Mariah Carey

While the world was still in awe of Taylor Swift’s 1989 album, Mariah Carey released her debut album, Mariah Carey. Since then, the pop queen has released nine more albums and had three more number one hits (‘One Sweet Day’, ‘My All Night Long’ and ‘Where Do I Begin’).

As one of the best-selling and most-acclaimed female artists of all time, Mariah Carey has undoubtedly had an impact on popular culture. Here are the important events in the life of the Grammy-winning artist.

1962: Born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Armenian immigrant parents

Mariah Carey was born Mariah Aleisha Careya on July 4, 1962 in Springfield, Massachusetts. She is the youngest of five children and the only girl. Her father, a former church organist turned construction worker, and mother, who died of cancer when Mariah was just thirteen years old, were always supportive of her artistic ambitions. They believed in her potential and saw her as a natural progression from her father, who was an accomplished pianist and organist.

When Mariah was just two years old, her family moved to New Jersey, where she grew up. She began singing during her childhood years and attended Ridgewood public school, where she was taught by a special music teacher. While in high school, she taught herself to play the guitar and spent her mornings writing songs.

1975: Begins recording career

Following her graduation from high school, Mariah Carey moved to New York City, determined to pursue a career in music. She sent out letters to various music companies seeking recording contracts, but received no replies. Undeterred, she approached Atlantic Records and offered to record a demo, which would be a gift to the company. The demo caught the attention of veteran music producer Mike Curb, who signed her to a record deal a few weeks later.

1977: Signs with Columbia Records

After signing with Atlantic, Mariah Carey released her debut album, Mariah Carey, which spent twelve weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number eighty-six. The album featured the Top 40 hit ‘Someday We’ll Be Together’, which went on to become Carey’s first number one hit. The album also produced a couple of other Top 40 hits including ‘Somethin’ Stupid’ and ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, which were later covered by country music superstar Kenny Rogers.

The following year, she released her second album, Mariah (Remember Me), which also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album’s first single, ‘Make It Work’, became a hit and was followed by another Top 40 hit, ‘Fantasy’. The album was certified platinum.

1980: Signs with Warner Bros. Records

In 1980, at the ripe old age of twenty, Mariah Carey signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. The label issued its first single from the album, ‘Vision Of Love’, which featured a sample from Barbra Streisand’s song ‘People.’ The song became a #1 hit in Canada and went on to become a Top 10 hit in the UK and Ireland. The song is also featured in the film Urban Legend, in which Carey’s character sings the song to another (portrayed by Christopher Walken). The song was later featured in the film, Xanadu, which starred Carey’s future husband, George Hamilton. The couple had been dating for two years at the time of the film’s release.

1981: Mariah Carey album sales breakthrough

The year 1981 was a monumental one for Mariah Carey and her fans. After taking a break from recording to have her first child, she returned with the album, Mariah Carey, which was released on January 14 that year. The record became the fastest selling album by a female solo artist in history, moving over 500,000 units in its first week. Three of its singles reached the Top 40, including the number one, ‘One Sweet Day’. In February 1981, the album was awarded a gold certification by the RIAA. Just like that, Mariah Carey’s recording career was born.

The album was eventually certified platinum, and as at 2016, has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. ‘One Sweet Day’, the album’s first single, has been covered by the likes of country music greats, the Jacksons, as well as Lady Gaga and Mandy Moore. And just like that, Mariah Carey was established as one of the greatest and most influential pop music artists of all time. She continues to influence new generations of artists today.

1982: First UK number one single with ‘Sober’

In 1982, Mariah Carey became the first solo female artist to have a number one album in the UK when she had her second album, Mariah (Remember Me), released there. The album, which featured the minor hit ‘Underneath The Christmas Tree’, went on to sell over 500,000 copies in the UK and was later certified platinum. The album gave singer-songwriter Madonna her first major US number one hit with ‘Causing A Commotion’. Other major UK hits included ‘Vision Of Love’ and the title track, which continues to receive regular play on BBC Radio 2.

1985: Wedding to record producer Nick Cannon

Although she was never particularly private about her personal life, Mariah Carey and her fans were still in the dark about her engagement to recording producer and television personality, Nick Cannon. The couple had met while working on a television pilot together in 1984 and had been dating ever since. Cannon had previously proposed marriage to Carey in a recording studio, however, she had turned him down. They eventually wed in a lavish ceremony in 1985, which was followed by a happy family life with Cannon’s three children with ex-wife Vanessa Williams.

1987: Last UK number one single ‘Always’

The following year, 1988, was a landmark one for Mariah Carey. With her husband, Nick Cannon, by her side, she became a mother for the first time, welcoming a baby daughter, Monroe. In September that year, she had another daughter, Moroccan, with singer/actor George Hamilton.

Carey’s greatest UK hit came in October 1988, with the album, Merry Christmas, a number one Christmas album that spawned four top ten singles. The lead single, ‘No One Can Love You’, features actress and singer Joan Collins. The album also features cover versions of Cliff Richard and the Beatles’ ‘Christmas Time Is Here’. In 2015, the album was ranked number eight on the Top 100 Albums of All Time list, made famous for its countdown of the top 100 songs of all time. The album has been reissued a number of times, reaching number five on the Top 100 Best-Selling Albums in the UK in 1989 and 1998, and becoming the best-selling album by a female artist in the UK ever. It was also certified platinum in the UK and Ireland in 1989 and 1998, and gold in Poland in 2012.

1989: First US number one album with ‘Vision Of Love’

Mariah Carey became the first female solo artist to top the Billboard 200 in 1989 with her album, Vision Of Love, which also became her first US number one album. The album went on to sell over 2.5 million copies in the US and was eventually certified platinum. Its first single, ‘Vision Of Love’, went on to become Carey’s signature song and has been covered by numerous artists, including Celine Dion and Natalie Cole, as well as Boyz II Men and the S.O.S. Band. A year after its release, ‘Vision Of Love’ was ranked number two on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Song Covers.

1990s: Continued chart dominance and album sales

It wasn’t just chart success that the 1990s had in store for Mariah Carey. Her third album, Merry Christmas, became one of the best-selling holiday albums of all time. Its lead single, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, went on to become her biggest hit to date and has been covered by numerous artists, including Michael Bolton and the Boys Choir of Harlem. In 1992, the album was again awarded a platinum certification in the UK, and in 2008, was named one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by the American Library Association, alongside other classic holiday albums by Carpenters and Lennon/McCartney.