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 Date of Birth: March 27, 1970
Place of Birth: Huntington, New York, USA
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5 ' 9 "
Family:
Father: Alfred Roy Carey
Mother: Patricia Hickey
Sister: Alison
Brother: Morgan
Mariah Carey 's mother is Irish/American and a former opera singer with the New York City Opera and a vocal coach. Mariah's father is African-American/Venezuelan. Maria's parents divorced when she was only three years old. Due to her Irish/African-American/Venezuelan descent, Mariah encountered some racial discrimination while growing up. One day when her mother was rehearsing her role of Maddalena in Verdi's Opera Rigolettos, she heard Mariah imitating her singing. Mariah Carey was only 3 at the time, but her mom began teaching her how to develop her voice. Mariah didn't concentrate much on her education in high school, and she frequently skiped classes. Before her big break, she completed 500 hours of beauty school.
Mariah Carey graduated from high school in 1987, and moved to New York in order to pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer. She spent hours writing music and making demo tapes. Then in 1988, one of Mariah's friends, who played the drums for Brenda K. Starr, asked her to try out as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. Mariah got the job and one day, while she was singing for Starr, Sony record executive producer, Tommy Mottola, was recieved Mariah Carey's demo tape. Thanks to her debut album, Mariah Carey landed at No. 1 with four of her singles and won a couple of Grammys. The following two albums, Emotions (1991) and Unplugged (1992), were just as successful. Mariah Carey married Tommy Mottola on June 5, 1993. Media were quick to criticize the age difference between the couple. Tommy is 20 years older then Mariah. The couple divorced in March 1998.
Mariah Carey got involved with the inner-city youth, donating large quantities of time and money. The project was later renamed "Camp Mariah." The camp is for urban youth who rarely get the chance to experience nature and embrace the arts. Mariah's 4:th and 5:th album, Music Box (1993), and Merry Christmas (1994), burned up the charts just as strongly as did her previous releases. In 1995, she released Daydream, which earned her 6 Grammy nominations. In 1997, she released the album Butterfly and in 1999, she released Rainbow. Mariah played a small part in The Bachelor (1999), starring Renee Zellweger. She can also be seen in the film Glitter (2001), which chronicled the rise of a singer in the 1980s. While promoting the film and its soundtrack album, Mariah Carey suffered from a "physical and emotional breakdown." She was shortley hospitalized, and was back in form to appear on television's America: A Tribute to Heroes. Glitter did poorly at the box office, and even the soundtrack didn't come close to matching the sales of her previous releases. At the same time Virgin Records dissolved its contract with her, paying her $28 million to walk away. Mariah can add Wisegirls, co-starring Mira Sorvino, to her acting resume.
Mariah Carey got a new record deal with Island Def Jam (part of Universal Music Group). Her release Charmbracelet, proves that she still has the vocal to stay in the business. She is also busy with the start of her own label, MonarC. In 2005, Mariah Carey's single We Belong Together was recorded the best-ever one day listener figure after it registered with 31.2 million listeners on American radio in a single day.
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