and Monroe was a boy! Her cats, Dollar and Puff Daddy (AKA Poochie), were rescued by animal control. They are named after her 1995 hit song The Both of Us, where she raps about having sex with herself. She got them tattooed on her feet for identification purposes but realized this was illegal, so she took it to the next level - getting dollar printed on one foot and puff daddy on the other. Now she can tell which cat is who with just a look!
7) She owns two dogs (and two cats!)
Mariah has two dogs named Asia and Paisley. They both got into some trouble and are now living at her home after she adopted them in 2010. She also has two cats but doesn't let them stay inside the house very often. One is a grey cat named Simon, and the other is a calico called Jazmine, who you might have seen on Instagram! Mariah started as a singer when she was only five years old, performing with her older sister Alison.
She wrote One Sweet Day for the 1995 AIDS awareness charity song to benefit those fighting HIV/AIDS.
In 2000, Mimi won three Grammy Awards for Lady Marmalade, which was her first number one outside of the US; it reached number one in many European countries.
If we look back to 1991-1992, this was when American singers Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer dominated pop culture.
8) She sings in three languages, including French!
1. Mariah was the first artist to sell one million copies of an album in 1990 when her self-titled fifth album sold a whopping seven million copies and became the bestselling female album of all time.
2. She has the most number-ones on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is the youngest and oldest act to accomplish this feat. Mariah also has 17 US Billboard Hot 100 numbers, more than any other historical artist. Her 1997 single One Sweet Day spent 16 weeks at the top spot, which ties it with The Beatles' 1965 song Yesterday for second place behind Elvis Presley's 1969 song Don't Be Cruel with 18 weeks at number one.
3. Carey's 1995 single One Sweet Day, with Boyz II Men, is among the best-selling singles in music history. The song still holds the record for most extended stay atop Billboard's Hot 100 charts and has remained untouched by any other dollar since 1996. It ranks as America's second best-selling single behind only Bing Crosby's 1942 recording of White Christmas.
9) Her favorite song is Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Mariah was born in Huntington, New York, to Patricia (née Hickey), an Irish-American from New York, and Alfred Roy Tiki Carey Sr., an African-American from Alabama. She was raised as a Roman Catholic. Her ancestry includes Welsh, English, Irish and German.
When she was three years old, her family moved to Long Island, where she grew up primarily in the town of Hempstead; her father worked as an engineer on Long Island Rail Road during a time when attitudes toward blacks were strong enough that he would have been laid off if his race had been revealed.
10) The name Mariah comes from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, where her father often attended Mass while they lived there.
Chances are you know a few facts about pop star Mariah Carey, but did you know these facts? 1. The name Mariah comes from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, where her father often attended Mass while they lived there.2. She was given the nickname Mimi by family and friends when she was just four years old.3. Though she was born in Huntington, New York, Carey moved to Long Island with her mother who had wanted to get away from the dangerous neighborhood of their previous residence in NYC's Harlem district.4. In addition to being a singer-songwriter, record producer and philanthropist, Mariah also has experience as an actress! She played Penny Pingleton in 1992's movie version of Hairspray (though some people still can't tell her apart from Jennifer Lopez).5. Carey is not only known for her talent on stage - she graduated cum laude from NYU with a bachelor's degree in theater arts.: And it looks like we're not done yet - 6. Carey is not only known for her talent on stage - she graduated cum laude from NYU with a bachelor's degree in theater arts. 7. Her high school yearbook quote reads: I want to make records, sell them, and buy whatever I want. 8. That pretty much sums up her career! 9. Like many successful musicians, Carey's voice was captured on tape before she ever recorded an album! A demo tape that the young singer made at age 13 was unearthed in 1998 and sold over 400,000 copies after airing on MTV. 10. If you've never seen her perform live before, now is your chance - Carey will be coming to Toronto this November with stops planned all around North America until March 2019.
Conclusion
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She can reach notes beyond the sixth octave with a vocal range spanning five octaves. She became famous through TV sketch comedy and, in 1992, released her debut studio album. She has since released 18 more albums, with her latest being this year's Caution. Other notable albums are the 1997 self-titled release, 1990's Emotions, 1993's MTV Unplugged, and 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi.
She owns horses and houses in New York City as well as Connecticut. As of this writing, she currently resides in her nine-million-dollar estate near Los Angeles. It includes a pool, home theater, wine cellar, and sauna, among other amenities. There have been many tabloid stories about her personal life, including affairs with dancer Tony Dovolani from Dancing With The Stars and speculation about money issues.
She may not be much for cooking, but it turns out she makes killer cocktails! The recipe was originally published in her second cookbook, Mariah Carey's Kitchen, back in 2009. Of course, we'll also include music suggestions if you're looking for something new to listen to while making your drinks.