Saturday, May 1, 2010
Lady Gaga Compares To 'Nightmare' Killer Freddy Krueger In This Week's Fashion Friday!
Every week, Hollywood Crush will take a look at some of Lady Gaga's most memorable fashions in what we're calling "Gaga Fashion Friday." Whether it's something new she's dazzling us with that week or a vintage style, we'll bring you the insider scoop on every wacky moment the pop star has left us all talking about.
In case you never thought about it, Lady Gaga and Freddy Krueger have a lot in common. OK, well not really, but Freddy is a monster and Gaga has little monsters. Not only that, but Gaga certainly has some monster like fashion qualities.
Freddy Krueger has hands with razor-like claws and in the "Bad Romance" video, Gaga wears sunglasses made of razors. Also, Krueger was burned in a fire, and in that same video, Gaga plays with fire. And, in that video she's sitting in a tub, and Krueger has been known to sneak up on people in tubs.
Plus, Gaga has killed her fair share of people — uh, in videos that is. She killed off her beau, "True Blood" hottie Alexander Skarsgard, in the "Paparazzi" video. And, she helped Beyonce poison her BF in the "Telephone" video, where she "accidentally" killed everyone else in the diner.
So, while Gaga and Krueger aren't exactly the same, we have to say that Gaga sometimes can be a little terrifying!
Sex and the City 2
Series runner Michael Patrick King returns to pen the sequel to the 2008 blockbuster movie adaptation of HBO's Sex and the City with this Warner Bros. production, re-teaming the vivacious stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis once again for another glitzy romp through... New York City high-life living. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide Read Full Summary»
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, View All »
Director Michael Patrick King
Theatrical Release 5/28/2010 (USA)
Rated R
Released By New Line Cinema, Warner Bros.
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
Formed in 2006 by Charles Kelley (brother of singer/songwriter Josh Kelley), Hillary Scott (daughter of Grammy-winning country artist Linda Davis), and Dave Haywood,
Lady Antebellum makes contemporary country music that relies on the trio's rich harmonies and impeccable instrumental skills. Since its inception, the trio has graduated from dive bars to the Grand Ole Opry, opening for Phil Vassar, Rodney Atkins, and Carrie Underwood along the way. The group signed with Capitol Nashville in 2007 and released its first single, "Love Don't Live Here," which peaked at number three on the country charts. A self-titled debut album followed in April 2008, featuring production from Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley and stocked with more country hits (including the chart-topping single "I Run To You," which also enjoyed crossover success as a Top 40 pop hit).
Within a year and a half, Lady Antebellum's debut had gone platinum and earned a Grammy nomination, and the band enjoyed its newfound success while putting the finishing touches on a second album. Need You Now appeared in early 2010, and its leadoff single -- "Need You Now" -- became the group's highest-charting song to date, topping the country charts and peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It eventually sold over three million copies. The album experienced similar success, going gold during its second week of release and reaching platinum status soon after. ~ James Christopher Monger & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
"A Nightmare on Elm Street
'A Nightmare On Elm Street' Haunts The Competition In The Saturday Box Office Report
Posted 1 hr ago by Josh Wigler in Box Office
1. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" ($15.8 million)
2. "How To Train Your Dragon" ($2.6 million)
3. "Date Night" ($2.5 million)
4. "The Back-Up Plan" ($2.4 million)
5. "The Losers" ($1.9 million)
One, two, Freddy's coming for you — well, really just one, as the big screen return of the clawed dream stalker catapulted the "Nightmare on Elm Street" remake to first place at the box office on Friday with a $15.8 million haul, more than $10 million ahead of all the other weekend competitors.
Starring Jackie Earle Haley in the nightmarish role originally played by Robert Englund, "Nightmare on Elm Street" earned an impressive $1.6 million from midnight showings on Thursday alone, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily. Those numbers earn "Nightmare" the record for best midnight opening for a horror movie, previously held by the "Friday the 13th" remake in 2009 with $1 million.
Judging by Friday's performance, Krueger's comeback could easily bring home over $30 million by the end of the weekend. Such a result would be quite impressive not only because of the film's reported $35 million production budget, but also because "Nightmare" has received a rather harsh lashing from critics with a current 15% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Coming in second place was "How To Train Your Dragon," DreamWorks Animation's latest family film with so much proven staying power that the company has already arranged for a sequel, television series, arena show and online virtual world.
"Date Night" and "The Back-Up Plan" came in third and fourth place with $2.5 million and $2.4 million respectively, while "The Losers" snagged the fifth place slot with $1.9 million.
Brendan Fraser's incoming "Furry Vengeance" won't get its revenge, landing softly in sixth place with only $1.7 million.
Tell us what you think of the results in the comments section and on Twitter!
Tags A Nightmare On Elm Street, Date Night, how to train your dragon, The Back-Up Plan, The Losers
Posted 1 hr ago by Josh Wigler in Box Office
1. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" ($15.8 million)
2. "How To Train Your Dragon" ($2.6 million)
3. "Date Night" ($2.5 million)
4. "The Back-Up Plan" ($2.4 million)
5. "The Losers" ($1.9 million)
One, two, Freddy's coming for you — well, really just one, as the big screen return of the clawed dream stalker catapulted the "Nightmare on Elm Street" remake to first place at the box office on Friday with a $15.8 million haul, more than $10 million ahead of all the other weekend competitors.
Starring Jackie Earle Haley in the nightmarish role originally played by Robert Englund, "Nightmare on Elm Street" earned an impressive $1.6 million from midnight showings on Thursday alone, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily. Those numbers earn "Nightmare" the record for best midnight opening for a horror movie, previously held by the "Friday the 13th" remake in 2009 with $1 million.
Judging by Friday's performance, Krueger's comeback could easily bring home over $30 million by the end of the weekend. Such a result would be quite impressive not only because of the film's reported $35 million production budget, but also because "Nightmare" has received a rather harsh lashing from critics with a current 15% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Coming in second place was "How To Train Your Dragon," DreamWorks Animation's latest family film with so much proven staying power that the company has already arranged for a sequel, television series, arena show and online virtual world.
"Date Night" and "The Back-Up Plan" came in third and fourth place with $2.5 million and $2.4 million respectively, while "The Losers" snagged the fifth place slot with $1.9 million.
Brendan Fraser's incoming "Furry Vengeance" won't get its revenge, landing softly in sixth place with only $1.7 million.
Tell us what you think of the results in the comments section and on Twitter!
Tags A Nightmare On Elm Street, Date Night, how to train your dragon, The Back-Up Plan, The Losers
Predators
Predators
.
...Movie Details ..Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez tackles producing duties for a revamp of the Predator film series with this 20th Century Fox/Troublemaker Studios production focusing on a human survival adventure set on the Predator's home planet. Kontroll's Nimród Antal directs from a script by Alex Litvak and Michael... Finch, with Adrien Brody heading up an international cast filled out by Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Louiz Ozawa. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide Read Full Summary»
.Starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, View All »
Director Nimród Antal
Theatrical Release 7/9/2010 (USA)
Released By 20th Century Fox
.
...Movie Details ..Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez tackles producing duties for a revamp of the Predator film series with this 20th Century Fox/Troublemaker Studios production focusing on a human survival adventure set on the Predator's home planet. Kontroll's Nimród Antal directs from a script by Alex Litvak and Michael... Finch, with Adrien Brody heading up an international cast filled out by Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Louiz Ozawa. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide Read Full Summary»
.Starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, View All »
Director Nimród Antal
Theatrical Release 7/9/2010 (USA)
Released By 20th Century Fox
Nicolas Cage Buys Himself a Pyramid
Cage's unusual mausoleum visit.
Splashnews.com Nicolas Cage's latest property purchase isn't a new mansion or a shiny car -- it's a giant mausoleum in the shape of a pyramid.
Cage commissioned the 9-foot tall tomb to sit inside a New Orleans cemetery with the stipulation that it serve as his final resting place. The actor is known for being a devotee of the Louisiana city, and is the former owner of several homes inside its city limits.
Why the pharaoh-grave? It's probably no coincidence that a pyramid is the logo associated with Cage's popular film franchise "National Treasure." In the movies, Cage plays a noted cryptologist with a fascination with the mysteries of ancient civilizations.
The extravagant purchase comes during a time of financial stress for Cage. His Bel Air home foreclosed earlier this month after an unsuccessful courthouse auction failed to attract the minimum bid of $10.4 million. The foreclosure was the latest straw in a pattern of financial strain for the Cage family.
Cage was hit with a $5 million tax bill earlier this year, allegedly due to mismanagement by his financial adviser. He's been forced to sell off many of his homes, dumping a medieval German castle, a Rhode Island estate and a Bahamian island.
Cage's mausoleum.
Splashnews.com It's been reported that fellow A-lister Johnny Depp has offered support to Cage, pledging to give "whatever it takes" to dig his friend out of trouble.
Cage is partly responsible for jump-starting Depp's career, having been friends with the future Jack Sparrow since he was a young unknown. Cage introduced Johnny to his own agent, which swiftly garnered Depp a spot in "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
See Cage's Wild Movie Hairstyles
While a pyramid-shaped tomb is certainly not a run-of-the-mill purchase, Cage is no stranger to eccentric behavior. The actor recently dyed his hair a shocking platinum blonde in order to get in touch with his "Celtic roots." And let's not forget his young son, whom he named Kal-El -- the birth moniker of Superman.
When Cage is not buying and selling houses or checking in on his final resting place, he's hard at work. Currently he can be seen in an action-packed comic tale in which he memorializes his strange behavior on the big screen.
Follow omg! on Twitter
More Yahoo! Entertainment News:
Splashnews.com Nicolas Cage's latest property purchase isn't a new mansion or a shiny car -- it's a giant mausoleum in the shape of a pyramid.
Cage commissioned the 9-foot tall tomb to sit inside a New Orleans cemetery with the stipulation that it serve as his final resting place. The actor is known for being a devotee of the Louisiana city, and is the former owner of several homes inside its city limits.
Why the pharaoh-grave? It's probably no coincidence that a pyramid is the logo associated with Cage's popular film franchise "National Treasure." In the movies, Cage plays a noted cryptologist with a fascination with the mysteries of ancient civilizations.
The extravagant purchase comes during a time of financial stress for Cage. His Bel Air home foreclosed earlier this month after an unsuccessful courthouse auction failed to attract the minimum bid of $10.4 million. The foreclosure was the latest straw in a pattern of financial strain for the Cage family.
Cage was hit with a $5 million tax bill earlier this year, allegedly due to mismanagement by his financial adviser. He's been forced to sell off many of his homes, dumping a medieval German castle, a Rhode Island estate and a Bahamian island.
Cage's mausoleum.
Splashnews.com It's been reported that fellow A-lister Johnny Depp has offered support to Cage, pledging to give "whatever it takes" to dig his friend out of trouble.
Cage is partly responsible for jump-starting Depp's career, having been friends with the future Jack Sparrow since he was a young unknown. Cage introduced Johnny to his own agent, which swiftly garnered Depp a spot in "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
See Cage's Wild Movie Hairstyles
While a pyramid-shaped tomb is certainly not a run-of-the-mill purchase, Cage is no stranger to eccentric behavior. The actor recently dyed his hair a shocking platinum blonde in order to get in touch with his "Celtic roots." And let's not forget his young son, whom he named Kal-El -- the birth moniker of Superman.
When Cage is not buying and selling houses or checking in on his final resting place, he's hard at work. Currently he can be seen in an action-packed comic tale in which he memorializes his strange behavior on the big screen.
Follow omg! on Twitter
More Yahoo! Entertainment News:
Friday, March 19, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Akon
(born Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam), (pronounced /ˈeɪkɒn/),[1] is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up”, the first single from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination of the single "Smack That". He has since found two record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. He is known as one of the most successful and versatile R&B singers of the 21st century, grossing over 30 million dollars a year according to Forbes. Akon often sings hooks for other artists and is currently accredited with over 300 guest appearances and 40 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.[2] He has had 6 Grammy Awards nominations and has produced many hits for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O'Donis and Leona Lewis.
Contents [hide]
1 Background
1.1 Early life
1.2 Personal life and allegations
2 Career
2.1 2004–05: Debut: Trouble
2.2 2006–07: Konvicted
2.2.1 Legal difficulties
2.3 2008–09: Freedom
2.4 2010–present: Stadium Music
2.5 Featured Projects
2.5.1 Projects with other artists
2.6 Television and film
2.7 Fashion
3 Discography
4 Awards and nominations
4.1 American Music Awards
4.2 Grammy Awards
4.3 MTV Video Music Awards
4.4 World Music Awards
4.5 Premios Lo Nuestro
5 Tours
6 References
7 External links
Background
Akon has claimed in interviews that his full name is Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam[3] although there is some ambiguity and debate about Akon's legal name and birth date. Akon is usually credited as Aliaune Thiam.[4][5] In addition to the longer form, Akon's full name has been reported both as Aliaune Badara Thiam and Alioune Badara Thiam [6] and About.com claims that this middle name has never been independently verified.[7] In regards to his birth date, some media institutions have reported that Akon was born in 1981. Other sources, including the AP, have indicated that Akon was born in 1973 and was delivered by Senegalese doctor Magueye Seck.
Legal documents released by The Smoking Gun list Akon's name as Aliaune Damala Thiam and his date of birth as 1973-04-30[8] or 1973-04-16,[9] however the BBC states he was born on 14 October 1981. It has since been reported by various media sources that he was born in 1977.
Early life
As the son of Senegalese percussionist Mor Thiam, Akon was raised in a musical setting and taught to play several instruments including the djembe. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., so that he would not have to go through the immigration process, but he lived in Dakar, Senegal until the age of 7, split time between America and Senegal until he was 15, then he moved permanently to Jersey City, New Jersey.[10]
During Akon's alleged time in jail for three years, he began to understand his music abilities and developed an appreciation for his musical background. Akon's unique blend of West-African-style, skills and moves eventually caught the ears of executives at Universal. Akon began writing and recording tracks in his home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which released Akon's debut LP Trouble in June 2004. The album is a hybrid of Akon's silky, West African-styled vocals mixed with East Coast and Southern beats. Most of Akon's songs begin with the sound of the clank of a jail cell's door with him uttering the word "Konvict".[11]
Personal life and allegations
He has also been rumored to have three wives, however he has since revealed that he only has one, named Tomeka. Akon claims he has six children with three different women in an interview with Blender.[12] Akon claims to have great relationships with all his children, and that he wishes to keep his family protected from the public eye. He also states that his religion made him a better person, and provides guidance to how he acts among others in life.[13]
He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation.[14] Akon owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of blood diamonds (also known as "conflict diamonds") saying, "I don't believe in conflict diamonds. That's just a movie. Think about it. Nobody thought or cared about conflict diamonds until "Blood Diamond" was released. "[15] However, he has since stated that he does accept that blood diamonds exist, and that he is partial-owner of an African mine that is dedicated to avoiding use of blood diamonds while also donating profits to local communities.[16]
"The Smoking Gun" reported in April 2008 that much of Akon's purported criminal and incarceration history has been dramatically embellished.[17][18][19] In particular, Akon's claims to be part of an auto-theft ring and his claim to have spent three years in prison were challenged with court records and interviews with detectives involved in Akon's case.
According to "The Smoking Gun's" article, Akon was not convicted of any crime and did not serve any time in prison from 1999 to 2002 as previously claimed. He stated that "The Smoking Gun's" attempt to “discredit” him “makes no sense as it is something he is trying to forget.” Akon retorted that he never spent 3 years in prison consecutively, but many shorter sentences that add up to three years, and cites that as the mis-understanding by The Smoking Gun's article [20]
Career
2004–05: Debut: Trouble
Akon's solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29, 2004. It spawned the singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely", "Belly Dancer (Bananza)", "Pot Of Gold", and "Ghetto." The album was the first release of his new record label Konvict Music. The inspiration for his debut single allegedly came from his three-year stint in prison for ‘grand theft auto’.[4] "Locked Up" reached the top 10 in the U.S. and the top five in the UK. "Ghetto" became a radio hit when it was remixed by DJ Green Lantern to include verses from rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.
In 2005, he released the single "Lonely" (which samples Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely"). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April, 2005. When music channel The Box had a top ten weekly chart, which was calculated by the amount of video requests, Akon's "Lonely" became the longest running single on the top of the chart, spanning over fifteen weeks. Akon then released another single featuring with a New Zealand rapper, Savage with the single Moonshine, which had become a success in both New Zealand and Australia, becoming number one in the New Zealand charts. In 2005, He made his first critically acclaimed guest appearance on Young Jeezy's debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, with the song "Soul Survivor." In December the same year his manager, Robert Montanez was killed in a shooting after a dispute in New Jersey.
2006–07: Konvicted
Akon performing with Gwen Stefani on The Sweet Escape Tour.Akon's second album, Konvicted was released on November 14, 2006. It included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P. The first single "Smack That" featuring Eminem was released in August 2006 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. "I Wanna Love You," (featuring Snoop Dogg) was the second single released in September, it would go on to earn Akon his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and Snoop's second. "I Wanna Love You" topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2007, a third single "Don't Matter" which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper was released. "Mama Africa" was released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth overall single from the album reaching just 47 in the UK.
To coincide with the release of the Platinum (deluxe) edition of the album "Sorry, Blame It on Me" was the album's fifth single, debuted in August 2007 on the Hot 100 at number seven. The deluxe version was fully released on August 28, 2007. The final single was confirmed by Akon to be "Never Took the Time."[21] Konvicted debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U.S. and more than 1.3 million worldwide. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum. It stayed in the top twenty of the Billboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks and peaked at number two on four different occasions. On November 20, 2007, the RIAA certified the album ‘triple platinum’ with 3 million units sold in the US. It has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
On October 5, 2006, Akon broke a record on the Hot 100, as he achieved the largest climb in the chart's 48-year-history with "Smack That" jumping from number 95 to 7. The leap was fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000 downloads. The record has since been broken several times. In December 2006, Akon's "Smack That" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T.I.'s "My Love".
Legal difficulties
In April 2007, Akon drew criticism for an onstage act which included simulated sex with Danah (Deena) Alleyne, a preacher's daughter aged 15 at the time, at a club in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a fake contest, despite the club's claim to have a 21 years and over age limit.[22][23] The incident was filmed by Akon's crew and later uploaded to the Internet. On April 20, 2007 local media, channel TV6, aired the video clip publicly. Amid criticism on the radio, television, and from the blogosphere, Verizon Wireless removed ringtones featuring Akon's songs. Verizon also decided not to sponsor The Sweet Escape Tour where Akon was to be the opening act for Gwen Stefani.[24] However, Universal Music Group did not take action against Akon, but rather simply ordered the video clip be removed from video-sharing site YouTube due to copyright infringement. Conservative commentator and Parents Television Council founder Brent Bozell called this "corporate irresponsibility."[25]
Political commentators Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Bill O'Reilly criticized Akon for "degrading women."[26][27] Malkin uploaded commentary about Akon to YouTube, using footage from music videos and the Trinidad concert, and Universal Music Group then forced its removal by issuing a DMCA takedown notice.[28] The Electronic Frontier Foundation joined Malkin in contesting the removal as a misuse of copyright law, citing fair use.[29] In May 2007, UMG rescinded its claim to the video, and the video returned to YouTube.
On June 3, 2007, at WSPK's KFEST concert at the Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York, a concert attendee threw an object towards Akon on stage. Akon asked the crowd to identify who threw the object and that he be brought on stage. Security staff grabbed the young man and took him up to the stage. Akon then pulled him up from the crowd and hoisted him across his shoulders. The singer then tossed the attendee back into the crowd from his shoulders. Video of the incident was reviewed by Fishkill police.[30] Akon has claimed that the incident was staged and that he in fact used the act to set up for the next record.[31] Charges of endangering the welfare of a minor, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harassment, a violation, were filed, according to police Chief Donald F. Williams, and Akon was arraigned the two charges on December 3, 2007 in the town of Fishkill Court.[32]
2008–09: Freedom
Akon released his new album Freedom on December 2, which spawned four singles: "Right Now (Na Na Na)", "I'm So Paid" (featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy), "Beautiful" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis) and "We Don't Care", We Don't Care has failed to chart significantly in many countries, only reaching 61 in the UK and 91 in Australia so far. After the unexpected death of The King Of Pop Michael Jackson, who Akon was working with in Jackson's last years, Akon released a tribute song called "Cry Out Of Joy". Akon & Michael Jackson were close friends near the end of Jackon's life.
Speaking of his relationship with Michael Jackson to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in October 2008, Akon stated: "Mike is the King Of Pop, and I think that it's a dream come true for ANY major artist/songwriter/producer to be able to work with the best in the business! You know, to work with someone like Mike – who's created opportunities, opened doors for so many people, and achieved so much in the music world, period – is just an experience which would be enough to take home for ANYONE! I mean, when I first flew up to Vegas and met him it was almost like we'd known each other for YEARS! LITERALLY! 'Cause musically we were on the same exact page! The chemistry was just INCREDIBLE! And, as a person, he was the most cool, humble dude I've ever met! I mean, we even actually got to go to the movies together – in broad daylight! Which was an experience in itself!"[33]
David Guetta collaborated with Akon in Sexy Bitch, a first house track by Akon, and has been a "summer anthem" across the globe. Reaching #1 in more than 6 countries, and charting at 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 , it is featured on Guetta's One Love album. Which has made it his 19th Top 20 hit worldwide.
2010–present: Stadium Music
Akon's fourth studio album, Stadium Music is set for a 2010 release.[34] The first single off of Stadium Music is rumored to be "Nosy Neighbor," which is produced by David Guetta.
Featured Projects
Projects with other artists
In 2006, Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records. His first signed artist was Ray Lavender.
He was featured on Gwen Stefani's latest album, The Sweet Escape. He made an appearance on the title track and second single, "The Sweet Escape." Akon produced the song. On December 10, 2006, Akon and Stefani appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live, however they did not perform the song as Stefani had not yet learned the lyrics. He performed the song live, however, on American Idol on March 28, 2007 due to Gwen Stefani's appearance as a coach the night before. "The Sweet Escape" has reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Akon collaborated with Chamillionaire on his mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2, featuring on the track “Ridin' Overseas” which he also produced. The mixtape was available for download on Chamillionaire's website from December 24, 2006.
In 2006, after their 2005 Akon-produced single, "Soul Survivor," the duo said that there is a lot more to expect from them in the future. The pair announced there are currently plans for a collaborative album.[35][36]
Akon also appeared on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's album Strength and Loyalty and Three 6 Mafia's eighth studio album, Last 2 Walk, We The Best by DJ Khaled, Fabolous's album, From Nothin' to Somethin', with 50 Cent on some tracks for Curtis,[37] T.I.'s 5th album, T.I. vs. T.I.P.,[38] Mario's third solo album Go!,[39] and produced with Daddy Yankee" in the song called "Bring It On" on the album called El Cartel: The Big Boss which was released on June 5, 2007.[40]
On July 7, 2007 Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth.
In November 2007, Akon recorded a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Michael Jackson. In February 2008, the remix was released on the 25th anniversary rerelease of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Akon produced the track entitled "Echo" on Latin Boy band Menudo's latest album, released in the spring of 2008.
‘Konvict Music’ would be responsible for the re-release of Kat Deluna’s debut album 9 Lives (album) which would feature Akon on the single "Am I Dreaming."
He was also in a song with Aventura & Wisin Y Yandel called "All up 2 you".
In July 2008 a song called "Hold My Hand" circulated the internet. The song is an R&B duet/collaboration between Michael Jackson and Akon, composed by Claude Kelly. There also exists another version featuring only Akon. There is also no official mention of the recording on either artists' websites although Akon has spoken about the track on various other websites. It was not included in the track list for Freedom as Akon previously stated. During an interview with Tavis Smiley, Akon said that Jackson had planned on a high-profile release including a music video until the track had leaked. This is Jackson's last known song before he died on June 25, 2009. In late July of that year a Tribute song by Akon known as "Cry Out Of Joy" was leaked onto the internet.
Akon was also the executive producer of Kardinal Offishall's fourth solo album Not 4 Sale, released September 9, 2008. The promo single "Graveyard Shift" features Akon as does the first single "Dangerous", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.
Akon co-wrote and recorded "Put It on My Tab" with New Kids on the Block for their 2008 reunion album The Block.[41]
Akon co-wrote and produced Leona Lewis' hit record Forgive Me, off her debut album Spirit.
He is currently working with X Factor 2008 winner Alexandra Burke on her upcoming debut album.
Akon co-produced Konvict Muzik artist Lady Gaga's first studio album The Fame and co-wrote & produced the worldwide smash-hit "Just Dance", which also featured Colby O'Donis and earned a Grammy nomination at the 51st Grammy Awards. This was earned the both young Konvict Muzik artists their first Grammy Nominations and has reached #1 in more than 14 countries, including Australia, UK & the U.S.
Flo Rida’s new album R.O.O.T.S. features Akon on the track “Available”.
Akon has recorded a song with E-40 titled "Wake It Up" for E-40's album, The Ball Street Journal. Akon experiments with the auto-tune effect in the song.
Rap singer Nelly confirmed that Akon, Pharrell, and T-Pain have talked about forming a rap supergroup in 2009.[42]
Akon and Konvict Muzik are also producing hip hop/rock group Flipsyde's 2009 release, State of Survival, which will be released via Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records.[43]
Akon worked with Whitney Houston for her 2009 comeback album I Look to You. He appears on the track "Like I Never Left".[44]
Akon worked with bachata group Aventura and Reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel on All Up 2 You the second single from Aventura's album The Lastthat dropped in June.
Akon recently signed Jayko, a Hispanic R&B and Reggaeton artist, to his label and is working with him on his debut album titled "Marcando Territorio"
Sexy Bitch was released in July 2009, a collaboration with French DJ David Guetta.
In August 2009, Akon released another version of Beautiful featuring BoA, a popular and legendary Korean singer. However, this version was for the Japanese market.
Akon also sang in a song with Colby O'Donis called "What You Got".
In 2009 Akon collaborates with Pitbull on the single "Shut It Down" from the album "Rebelution".
In 2010 he is one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Television and film
Akon has confirmed that a reality television show is in the works. It will be called "My Brother's Keeper" and the point is that Akon's two nearly identical brothers will go around in Atlanta posing as him fooling people into thinking that it is in fact Akon. They will try to get VIP treatment, girls and free things. Akon has claimed that people have mistaken his brothers for him many times in Atlanta which is what the show is based on.[31]
Akon is planning to work on a full-length movie titled Illegal Alien. The film is based on some of the events of his life and actor Mekhi Phifer is set to play him. Besides Akon confirmed in August 2007, in the interview with Polish website INTERIA.PL, that he works on a movie "Cocaine Cowboys," which tells the story of Jon Roberts, the main pilot of Medellin Cartel (Colombian drug traffickers).[45] He was also featured on a Verizon Wireless commercial and singing Snitch along with Obie Trice on a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode named "Poppin' Tags."
On November 30, 2007, Akon entered the Big Brother house in Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as a guest so the housemates can meet him for only 100 seconds.
He also appeared on November 17, 2008 edition of WWE Raw, with Santino Marella citing him in his speech. Because of Santino's Italian Stereotyping, he mispronounced Akon's name to "Akorn".
On April 27, 2008, Akon appeared with Colby O'Donis in Dance on Sunset.
On January 27, 2010, Akon performed on the brazilian reality show Big Brother Brasil[46].
Fashion
In February 2007, Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, t-shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high-end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items. Timothy Hodge appeared on MTV's Direct Effect alongside Akon while promotioning the Konvict clothing line.[47]
Discography
Main article: Akon discography
Trouble (2004)
Konvicted (2006)
Freedom (2008)
Stadium Music (2010)
Awards and nominations
Akon awards and nominations Award Wins Nominations
American Music Awards 1 3
Grammy Awards 0 5
MTV Video Music Awards 0 4
Totals
Awards won 1
Nominations 12
Akon received four Grammy Award nominations in 2008, including Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "The Sweet Escape" with Gwen Stefani, Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Bartender" with T-Pain, Best Contemporary R&B Album for Konvicted, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with "I Wanna Love You" with Snoop Dogg. The only award that Akon has received is Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist from the American Music Awards in 2007. Overall, Akon has received one award from twelve nominations.
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Akon has received one award from three nominations.[48][49]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2007 Akon Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist Won
Artist of the Year Nominated
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist Nominated
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Akon has received five nominations.[48][50]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2007 "Smack That" (with Eminem) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated
2008 "The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Nominated
"Bartender" (with T-Pain) Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Nominated
Konvicted Best Contemporary R&B Album Nominated
"I Wanna Love You" (with Snoop Dogg) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Akon has received four nominations.[48][51][52]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2005 "Locked Up" MTV2 Award Nominated
2007 Akon Male Artist of the Year Nominated
"Smack That" (with Eminem) Most Earthshattering Collaboration Nominated
"The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) Most Earthshattering Collaboration Nominated
World Music Awards
In 2007 Akon won three World Music Awards:
(1) Best Selling R&B Male Artist
(2) Best Selling African Artist
(3) Best Selling Internet Artist.
In 2008 Akon won:
(1) Best Selling African Artist
Note: Akon also won Artist Of The Year in 2007 by the Billboard Music Awards
Premios Lo Nuestro
Year Nominated work Award Result
2010 "All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) Urban Song of the Year Nominated
"All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) Video Collaboration of the Year Nominated
Tours
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania One-off Concert (2006).[53]
Konvicted Tour (July to September 2007, then additional dates in 2008)
The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani (April to July 2007)
The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna (Canadian-leg only, September – December 2008).
Konvict Muzik Tour with T-Pain, Australia only, October 26–27 2009.
Brazilian Mini-Tour, (Brazil, January 2010)
Contents [hide]
1 Background
1.1 Early life
1.2 Personal life and allegations
2 Career
2.1 2004–05: Debut: Trouble
2.2 2006–07: Konvicted
2.2.1 Legal difficulties
2.3 2008–09: Freedom
2.4 2010–present: Stadium Music
2.5 Featured Projects
2.5.1 Projects with other artists
2.6 Television and film
2.7 Fashion
3 Discography
4 Awards and nominations
4.1 American Music Awards
4.2 Grammy Awards
4.3 MTV Video Music Awards
4.4 World Music Awards
4.5 Premios Lo Nuestro
5 Tours
6 References
7 External links
Background
Akon has claimed in interviews that his full name is Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam[3] although there is some ambiguity and debate about Akon's legal name and birth date. Akon is usually credited as Aliaune Thiam.[4][5] In addition to the longer form, Akon's full name has been reported both as Aliaune Badara Thiam and Alioune Badara Thiam [6] and About.com claims that this middle name has never been independently verified.[7] In regards to his birth date, some media institutions have reported that Akon was born in 1981. Other sources, including the AP, have indicated that Akon was born in 1973 and was delivered by Senegalese doctor Magueye Seck.
Legal documents released by The Smoking Gun list Akon's name as Aliaune Damala Thiam and his date of birth as 1973-04-30[8] or 1973-04-16,[9] however the BBC states he was born on 14 October 1981. It has since been reported by various media sources that he was born in 1977.
Early life
As the son of Senegalese percussionist Mor Thiam, Akon was raised in a musical setting and taught to play several instruments including the djembe. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., so that he would not have to go through the immigration process, but he lived in Dakar, Senegal until the age of 7, split time between America and Senegal until he was 15, then he moved permanently to Jersey City, New Jersey.[10]
During Akon's alleged time in jail for three years, he began to understand his music abilities and developed an appreciation for his musical background. Akon's unique blend of West-African-style, skills and moves eventually caught the ears of executives at Universal. Akon began writing and recording tracks in his home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which released Akon's debut LP Trouble in June 2004. The album is a hybrid of Akon's silky, West African-styled vocals mixed with East Coast and Southern beats. Most of Akon's songs begin with the sound of the clank of a jail cell's door with him uttering the word "Konvict".[11]
Personal life and allegations
He has also been rumored to have three wives, however he has since revealed that he only has one, named Tomeka. Akon claims he has six children with three different women in an interview with Blender.[12] Akon claims to have great relationships with all his children, and that he wishes to keep his family protected from the public eye. He also states that his religion made him a better person, and provides guidance to how he acts among others in life.[13]
He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation.[14] Akon owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of blood diamonds (also known as "conflict diamonds") saying, "I don't believe in conflict diamonds. That's just a movie. Think about it. Nobody thought or cared about conflict diamonds until "Blood Diamond" was released. "[15] However, he has since stated that he does accept that blood diamonds exist, and that he is partial-owner of an African mine that is dedicated to avoiding use of blood diamonds while also donating profits to local communities.[16]
"The Smoking Gun" reported in April 2008 that much of Akon's purported criminal and incarceration history has been dramatically embellished.[17][18][19] In particular, Akon's claims to be part of an auto-theft ring and his claim to have spent three years in prison were challenged with court records and interviews with detectives involved in Akon's case.
According to "The Smoking Gun's" article, Akon was not convicted of any crime and did not serve any time in prison from 1999 to 2002 as previously claimed. He stated that "The Smoking Gun's" attempt to “discredit” him “makes no sense as it is something he is trying to forget.” Akon retorted that he never spent 3 years in prison consecutively, but many shorter sentences that add up to three years, and cites that as the mis-understanding by The Smoking Gun's article [20]
Career
2004–05: Debut: Trouble
Akon's solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29, 2004. It spawned the singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely", "Belly Dancer (Bananza)", "Pot Of Gold", and "Ghetto." The album was the first release of his new record label Konvict Music. The inspiration for his debut single allegedly came from his three-year stint in prison for ‘grand theft auto’.[4] "Locked Up" reached the top 10 in the U.S. and the top five in the UK. "Ghetto" became a radio hit when it was remixed by DJ Green Lantern to include verses from rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.
In 2005, he released the single "Lonely" (which samples Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely"). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April, 2005. When music channel The Box had a top ten weekly chart, which was calculated by the amount of video requests, Akon's "Lonely" became the longest running single on the top of the chart, spanning over fifteen weeks. Akon then released another single featuring with a New Zealand rapper, Savage with the single Moonshine, which had become a success in both New Zealand and Australia, becoming number one in the New Zealand charts. In 2005, He made his first critically acclaimed guest appearance on Young Jeezy's debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, with the song "Soul Survivor." In December the same year his manager, Robert Montanez was killed in a shooting after a dispute in New Jersey.
2006–07: Konvicted
Akon performing with Gwen Stefani on The Sweet Escape Tour.Akon's second album, Konvicted was released on November 14, 2006. It included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P. The first single "Smack That" featuring Eminem was released in August 2006 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. "I Wanna Love You," (featuring Snoop Dogg) was the second single released in September, it would go on to earn Akon his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and Snoop's second. "I Wanna Love You" topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2007, a third single "Don't Matter" which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper was released. "Mama Africa" was released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth overall single from the album reaching just 47 in the UK.
To coincide with the release of the Platinum (deluxe) edition of the album "Sorry, Blame It on Me" was the album's fifth single, debuted in August 2007 on the Hot 100 at number seven. The deluxe version was fully released on August 28, 2007. The final single was confirmed by Akon to be "Never Took the Time."[21] Konvicted debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U.S. and more than 1.3 million worldwide. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum. It stayed in the top twenty of the Billboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks and peaked at number two on four different occasions. On November 20, 2007, the RIAA certified the album ‘triple platinum’ with 3 million units sold in the US. It has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
On October 5, 2006, Akon broke a record on the Hot 100, as he achieved the largest climb in the chart's 48-year-history with "Smack That" jumping from number 95 to 7. The leap was fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000 downloads. The record has since been broken several times. In December 2006, Akon's "Smack That" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T.I.'s "My Love".
Legal difficulties
In April 2007, Akon drew criticism for an onstage act which included simulated sex with Danah (Deena) Alleyne, a preacher's daughter aged 15 at the time, at a club in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a fake contest, despite the club's claim to have a 21 years and over age limit.[22][23] The incident was filmed by Akon's crew and later uploaded to the Internet. On April 20, 2007 local media, channel TV6, aired the video clip publicly. Amid criticism on the radio, television, and from the blogosphere, Verizon Wireless removed ringtones featuring Akon's songs. Verizon also decided not to sponsor The Sweet Escape Tour where Akon was to be the opening act for Gwen Stefani.[24] However, Universal Music Group did not take action against Akon, but rather simply ordered the video clip be removed from video-sharing site YouTube due to copyright infringement. Conservative commentator and Parents Television Council founder Brent Bozell called this "corporate irresponsibility."[25]
Political commentators Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Bill O'Reilly criticized Akon for "degrading women."[26][27] Malkin uploaded commentary about Akon to YouTube, using footage from music videos and the Trinidad concert, and Universal Music Group then forced its removal by issuing a DMCA takedown notice.[28] The Electronic Frontier Foundation joined Malkin in contesting the removal as a misuse of copyright law, citing fair use.[29] In May 2007, UMG rescinded its claim to the video, and the video returned to YouTube.
On June 3, 2007, at WSPK's KFEST concert at the Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York, a concert attendee threw an object towards Akon on stage. Akon asked the crowd to identify who threw the object and that he be brought on stage. Security staff grabbed the young man and took him up to the stage. Akon then pulled him up from the crowd and hoisted him across his shoulders. The singer then tossed the attendee back into the crowd from his shoulders. Video of the incident was reviewed by Fishkill police.[30] Akon has claimed that the incident was staged and that he in fact used the act to set up for the next record.[31] Charges of endangering the welfare of a minor, a misdemeanor, and second-degree harassment, a violation, were filed, according to police Chief Donald F. Williams, and Akon was arraigned the two charges on December 3, 2007 in the town of Fishkill Court.[32]
2008–09: Freedom
Akon released his new album Freedom on December 2, which spawned four singles: "Right Now (Na Na Na)", "I'm So Paid" (featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy), "Beautiful" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis) and "We Don't Care", We Don't Care has failed to chart significantly in many countries, only reaching 61 in the UK and 91 in Australia so far. After the unexpected death of The King Of Pop Michael Jackson, who Akon was working with in Jackson's last years, Akon released a tribute song called "Cry Out Of Joy". Akon & Michael Jackson were close friends near the end of Jackon's life.
Speaking of his relationship with Michael Jackson to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in October 2008, Akon stated: "Mike is the King Of Pop, and I think that it's a dream come true for ANY major artist/songwriter/producer to be able to work with the best in the business! You know, to work with someone like Mike – who's created opportunities, opened doors for so many people, and achieved so much in the music world, period – is just an experience which would be enough to take home for ANYONE! I mean, when I first flew up to Vegas and met him it was almost like we'd known each other for YEARS! LITERALLY! 'Cause musically we were on the same exact page! The chemistry was just INCREDIBLE! And, as a person, he was the most cool, humble dude I've ever met! I mean, we even actually got to go to the movies together – in broad daylight! Which was an experience in itself!"[33]
David Guetta collaborated with Akon in Sexy Bitch, a first house track by Akon, and has been a "summer anthem" across the globe. Reaching #1 in more than 6 countries, and charting at 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 , it is featured on Guetta's One Love album. Which has made it his 19th Top 20 hit worldwide.
2010–present: Stadium Music
Akon's fourth studio album, Stadium Music is set for a 2010 release.[34] The first single off of Stadium Music is rumored to be "Nosy Neighbor," which is produced by David Guetta.
Featured Projects
Projects with other artists
In 2006, Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records. His first signed artist was Ray Lavender.
He was featured on Gwen Stefani's latest album, The Sweet Escape. He made an appearance on the title track and second single, "The Sweet Escape." Akon produced the song. On December 10, 2006, Akon and Stefani appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live, however they did not perform the song as Stefani had not yet learned the lyrics. He performed the song live, however, on American Idol on March 28, 2007 due to Gwen Stefani's appearance as a coach the night before. "The Sweet Escape" has reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Akon collaborated with Chamillionaire on his mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2, featuring on the track “Ridin' Overseas” which he also produced. The mixtape was available for download on Chamillionaire's website from December 24, 2006.
In 2006, after their 2005 Akon-produced single, "Soul Survivor," the duo said that there is a lot more to expect from them in the future. The pair announced there are currently plans for a collaborative album.[35][36]
Akon also appeared on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's album Strength and Loyalty and Three 6 Mafia's eighth studio album, Last 2 Walk, We The Best by DJ Khaled, Fabolous's album, From Nothin' to Somethin', with 50 Cent on some tracks for Curtis,[37] T.I.'s 5th album, T.I. vs. T.I.P.,[38] Mario's third solo album Go!,[39] and produced with Daddy Yankee" in the song called "Bring It On" on the album called El Cartel: The Big Boss which was released on June 5, 2007.[40]
On July 7, 2007 Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth.
In November 2007, Akon recorded a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Michael Jackson. In February 2008, the remix was released on the 25th anniversary rerelease of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Akon produced the track entitled "Echo" on Latin Boy band Menudo's latest album, released in the spring of 2008.
‘Konvict Music’ would be responsible for the re-release of Kat Deluna’s debut album 9 Lives (album) which would feature Akon on the single "Am I Dreaming."
He was also in a song with Aventura & Wisin Y Yandel called "All up 2 you".
In July 2008 a song called "Hold My Hand" circulated the internet. The song is an R&B duet/collaboration between Michael Jackson and Akon, composed by Claude Kelly. There also exists another version featuring only Akon. There is also no official mention of the recording on either artists' websites although Akon has spoken about the track on various other websites. It was not included in the track list for Freedom as Akon previously stated. During an interview with Tavis Smiley, Akon said that Jackson had planned on a high-profile release including a music video until the track had leaked. This is Jackson's last known song before he died on June 25, 2009. In late July of that year a Tribute song by Akon known as "Cry Out Of Joy" was leaked onto the internet.
Akon was also the executive producer of Kardinal Offishall's fourth solo album Not 4 Sale, released September 9, 2008. The promo single "Graveyard Shift" features Akon as does the first single "Dangerous", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.
Akon co-wrote and recorded "Put It on My Tab" with New Kids on the Block for their 2008 reunion album The Block.[41]
Akon co-wrote and produced Leona Lewis' hit record Forgive Me, off her debut album Spirit.
He is currently working with X Factor 2008 winner Alexandra Burke on her upcoming debut album.
Akon co-produced Konvict Muzik artist Lady Gaga's first studio album The Fame and co-wrote & produced the worldwide smash-hit "Just Dance", which also featured Colby O'Donis and earned a Grammy nomination at the 51st Grammy Awards. This was earned the both young Konvict Muzik artists their first Grammy Nominations and has reached #1 in more than 14 countries, including Australia, UK & the U.S.
Flo Rida’s new album R.O.O.T.S. features Akon on the track “Available”.
Akon has recorded a song with E-40 titled "Wake It Up" for E-40's album, The Ball Street Journal. Akon experiments with the auto-tune effect in the song.
Rap singer Nelly confirmed that Akon, Pharrell, and T-Pain have talked about forming a rap supergroup in 2009.[42]
Akon and Konvict Muzik are also producing hip hop/rock group Flipsyde's 2009 release, State of Survival, which will be released via Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records.[43]
Akon worked with Whitney Houston for her 2009 comeback album I Look to You. He appears on the track "Like I Never Left".[44]
Akon worked with bachata group Aventura and Reggaeton duo Wisin y Yandel on All Up 2 You the second single from Aventura's album The Lastthat dropped in June.
Akon recently signed Jayko, a Hispanic R&B and Reggaeton artist, to his label and is working with him on his debut album titled "Marcando Territorio"
Sexy Bitch was released in July 2009, a collaboration with French DJ David Guetta.
In August 2009, Akon released another version of Beautiful featuring BoA, a popular and legendary Korean singer. However, this version was for the Japanese market.
Akon also sang in a song with Colby O'Donis called "What You Got".
In 2009 Akon collaborates with Pitbull on the single "Shut It Down" from the album "Rebelution".
In 2010 he is one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Television and film
Akon has confirmed that a reality television show is in the works. It will be called "My Brother's Keeper" and the point is that Akon's two nearly identical brothers will go around in Atlanta posing as him fooling people into thinking that it is in fact Akon. They will try to get VIP treatment, girls and free things. Akon has claimed that people have mistaken his brothers for him many times in Atlanta which is what the show is based on.[31]
Akon is planning to work on a full-length movie titled Illegal Alien. The film is based on some of the events of his life and actor Mekhi Phifer is set to play him. Besides Akon confirmed in August 2007, in the interview with Polish website INTERIA.PL, that he works on a movie "Cocaine Cowboys," which tells the story of Jon Roberts, the main pilot of Medellin Cartel (Colombian drug traffickers).[45] He was also featured on a Verizon Wireless commercial and singing Snitch along with Obie Trice on a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode named "Poppin' Tags."
On November 30, 2007, Akon entered the Big Brother house in Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as a guest so the housemates can meet him for only 100 seconds.
He also appeared on November 17, 2008 edition of WWE Raw, with Santino Marella citing him in his speech. Because of Santino's Italian Stereotyping, he mispronounced Akon's name to "Akorn".
On April 27, 2008, Akon appeared with Colby O'Donis in Dance on Sunset.
On January 27, 2010, Akon performed on the brazilian reality show Big Brother Brasil[46].
Fashion
In February 2007, Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, t-shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high-end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items. Timothy Hodge appeared on MTV's Direct Effect alongside Akon while promotioning the Konvict clothing line.[47]
Discography
Main article: Akon discography
Trouble (2004)
Konvicted (2006)
Freedom (2008)
Stadium Music (2010)
Awards and nominations
Akon awards and nominations Award Wins Nominations
American Music Awards 1 3
Grammy Awards 0 5
MTV Video Music Awards 0 4
Totals
Awards won 1
Nominations 12
Akon received four Grammy Award nominations in 2008, including Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "The Sweet Escape" with Gwen Stefani, Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Bartender" with T-Pain, Best Contemporary R&B Album for Konvicted, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with "I Wanna Love You" with Snoop Dogg. The only award that Akon has received is Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist from the American Music Awards in 2007. Overall, Akon has received one award from twelve nominations.
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973. Akon has received one award from three nominations.[48][49]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2007 Akon Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist Won
Artist of the Year Nominated
Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist Nominated
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States. Akon has received five nominations.[48][50]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2007 "Smack That" (with Eminem) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated
2008 "The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Nominated
"Bartender" (with T-Pain) Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Nominated
Konvicted Best Contemporary R&B Album Nominated
"I Wanna Love You" (with Snoop Dogg) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Akon has received four nominations.[48][51][52]
Year Nominated work Award Result
2005 "Locked Up" MTV2 Award Nominated
2007 Akon Male Artist of the Year Nominated
"Smack That" (with Eminem) Most Earthshattering Collaboration Nominated
"The Sweet Escape" (with Gwen Stefani) Most Earthshattering Collaboration Nominated
World Music Awards
In 2007 Akon won three World Music Awards:
(1) Best Selling R&B Male Artist
(2) Best Selling African Artist
(3) Best Selling Internet Artist.
In 2008 Akon won:
(1) Best Selling African Artist
Note: Akon also won Artist Of The Year in 2007 by the Billboard Music Awards
Premios Lo Nuestro
Year Nominated work Award Result
2010 "All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) Urban Song of the Year Nominated
"All Up 2 You" (with Aventura and Wisin & Yandel) Video Collaboration of the Year Nominated
Tours
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania One-off Concert (2006).[53]
Konvicted Tour (July to September 2007, then additional dates in 2008)
The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani (April to July 2007)
The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna (Canadian-leg only, September – December 2008).
Konvict Muzik Tour with T-Pain, Australia only, October 26–27 2009.
Brazilian Mini-Tour, (Brazil, January 2010)
Chris Brown
Brown performing at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Background information
Birth name Christopher Maurice Brown
Born May 5, 1989 (1989-05-05) (age 20)
Origin Tappahannock, Virginia,
United States
Genres R&B, Pop
Occupations Singer, songwriter, dancer, actor
Years active 2005–present
Labels Jive, Zomba
Website www.chrisbrownworld.com
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American recording artist and actor.[1] He made his recording debut in late 2005 with the self-titled album Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist since Montell Jordan to have his debut single top the chart in 1995.[2] The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[3]
Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[4][5] Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called the The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100.[6] Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[3]
In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively.[7][8][9] Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music.[10] In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service.
Contents [hide]
1 1989–2004: Early life and career beginnings
2 2005–06: Debut album and touring
3 2007–08: Acting debut and Exclusive
4 2009–present: Graffiti and domestic violence case
5 Discography
6 Tours
7 Filmography
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
1989–2004: Early life and career beginnings
Christopher Maurice Brown was born on May 5, 1989,[11] in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia to Joyce Hawkins, a former day care center director, and Clinton Brown, a corrections officer at a local prison.[12][13] The youngest child of the couple, he has an older sister who works in a bank.[12] Since his childhood, music was something which always had been present in Brown's life. He used to listen soul albums that his parents had owned,[13] but eventually, Brown began to show interest in the hip-hop scene.[11]
Brown taught himself to sing and dance at a young age, often citing Michael Jackson as his inspiration.[12] He then began to perform in his church choir and in several local talent shows.[14][15] While mimicking an Usher performance, his mother recognized his vocal talent and they began to look for opportunities of a record deal.[14] At the same time, Brown had been through personal issues. His parents had already been divorced, and he said his mother's boyfriend made him terrified all the time, due to the domestic violence his mother endured from her boyfriend.[16]
At the age of 13, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visited his father's gas station while searching for new talent.[17] The singer then, moved to New York.[12] In 2004, Tina Davis—then-senior A&R executive at Def Jam Recordings—discovered him while he was working with some local producers. She loved what she heard and saw when Brown auditioned in her office at Island Def Jam Records in New York. She immediately took him to meet the former president of the Island Def Jam Music Group Antonio "L.A." Reid, who offered to sign him at the same day. "I knew that Chris had real talent," says Davis. "I just knew I wanted to be part of it."[18]
The negotiations with Def Jam lasted two months, until Davis lost her job due to a corporate merger. Brown then asked her to be his manager. Davis accepted, starting to "promote" the singer to labels such as Jive Records, J-Records and Warner Bros. Records. He ultimately choose Jive, due to its successful work with then-young acts such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Brown claims, "I picked Jive because they had the best success with younger artists in the pop market, [...] I knew I was going to capture my [African American] audience, but Jive had a lot of strength in the pop area as well as longevity in careers."[18]
2005–06: Debut album and touring
Brown performing at KISS 106.1 Seattle Jingle Bell Bash 8After being signed to Jive Records in 2004, Brown started the recording process in February 2005. By May, there were 50 songs already recorded, 14 of which were picked to the final track listing.[12] The singer worked with several producers and songwriters—Scott Storch, Cool & Dre and Jazze Pha among them—commenting that they "really believed in [him]".[18] Brown also made some input on the album, receiving co-writing credits of five tracks.[12] "I write about the things that 16 year olds go through every day," says Brown. "Like you just got in trouble for sneaking your girl into the house, or you can't drive, so you steal a car or something."[19] The whole album took less than eight weeks to produce,[19] being released on November 29, 2005.[20] Self-titled Chris Brown, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 154,000 copies.[21] Chris Brown was a relative commercial success with the time; selling over two million copies in the United States—where it was certified two times platinum by the RIAA—and three million copies worldwide.[22][23] The album's lead single, "Run It!", made Brown the first male act (since Montell Jordan in 1995) to have his debut single to reach the summit of the Billboard Hot 100—later remaining for four additionally weeks.[11] Three of the other singles—"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)," "Gimme That" and "Say Goodbye"—peaked within the top twenty at the same chart.[24]
On June 13, 2006, Brown released a DVD entitled, Chris Brown's Journey, which shows footage of him traveling in England and Japan, getting ready for his first visit to the Grammy Awards, behind the scenes of his music videos and bloopers.
On August 17, 2006 to further promote the album, Brown began his major co-headlining tour, The Up Close and Personal Tour. Due to the tour, production for his next album was pushed back two months. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received $50,000 in ticket proceeds from Brown's 2006 "Up Close & Personal" tour. Brown was also the opening act for R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles on the Australian leg of her The Beyoncé Experience tour.
2007–08: Acting debut and Exclusive
Brown has made appearances on UPN's One on One and The N's Brandon T. Jackson Show on its pilot episode.[25][26] In addition, Brown landed a small role as a band geek in the fourth season of Fox's The O.C. in January 2007.[27] Brown then made his film debut in Stomp the Yard, alongside Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Short in January 2007.[28] Brown next appeared in This Christmas, a family drama starring Regina King, released on November 21, 2007.[29] On July 9, 2007, Brown was featured in an episode of MTV's My Super Sweet 16 (for the event, it was retitled: Chris Brown: My Super 18) celebrating his eighteenth birthday in New York City.[30] Brown also guest-starred on Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as himself.[31] Brown is expected to star in the basketball drama film Phenom.[32]
Brown performing at the Brisbane Entertainment CentreShortly after ending his summer tour with Ne-Yo, Brown quickly began production for his second studio album, Exclusive, which was released in November 2007. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 294,000 copies in its first week.[33] It has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States.[34]
According to MTV News, Brown stated: "I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people." The album's first single, "Wall to Wall", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96, and peaked at number 79 and number 22 on the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Chart becoming his lowest charting song to date. "Kiss Kiss", featuring and produced by T-Pain, was released as the second single. "Kiss Kiss," became more successful surpassing the success of "Wall To Wall," reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 to become Chris' second number one single and his highest chart peak since "Run It!" in 2005.
On December 4, 2007, Brown released the third single from "Exclusive," entitled "With You", a song produced by Stargate. "With You" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and had entered the charts in various countries around the world, becoming one of Brown's most successful released to date, entering the top ten in New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, the United States, Cyprus, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Australia.
Brown re-released Exclusive on June 3, 2008 as a deluxe edition, renamed Exclusive: The Forever Edition, seven months after the release of the original version. The re-released version featured four new tracks, including the single "Forever" which reached number two on Billboard Hot 100.
In support of the album, Brown embarked on his The Exclusive Holiday concert tour, visiting over thirty venues in United States. He started the tour in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 6, 2007 and concluded it on February 9, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The documented footage was released on June 3, 2008 as the double disc of Exclusive: The Forever Edition. He performed "With You" at the BET Awards '08 in June 2008. He was then joined by Ciara to dance with him to a snippet of the song "Take You Down".
Brown, alongside The Game, is featured on Nas' untitled album on "Make the World Go Round", co-produced by the The Game and Cool & Dre.[35] He is also featured alongside Sean Garrett for Ludacris' single "What Them Girls Like" off Ludacris's album Theater of the Mind. He was also featured on T-Pain's third single "Freeze" off T-Pain's new album Thr33 Ringz. Brown was named the top artist of 2008 by Billboard magazine.[36][37] Brown lent his efforts to promote the Math-A-Thon benefiting that hospital by starring as the host in a film to promote it.[38] Brown released his single "Take You Down" in January 2009 in the UK and Ireland.
2009–present: Graffiti and domestic violence case
Since 2008, Brown started to work on a upcoming studio album. According to him, he will experiment a different musical direction for his new album—titled Graffiti—while hoping to emulate fellow American singers Prince and Michael Jackson. He says, "I wanted to change it up and really be different. Like my style nowadays, I don't try to be typical urban. I want to be like how Prince and Michael [Jackson] and Stevie Wonder were. They can cross over to any genre of music."[39] Brown debuted his lead Graffiti single "I Can Transform Ya" on 29th of September as a digital download and the music video debuted on MTV on 27 October 2009. Brown also confirmed that his next single was called "Crawl". Brown released the Crawl music video on 13 November 2009. Graffiti would follow with a December 15, 2009 release.[40] Following Graffiti's release, it debuted at a disappointing #55 and it was ranked 1 out of 4 stars. Brown has confirmed in his interview with MTV's Sway that his next single will be Pass Out, featuring Dutch electropop singer Eva Simons.
Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire station on February 8, 2009, and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats,[41] while under investigation for domestic violence charges, following an argument with an unidentified woman. The police report did not name the female in the incident as is policy, but stated that the she had "suffered visible injuries".[42] However, various news media such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and MSNBC said that sources had identified the alleged victim as his girlfriend and fellow R&B singer Rihanna.[43][44][45] Following his arrest, several of his commercial ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations, and he withdrew from public appearances, including one at the 2009 Grammy Awards, where he was replaced by Justin Timberlake and Al Green.[45][46][47][48] Brown later released a statement saying, "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired."[49]
On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats.[50][51] He was arraigned on April 6, 2009, and pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and one count of making criminal threats.[52] On June 22, 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community labor and five years' formal probation. Domestic violence counseling is also part of the deal by Judge Patricia Schnegg in court.[53] Several organizations against domestic violence expressed criticism over the plea deal, advocating the punishment was not severe enough for the crime; the level of Brown's influence over youth also came under scrutiny.[54][55] On July 20, 2009, Brown released a two-minute video on his official YouTube page apologizing to fans and Rihanna for the domestic altercation, expressing the incident as his "deepest regret" and saying that he has repeatedly apologized to Rihanna and "accepts full responsibility".[56][57][58] Brown said he wanted to speak out earlier about the case but was advised by his attorney not to until the legal ramifications were settled.[56][57][58] On August 25, Brown was sentenced to five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service; the judge retained a five-year restraining order on Brown, which requires him to remain 50 yards away from Rihanna, 10 yards at public events.[59][60][61]
On September 2, 2009, Brown spoke about the domestic violence case in a pre-recorded Larry King Live interview, his first public interview about the matter.[62][63][64][65] He was accompanied in the interview by his mother and attorney Mark Geragos, as he discussed growing up in a household rampant with domestic violence; his mother had been repeatedly assaulted by his stepfather. Brown said of hearing details of what transpired the night of his own assault, his physical altercation with Rihanna, "I'm in shock, because, first of all, that's not who I am as a person, and that's not who I promise I want to be."[62] Brown's mother, Joyce Hawkins, said Brown "has never, ever been a violent person, ever" and that she does not believe in the cycle of violence.[62] Brown described his relationship with Rihanna as having been like Romeo and Juliet during widespread media reports of the domestic violence case, and that it was the media that drove them apart following news of the assault.[65] He said he did not remember assaulting Rihanna but realized it occurred and is sorry for his actions that night.[62][63][64][65][66] Following criticism of saying he did not remember, Brown later said in a statement, "Of course I remember what happened. Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything." Brown said despite this, "[that night] was and still is a blur".[63][64] Earlier in the Larry King Live interview, he said that it is "tough" for him to look at the famous photograph released of Rihanna's battered face, which may be the one image to haunt and define him forever, and that he still loves her.[62] "I'm pretty sure we can always be friends," said Brown, "and I don't know about our relationship, but I just know definitely that we ended as friends." In addition, he stated he does not feel that his career is over.[65]
Brown appeared on 20/20 for an in-depth interview airing December 4, 2009. In the interview, which was conducted by Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, Brown further discussed his assault of Rihanna.[67]
Discography
Main article: Chris Brown discography
Chris Brown (2005)
Exclusive (2007)
Graffiti (2009)
Tours
2006: Up Close and Personal Tour
2007: The UCP Exclusive Tour
2009: Fan Appreciation Tour[68]
Opening act
The Beyoncé Experience
The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour - Some Countries Only.
Filmography
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Christmas in Washington Himself television special (TNT)
2007 The O.C. Will Tutt three episodes
2008 The Suite Life of Zack and Cody Himself guest star
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Stomp the Yard Duron small role/film debut
This Christmas Michael 'Baby' Whitfield main role
2010 Takers Jessie Attica[69] Executive Producer
Phenom TBA pre-production
Background information
Birth name Christopher Maurice Brown
Born May 5, 1989 (1989-05-05) (age 20)
Origin Tappahannock, Virginia,
United States
Genres R&B, Pop
Occupations Singer, songwriter, dancer, actor
Years active 2005–present
Labels Jive, Zomba
Website www.chrisbrownworld.com
Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American recording artist and actor.[1] He made his recording debut in late 2005 with the self-titled album Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist since Montell Jordan to have his debut single top the chart in 1995.[2] The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[3]
Brown's second studio album, Exclusive was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second U.S. number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain and "With You", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[4][5] Brown has released a deluxe version of his album called the The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and reached number two on Billboard Hot 100.[6] Exclusive has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[3]
In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have peaked on number three, number nine and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively.[7][8][9] Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music.[10] In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service.
Contents [hide]
1 1989–2004: Early life and career beginnings
2 2005–06: Debut album and touring
3 2007–08: Acting debut and Exclusive
4 2009–present: Graffiti and domestic violence case
5 Discography
6 Tours
7 Filmography
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
1989–2004: Early life and career beginnings
Christopher Maurice Brown was born on May 5, 1989,[11] in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia to Joyce Hawkins, a former day care center director, and Clinton Brown, a corrections officer at a local prison.[12][13] The youngest child of the couple, he has an older sister who works in a bank.[12] Since his childhood, music was something which always had been present in Brown's life. He used to listen soul albums that his parents had owned,[13] but eventually, Brown began to show interest in the hip-hop scene.[11]
Brown taught himself to sing and dance at a young age, often citing Michael Jackson as his inspiration.[12] He then began to perform in his church choir and in several local talent shows.[14][15] While mimicking an Usher performance, his mother recognized his vocal talent and they began to look for opportunities of a record deal.[14] At the same time, Brown had been through personal issues. His parents had already been divorced, and he said his mother's boyfriend made him terrified all the time, due to the domestic violence his mother endured from her boyfriend.[16]
At the age of 13, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visited his father's gas station while searching for new talent.[17] The singer then, moved to New York.[12] In 2004, Tina Davis—then-senior A&R executive at Def Jam Recordings—discovered him while he was working with some local producers. She loved what she heard and saw when Brown auditioned in her office at Island Def Jam Records in New York. She immediately took him to meet the former president of the Island Def Jam Music Group Antonio "L.A." Reid, who offered to sign him at the same day. "I knew that Chris had real talent," says Davis. "I just knew I wanted to be part of it."[18]
The negotiations with Def Jam lasted two months, until Davis lost her job due to a corporate merger. Brown then asked her to be his manager. Davis accepted, starting to "promote" the singer to labels such as Jive Records, J-Records and Warner Bros. Records. He ultimately choose Jive, due to its successful work with then-young acts such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Brown claims, "I picked Jive because they had the best success with younger artists in the pop market, [...] I knew I was going to capture my [African American] audience, but Jive had a lot of strength in the pop area as well as longevity in careers."[18]
2005–06: Debut album and touring
Brown performing at KISS 106.1 Seattle Jingle Bell Bash 8After being signed to Jive Records in 2004, Brown started the recording process in February 2005. By May, there were 50 songs already recorded, 14 of which were picked to the final track listing.[12] The singer worked with several producers and songwriters—Scott Storch, Cool & Dre and Jazze Pha among them—commenting that they "really believed in [him]".[18] Brown also made some input on the album, receiving co-writing credits of five tracks.[12] "I write about the things that 16 year olds go through every day," says Brown. "Like you just got in trouble for sneaking your girl into the house, or you can't drive, so you steal a car or something."[19] The whole album took less than eight weeks to produce,[19] being released on November 29, 2005.[20] Self-titled Chris Brown, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 154,000 copies.[21] Chris Brown was a relative commercial success with the time; selling over two million copies in the United States—where it was certified two times platinum by the RIAA—and three million copies worldwide.[22][23] The album's lead single, "Run It!", made Brown the first male act (since Montell Jordan in 1995) to have his debut single to reach the summit of the Billboard Hot 100—later remaining for four additionally weeks.[11] Three of the other singles—"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)," "Gimme That" and "Say Goodbye"—peaked within the top twenty at the same chart.[24]
On June 13, 2006, Brown released a DVD entitled, Chris Brown's Journey, which shows footage of him traveling in England and Japan, getting ready for his first visit to the Grammy Awards, behind the scenes of his music videos and bloopers.
On August 17, 2006 to further promote the album, Brown began his major co-headlining tour, The Up Close and Personal Tour. Due to the tour, production for his next album was pushed back two months. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received $50,000 in ticket proceeds from Brown's 2006 "Up Close & Personal" tour. Brown was also the opening act for R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles on the Australian leg of her The Beyoncé Experience tour.
2007–08: Acting debut and Exclusive
Brown has made appearances on UPN's One on One and The N's Brandon T. Jackson Show on its pilot episode.[25][26] In addition, Brown landed a small role as a band geek in the fourth season of Fox's The O.C. in January 2007.[27] Brown then made his film debut in Stomp the Yard, alongside Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Short in January 2007.[28] Brown next appeared in This Christmas, a family drama starring Regina King, released on November 21, 2007.[29] On July 9, 2007, Brown was featured in an episode of MTV's My Super Sweet 16 (for the event, it was retitled: Chris Brown: My Super 18) celebrating his eighteenth birthday in New York City.[30] Brown also guest-starred on Disney's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as himself.[31] Brown is expected to star in the basketball drama film Phenom.[32]
Brown performing at the Brisbane Entertainment CentreShortly after ending his summer tour with Ne-Yo, Brown quickly began production for his second studio album, Exclusive, which was released in November 2007. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 294,000 copies in its first week.[33] It has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States.[34]
According to MTV News, Brown stated: "I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people." The album's first single, "Wall to Wall", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96, and peaked at number 79 and number 22 on the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Chart becoming his lowest charting song to date. "Kiss Kiss", featuring and produced by T-Pain, was released as the second single. "Kiss Kiss," became more successful surpassing the success of "Wall To Wall," reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 to become Chris' second number one single and his highest chart peak since "Run It!" in 2005.
On December 4, 2007, Brown released the third single from "Exclusive," entitled "With You", a song produced by Stargate. "With You" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and had entered the charts in various countries around the world, becoming one of Brown's most successful released to date, entering the top ten in New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, the United States, Cyprus, Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Australia.
Brown re-released Exclusive on June 3, 2008 as a deluxe edition, renamed Exclusive: The Forever Edition, seven months after the release of the original version. The re-released version featured four new tracks, including the single "Forever" which reached number two on Billboard Hot 100.
In support of the album, Brown embarked on his The Exclusive Holiday concert tour, visiting over thirty venues in United States. He started the tour in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 6, 2007 and concluded it on February 9, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The documented footage was released on June 3, 2008 as the double disc of Exclusive: The Forever Edition. He performed "With You" at the BET Awards '08 in June 2008. He was then joined by Ciara to dance with him to a snippet of the song "Take You Down".
Brown, alongside The Game, is featured on Nas' untitled album on "Make the World Go Round", co-produced by the The Game and Cool & Dre.[35] He is also featured alongside Sean Garrett for Ludacris' single "What Them Girls Like" off Ludacris's album Theater of the Mind. He was also featured on T-Pain's third single "Freeze" off T-Pain's new album Thr33 Ringz. Brown was named the top artist of 2008 by Billboard magazine.[36][37] Brown lent his efforts to promote the Math-A-Thon benefiting that hospital by starring as the host in a film to promote it.[38] Brown released his single "Take You Down" in January 2009 in the UK and Ireland.
2009–present: Graffiti and domestic violence case
Since 2008, Brown started to work on a upcoming studio album. According to him, he will experiment a different musical direction for his new album—titled Graffiti—while hoping to emulate fellow American singers Prince and Michael Jackson. He says, "I wanted to change it up and really be different. Like my style nowadays, I don't try to be typical urban. I want to be like how Prince and Michael [Jackson] and Stevie Wonder were. They can cross over to any genre of music."[39] Brown debuted his lead Graffiti single "I Can Transform Ya" on 29th of September as a digital download and the music video debuted on MTV on 27 October 2009. Brown also confirmed that his next single was called "Crawl". Brown released the Crawl music video on 13 November 2009. Graffiti would follow with a December 15, 2009 release.[40] Following Graffiti's release, it debuted at a disappointing #55 and it was ranked 1 out of 4 stars. Brown has confirmed in his interview with MTV's Sway that his next single will be Pass Out, featuring Dutch electropop singer Eva Simons.
Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire station on February 8, 2009, and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats,[41] while under investigation for domestic violence charges, following an argument with an unidentified woman. The police report did not name the female in the incident as is policy, but stated that the she had "suffered visible injuries".[42] However, various news media such as the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and MSNBC said that sources had identified the alleged victim as his girlfriend and fellow R&B singer Rihanna.[43][44][45] Following his arrest, several of his commercial ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations, and he withdrew from public appearances, including one at the 2009 Grammy Awards, where he was replaced by Justin Timberlake and Al Green.[45][46][47][48] Brown later released a statement saying, "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired."[49]
On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats.[50][51] He was arraigned on April 6, 2009, and pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and one count of making criminal threats.[52] On June 22, 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community labor and five years' formal probation. Domestic violence counseling is also part of the deal by Judge Patricia Schnegg in court.[53] Several organizations against domestic violence expressed criticism over the plea deal, advocating the punishment was not severe enough for the crime; the level of Brown's influence over youth also came under scrutiny.[54][55] On July 20, 2009, Brown released a two-minute video on his official YouTube page apologizing to fans and Rihanna for the domestic altercation, expressing the incident as his "deepest regret" and saying that he has repeatedly apologized to Rihanna and "accepts full responsibility".[56][57][58] Brown said he wanted to speak out earlier about the case but was advised by his attorney not to until the legal ramifications were settled.[56][57][58] On August 25, Brown was sentenced to five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service; the judge retained a five-year restraining order on Brown, which requires him to remain 50 yards away from Rihanna, 10 yards at public events.[59][60][61]
On September 2, 2009, Brown spoke about the domestic violence case in a pre-recorded Larry King Live interview, his first public interview about the matter.[62][63][64][65] He was accompanied in the interview by his mother and attorney Mark Geragos, as he discussed growing up in a household rampant with domestic violence; his mother had been repeatedly assaulted by his stepfather. Brown said of hearing details of what transpired the night of his own assault, his physical altercation with Rihanna, "I'm in shock, because, first of all, that's not who I am as a person, and that's not who I promise I want to be."[62] Brown's mother, Joyce Hawkins, said Brown "has never, ever been a violent person, ever" and that she does not believe in the cycle of violence.[62] Brown described his relationship with Rihanna as having been like Romeo and Juliet during widespread media reports of the domestic violence case, and that it was the media that drove them apart following news of the assault.[65] He said he did not remember assaulting Rihanna but realized it occurred and is sorry for his actions that night.[62][63][64][65][66] Following criticism of saying he did not remember, Brown later said in a statement, "Of course I remember what happened. Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything." Brown said despite this, "[that night] was and still is a blur".[63][64] Earlier in the Larry King Live interview, he said that it is "tough" for him to look at the famous photograph released of Rihanna's battered face, which may be the one image to haunt and define him forever, and that he still loves her.[62] "I'm pretty sure we can always be friends," said Brown, "and I don't know about our relationship, but I just know definitely that we ended as friends." In addition, he stated he does not feel that his career is over.[65]
Brown appeared on 20/20 for an in-depth interview airing December 4, 2009. In the interview, which was conducted by Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, Brown further discussed his assault of Rihanna.[67]
Discography
Main article: Chris Brown discography
Chris Brown (2005)
Exclusive (2007)
Graffiti (2009)
Tours
2006: Up Close and Personal Tour
2007: The UCP Exclusive Tour
2009: Fan Appreciation Tour[68]
Opening act
The Beyoncé Experience
The Good Girl Gone Bad Tour - Some Countries Only.
Filmography
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Christmas in Washington Himself television special (TNT)
2007 The O.C. Will Tutt three episodes
2008 The Suite Life of Zack and Cody Himself guest star
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Stomp the Yard Duron small role/film debut
This Christmas Michael 'Baby' Whitfield main role
2010 Takers Jessie Attica[69] Executive Producer
Phenom TBA pre-production
Mariah Carey
Carey at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere of Tennessee on April 26, 2008.
Background information
Born March 27, 1970 (1970-03-27) (age 39)[1] Huntington, New York,
United States
Genres R&B, pop, dance[2]
Occupations Singer, songwriter, model, record producer, actress
Years active 1988–present
Labels Columbia, Virgin, MonarC, Island
Website www.mariahcarey.com
Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.[3]
Following her separation from Mottola in 1997, Carey introduced elements of hip hop into her album work, to much initial success, but her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia in 2001. She signed to Virgin Records but was dropped from the label and bought out of her contract the following year after a highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception given to Glitter, her film and soundtrack project. In 2002, Carey signed with Island Records, and after a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the top of pop music in 2005.[4][5]
Carey has sold more than 175 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.[6][7][8] She was named the best-selling female pop artist of the millennium at the 2000 World Music Awards.[9] According to the Recording Industry Association of America, she is the third best-selling female artist and sixteenth overall recording artist with shipments of over 63 million albums in the US.[10] She is also ranked as the best-selling female artist of the U.S. Nielsen SoundScan era (third best-selling artist overall).[11] She has the most number-one singles for a solo artist in the United States (eighteen; second artist overall behind The Beatles).[12] In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked her at number six on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", making Carey as the second most successful female artist, in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart.[13] In addition to her commercial accomplishments, Carey has earned five Grammy Awards, and is well-known for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register.
Contents [hide]
1 Life and music career
1.1 Childhood and youth
1.2 Early commercial success: 1989–1992
1.3 International success: 1993–1996
1.4 New image and independence: 1997–2000
1.5 Personal and professional struggles: 2001–2004
1.6 Return to prominence: 2005–2008
1.7 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Angels Advocate Tour: 2009–present
2 Acting career
3 Artistry
3.1 Voice
3.2 Themes and musical style
4 Philanthropy and other activities
5 Discography
5.1 Studio albums
5.2 Other albums
6 Awards
7 Tours
8 Filmography
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links
Life and music career
Childhood and youth
Carey was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Carey (née Hickey), a former opera singer and vocal coach, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer.[14][15] Her mother was Irish American and her father was of Afro-Venezuelan and African American descent;[16] her paternal grandfather, Roberto Nuñez, changed his surname to Carey to better assimilate upon moving to the United States from Venezuela.[17] Carey was named after the song "They Call the Wind Mariah".[18] Carey's parents divorced when she was three years old.[19] While living in Huntington, racist neighbors allegedly poisoned the family dog and set fire to her family's car.[20] After her parents' divorce, Carey had little contact with her father, and her mother worked several jobs to support the family. Carey spent much of her time at home alone and turned to music to occupy herself. She began singing at around the age of three, when her mother began to teach her after Carey imitated her mother practicing Verdi's opera Rigoletto in Italian.[21]
Carey graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She was frequently absent because of her work as a demo singer for local recording studios; her classmates consequently gave her the nickname "Mirage".[22] Her work in the Long Island music scene gave her opportunities to work with musicians such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape. After moving to New York City, Carey worked part-time jobs to pay the rent, and she completed 500 hours of beauty school.[23] Eventually, she became a backup singer for Puerto Rican freestyle singer Brenda K. Starr.
In 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party, where Starr gave him Carey's demo tape. Mottola played the tape when leaving the party and was impressed. He returned to find Carey, but she had left. Nevertheless, Mottola tracked her down and signed her to a recording contract. This Cinderella-like story became part of the standard publicity surrounding Carey's entrance into the industry.[24]
Early commercial success: 1989–1992
Carey co-wrote the tracks on her 1990 debut album Mariah Carey, and she has co-written most of her material since. During the recording, she expressed dissatisfaction with the contributions of producers such as Ric Wake and Rhett Lawrence, whom the executives at Columbia had enlisted to help make the album more commercially viable.[25] Backed by a substantial promotional budget, the album reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for several weeks. It yielded four number-one singles and made Carey a star in the United States, but it was less successful in other countries. Critics rated the album highly, and Carey won Grammys for Best New Artist, and—for her debut single, "Vision of Love"[26]—Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[27]
Carey conceived Emotions, her second album, as an homage to Motown soul music (see Motown Sound), and she worked with Walter Afanasieff and Clivillés & Cole (from the dance group C+C Music Factory) on the record. It was released soon after her debut album—in late 1991—but was neither as critically or commercially successful; Rolling Stone described it as "more of the same, with less interesting material [...] pop-psych love songs played with airless, intimidating expertise."[28] The title track "Emotions" made Carey the only recording act whose first five singles have reached number one on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, although the album's follow-up singles failed to match this feat. Carey had been lobbying to produce her own songs, and beginning with Emotions, she has co-produced most of her material. "I didn't want [Emotions] to be somebody else's vision of me," she said. "There's more of me on this album."[29]
Although Carey performed live occasionally, stage fright prevented her from embarking on a major tour.[30] Her first widely seen appearance was featured on the television show MTV Unplugged in 1992, and she remarked that she felt her performance that night proved her vocal abilities were not, as some had previously speculated, simulated with studio equipment.[31] Alongside acoustic versions of some of her earlier songs, Carey premiered a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with her back-up singer Trey Lorenz. The duet was released as a single, reached number one in the U.S., and led to a record deal for Lorenz,[27] whose debut album Carey later co-produced.[32] Because of high ratings for the Unplugged television special, the concert's set list was released on the EP MTV Unplugged, which Entertainment Weekly called "the strongest, most genuinely musical record she has ever made [...] Did this live performance help her take her first steps toward growing up?."[33]
International success: 1993–1996
Carey and Tommy Mottola had become involved romantically during the making of her debut album, and in June 1993, they were married.
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds consulted on the album Music Box, which was released later that year and became Carey's most successful worldwide. The album maintained a presence on the Billboard 200 for a staggering 128 weeks.[34] It yielded her first UK Singles Chart number-one,[35] a cover of Badfinger's "Without You", and the U.S. number-ones "Dreamlover" and "Hero". Billboard magazine proclaimed it "heart-piercing [...] easily the most elemental of Carey's releases, her vocal eurythmics in natural sync with the songs",[36] but TIME magazine lamented Carey's attempt at a mellower work, "[Music Box] seems perfunctory and almost passionless [...] Carey could be a pop-soul great; instead she has once again settled for Salieri-like mediocrity."[37] In response to such comments, Carey said, "As soon as you have a big success, a lot of people don't like that. There's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is make music I believe in."[38] Most critics slighted the opening of her subsequent U.S. Music Box Tour.[39]
"One Sweet Day" (1995)
Carey's collaboration with Boyz II Men is one of her biggest singles in the U.S.
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In late 1994, after her duet with Luther Vandross on a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's "Endless Love" became a hit, Carey released the holiday album Merry Christmas. It contained cover material and original compositions such as "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became Carey's biggest single in Japan[40] and, in subsequent years, emerged as one of her most perennially popular songs on U.S. radio.[41] Critical reception of Merry Christmas was mixed, with Allmusic calling it an "otherwise vanilla set [...] pretensions to high opera on 'O Holy Night' and a horrid danceclub take on 'Joy to the World'."[42] It became one of the most successful Christmas albums of all time.[43]
In 1995, Columbia released Carey's fourth studio album, Daydream, which combined the pop sensibilities of Music Box with downbeat R&B and hip hop influences. A remix of "Fantasy", its first single, featured rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Carey said that Columbia reacted negatively to her intentions for the album: "Everybody was like 'What, are you crazy?'. They're very nervous about breaking the formula."[44] It became her biggest-selling album in the U.S., and its singles achieved similar success—"Fantasy" became the second single to debut at number one in the U.S. and topped the Canadian Singles Chart for twelve weeks; "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Boyz II Men) spent a record-holding sixteen weeks at number one in the U.S.; and "Always Be My Baby" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) was the most successful record on U.S. radio in 1996, according to Billboard magazine. Daydream generated career-best reviews for Carey,[45] and publications such as The New York Times named it one of 1995's best albums; the Times wrote that its "best cuts bring pop candy-making to a new peak of textural refinement [...] Carey's songwriting has taken a leap forward, becoming more relaxed, sexier and less reliant on thudding clichés."[46] The short but profitable Daydream World Tour augmented sales of the album, which received six Grammy Award nominations.
New image and independence: 1997–2000
Carey at Edwards Air Force Base during the making of "I Still Believe" video in 1998.Carey and Mottola officially separated in 1997. Although the public image of the marriage was a happy one, she said that in reality she had felt trapped by her relationship with Mottola, whom she often described as controlling.[47] They officially announced their separation in 1997, and their divorce became final the following year. Soon after the separation, Carey hired an independent publicist and a new attorney and manager. She continued to write and produce for other artists during this period, contributing to the debut albums of Allure and 7 Mile through her short-lived imprint Crave Records.
Carey's next album, Butterfly (1997), yielded the number-one single "Honey", the lyrics and music video for which presented a more overtly sexual image of her than had been previously seen.[48] She stated that Butterfly marked the point when she attained full creative control over her music.[49] However, she added, "I don't think it's that much of a departure from what I've done in the past [...] It's not like I went psycho and thought I was going to be a rapper. Personally, this album is about doing whatever the hell I wanted to do."[50] Reviews were generally positive: LAUNCHcast said Butterfly "pushes the envelope," a move its critic thought "may prove disconcerting to more conservative fans" but praised as "a welcome change."[51] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Butterfly] is easily the most personal, confessional-sounding record she's ever done [...] Carey-bashing just might become a thing of the past."[52] The album was a commercial success—although not to the degree of her previous three albums—and "My All" (her thirteenth Hot 100 number-one) gave her the record for the most U.S. number-ones by a female artist.
Toward the turn of the millennium, Carey was developing the film project Glitter and wrote songs for the films Men in Black (1997) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). During the production of Butterfly, Carey became romantically involved with New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter. Their relationship ended in 1998, with both parties citing media interference as the main reason for the split.[53] The same year, Columbia released the album #1's, a collection of Carey's U.S. number-one singles alongside new material, which she said was a way of rewarding her fans.[54] The song "When You Believe", a duet with Whitney Houston, was recorded for the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt (1998) and won an Academy Award. #1's sold above expectations, but a review in NME labeled Carey "a purveyor of saccharine bilge like 'Hero', whose message seems wholesome enough: that if you vacate your mind of all intelligent thought, flutter your eyelashes and wish hard, sweet babies and honey will follow."[55] Also that year, she appeared on the first televised VH1 Divas benefit concert program, although her alleged prima donna behavior had already led many to consider her a diva.[56] By the following year, she had entered a relationship with singer Luis Miguel.
Rainbow, Carey's sixth studio album, was released in 1999 and comprised more R&B/hip hop–oriented songs, many of them co-created with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[57] "Heartbreaker" and "Thank God I Found You" (the former featuring Jay-Z, the latter featuring Joe and boy band 98 Degrees) reached number one in the U.S.[57] and the success of the former made Carey the only act to have a number-one single in each year of the 1990s. A cover of Phil Collins's "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" went to number one in the UK after Carey re-recorded it with boy band Westlife. Media reception of Rainbow was generally enthusiastic, with the Sunday Herald saying the album "sees her impressively tottering between soul ballads and collaborations with R&B heavyweights like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Usher [...] It's a polished collection of pop-soul."[58] VIBE magazine expressed similar sentiments, writing, "She pulls out all stops [...] Rainbow will garner even more adoration"[59] but it became Carey's lowest-selling album up to that point,[49] and there was a recurring criticism that the tracks were too alike. When the double A-side "Crybaby" (featuring Snoop Dogg)/"Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" became her first single to peak outside the U.S. top twenty, Carey accused Sony of underpromoting it: "The political situation in my professional career is not positive [...] I'm getting a lot of negative feedback from certain corporate people," she wrote on her official website.[60]
Personal and professional struggles: 2001–2004
After receiving Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium,[9] Carey parted from Columbia and signed a contract with EMI's Virgin Records worth a reported US$80 million.[5] She often stated that Columbia had regarded her as a commodity, with her separation from Mottola exacerbating her relations with label executives. Just a few months later, in July 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. She had left messages on her website complaining of being overworked,[61] and her relationship with Luis Miguel was ending.[62] In an interview the following year, she said, "I was with people who didn't really know me, and I had no personal assistant. I'd be doing interviews all day long, getting two hours of sleep a night, if that."[63] During an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, Carey handed out popsicles to the audience and began what was later described as a "striptease".[64] By the month's end, she had checked into a hospital, and her publicist announced that Carey was taking a break from public appearances.[65]
Critics panned Glitter, Carey's much delayed semi-autobiographical film, and it was a box office failure.[20] The accompanying soundtrack album, Glitter, was inspired by the music of the 1980s and featured collaborations with Rick James and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; it generated Carey's worst showing on the U.S. chart. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch dismissed it as "an absolute mess that'll go down as an annoying blemish on a career that, while not always critically heralded, was at least nearly consistently successful",[66] while Blender magazine opined, "After years of trading her signature flourishes for a radio-ready purr, Carey's left with almost no presence at all."[67] The lead single, "Loverboy" (featuring Cameo), reached number two on the Hot 100 due to the release of the physical single,[65] but the album's follow-up singles failed to chart; however, a live rendition/medley of the single, "Never Too Far" made its way to #81.
Later in the year, Columbia released the low-charting compilation album Greatest Hits shortly after the failure of Glitter, and in early 2002, Virgin bought out Carey's contract for $28 million,[5] creating further negative publicity. Carey later said her time at Virgin was "a complete and total stress-fest [...] I made a total snap decision which was based on money, and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that."[68] Later that year, she signed a contract with Island Records, valued at more than $22.5 million.[69] and launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact since childhood, died of cancer that year.[70]
In 2002, she performed the American national anthem in front of an audience at the Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Following a well-received supporting role in the 2002 film WiseGirls, Carey released the album Charmbracelet, which she said marked "a new lease on life" for her.[63] Sales of Charmbracelet were moderate, and the quality of Carey's vocals came under severe criticism. The Boston Globe declared the album "the worst of her career, revealing a voice no longer capable of either gravity-defying gymnastics or soft coos",[71] and Rolling Stone commented, "Carey needs bold songs that help her use the power and range for which she is famous. Charmbracelet is like a stream of watercolors that bleed into a puddle of brown."[72] The album's only charting single in America, "Through the Rain", was a failure on pop radio, which had become less open to maturing "diva" stylists such as Celine Dion, or Carey herself in favor of younger singers such as Christina Aguilera, who had vocal styles very similar to Carey's.[63]
"I Know What You Want", a 2003 Busta Rhymes single on which Carey guest starred, fared considerably better and reached the U.S. top five; it was also included on Columbia's release of The Remixes, a compilation of Carey's best remixes and some new tracks. That year, she embarked on the Charmbracelet World Tour and was awarded the Chopard Diamond award for selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.[73] She was featured on rapper Jadakiss's 2004 single "U Make Me Wanna", which reached the top ten on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
Return to prominence: 2005–2008
Carey performing on her Adventures of Mimi Tour, in Florida August 7, 2006.Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), contained contributions from producers such as The Neptunes, Kanye West and Carey's longtime collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. Carey said it was "very much like a party record [...] the process of putting on makeup and getting ready to go out [...] I wanted to make a record that was reflective of that."[74] The Emancipation of Mimi became 2005's best-selling album in the U.S., and The Guardian reviewer defined it as "cool, focused and urban [... some of] the first Mariah Carey tunes in years I wouldn't have to be paid to listen to again".[75] The album earned Carey a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and the single "We Belong Together" won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. "We Belong Together" held the Hot 100's number-one position for fourteen weeks, her longest run at the top as a solo lead artist. Subsequently, the single "Shake It Off" reached number two for a week, making Carey the first female lead vocalist to have simultaneously held the Hot 100's top two positions. (While topping the charts in 2002, Ashanti was the "featured" singer on the #2 single.)[76][77][78][79][80]
In mid-2006, Carey began The Adventures of Mimi Tour, which was the most successful of her career, although some dates had to be canceled.[81] She appeared on the cover of the March 2007 edition of Playboy magazine in a non-nude photo session.[82] In early 2007, she was featured with Bow Wow on the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony single "Lil' L.O.V.E.".
Carey performing "Touch My Body" on Good Morning America on stage with her dancers in summer 2008.By spring 2007, she had begun working on her eleventh studio album, E=MC².[83] Asked about the album title's meaning, Carey said "Einstein's theory? Physics? Me? Hello! ...Of course I'm poking fun." She characterized the project as "Emancipation of Mimi to the second power", saying she was "freer" on this album than any other. Like her previous one, this album mainly concentrates on pop and R&B, but also borrows hip hop, gospel and even reggae ("Cruise Control") elements.[84][85] Although E=MC² was well received by most critics,[86] some of them criticized it for being "a clone of The Emancipation of Mimi".[87] Bleu Magazine's critic said that the "facsimiles aren't terrible, they're just boring and forgettable at this point."[88] Two weeks before the album's release, on April 2, 2008, "Touch My Body", her first single from the album, became Carey's eighteenth number-one single on the Hot 100, pushing her past Elvis Presley into second place for the most number-one singles among all artists in the rock era, according to Billboard magazine's revised methodology.[89][90][91] Carey is now second only to The Beatles, who have twenty number-one singles.[92] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 463,000 copies sold, making it the biggest opening week sales of her career.[93]
Carey's singles have collectively topped the charts for seventy-nine weeks, which places her just behind Presley, who topped the charts for a combined eighty weeks.[94] Carey has also had notable success on international charts, though not to the same degree as in the United States. Thus far, she has had two number-one singles in Britain, two in Australia, and six in Canada. Her highest-charting single in Japan peaked at number two.[95][96][97]
Carey and actor/comedian/rapper Nick Cannon met while they shot Carey's music video for her second single "Bye Bye" on a private island of the coast of Antigua.[98] On April 30, 2008, Carey married Nick Cannon, at Carey's private estate on Windermere Island in The Bahamas.[99][100][101][102] In October 2008, Carey was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.[103][104]
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Angels Advocate Tour: 2009–present
Carey performed "Hero" at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in as America's first African-American president on January 20, 2009.[105] On July 7, 2009, Carey – alongside Trey Lorenz – performed her version of the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There" at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in the Los Angeles Staples Center.[106]
Carey was featured on "My Love", the second single from singer-songwriter The-Dream's album Love vs. Money.[107] In early 2009, The-Dream spoke with MTV UK about working on Carey's next studio album:[107][108]
“ I think it's about just writing an album that includes the focus of all the hits that she's had. She can't take a loss; she has to do everything to the T. So it's basically like we're trying to make a greatest hits album without using the greatest hits. ”
On May 20, Carey used her Twitter page to reveal the title of her twelfth album: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.[109] Its first single "Obsessed" debuted at number 11, her highest debut on the chart since "My All" in 1998. Within hours after the song's release, various outlets speculated that its target was rapper Eminem, in response to his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad," in which he taunted Carey's husband, Nick Cannon by telling him to back off and that Carey is his.[110][111][112][113] According to MTV, Carey alludes to drug problems in "Obsessed," which Eminem opened up about on his sixth studio album, Relapse.[114] However, Eminem quickly responded recording a song titled "The Warning" in which he threatens to release voicemails of Carey and hurls abusive comments at her. Nick Cannon has vowed that Eminem’s words will have “repercussions”.[115] "Obsessed" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her 40th career entry on that chart.[116] Carey is the eighth woman to amass 40 Hot 100 singles; Aretha Franklin has the most, with 76.[117][118] The album's second single was a cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is". It only managed to peak at #60 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as becoming a moderate success worldwide. The album was released on September 29, 2009 in the United States. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #3 with first week sales of 168,000, considerably less than her previous album E=MC2.[119]. On October 5, 2009, during Carey's performance at a private V.I.P venue in New York, it was announced that "H.A.T.E.U." will be the album's third single.[120][121] Carey performed a mini-residency Live At The Pearl in promotion of the album at The Pearl in Las Vegas, she performed two dates in September before the albums release and two dates in October, premiering new songs from the album and some old favorites.[122] Carey performed a New Year's Eve Concert in 2009, at Madison Square Garden live in New York, which marked the beginning of her new tour.
On March 30, 2010, Mariah Carey will release Angels Advocate, a collection of newly remixed duets with some of her favorite artists, performing songs from her album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.[123] "100%" was a song written and recorded for the movie "Precious" however, it was never used and will now be one of the theme songs on a soundtrack for the 2010 Olympics with all proceeds between February 12 and March 1 going to Team USA.[124]
Acting career
Carey and Robert De Niro at the premiere of Tennessee at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2008. Photograph by David Shankbone.Carey began to take professional acting lessons in 1997, and in the coming year, she was auditioning for film roles. She made her debut as an opera singer in the romantic comedy The Bachelor (1999), starring Chris O'Donnell and Renée Zellweger. CNN referred derisively to her casting as a talentless diva as "letter-perfect [...] the "can't act" part informs Carey's entire performance".[125]
Carey's first starring role was in Glitter (2001), in which she played a struggling musician in the 1980s who breaks into the music industry after meeting a disc jockey (Max Beesley). Though Roger Ebert said "[Carey]'s acting ranges from dutiful flirtatiousness to intense sincerity",[126] most critics panned it: Halliwell's Film Guide called it a "vapid star vehicle for a pop singer with no visible acting ability",[127] and The Village Voice observed: "When [Carey] tries for an emotion — any emotion — she looks as if she's lost her car keys."[128] Glitter was a box office failure, and Carey earned a Razzie Award for her role. She later said that the film "started out as a concept with substance, but it ended up being geared to 10-year-olds. It lost a lot of grit [...] I kind of got in over my head."[63]
Carey, Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters co-starred as waitresses at a mobster-operated restaurant in the independent film WiseGirls (2002), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but went straight to cable in the U.S. Critics commended Carey for her efforts — The Hollywood Reporter predicted, "Those scathing notices for Glitter will be a forgotten memory for the singer once people warm up to Raychel",[129] and Roger Friedman, referring to her as "a Thelma Ritter for the new millennium", said, "Her line delivery is sharp and she manages to get the right laughs".[130] WiseGirls producer Anthony Esposito cast Carey in The Sweet Science (2006), a film about an unknown female boxer recruited by a boxing manager, but it never entered production.[131]
Carey was one of several musicians who appeared in the independently produced Damon Dash films Death of a Dynasty (2003) and State Property 2 (2005). Her television work has been limited to a January 2002 episode of Ally McBeal. Carey had a cameo appearance in Adam Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan, playing herself.[20][132]
In 2006, Carey joined the cast of the indie film Tennessee (2008), taking the role of an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband and joins two brothers on a journey to find their long-lost father.[133] The movie received mixed reviews, but most of them raved about Carey's performance and praised it as "understated and very effective."[134][135][136][137] In 2009, she appeared as a social worker in Precious, the movie adaptation of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire.[138] The film has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, as has Carey's performance.[139][140] Variety described her acting as "pitch-perfect".[141] So far Precious has won awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, receiving top awards there.[142][143][144] In January 2010, Carey won the Breakthrough Actress Performance award for her role in Precious at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[145]
Artistry
Carey has said that from childhood she was influenced by R&B and soul musicians such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan,[146] Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin.[147] Her music contains strong influences of gospel music, and her favorite gospel singers include The Clark Sisters, Shirley Caesar and Edwin Hawkins.[146] When Carey incorporated hip hop into her sound, speculation arose that she was making an attempt to take advantage of the genre's popularity, but she told Newsweek, "People just don't understand. I grew up with this music".[148] She has expressed appreciation for rappers such as The Sugarhill Gang, Eric B. & Rakim, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep,[24] with whom she collaborated on the single "The Roof (Back in Time)" (1998).
During Carey's career, her vocal and musical style, along with her level of success, has been compared to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Carey and her peers, according to Garry Mulholland, are "the princesses of wails [...] virtuoso vocalists who blend chart-oriented pop with mature MOR torch song".[149] In She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul (2002), writer Lucy O'Brien attributed the comeback of Barbra Streisand's "old-fashioned showgirl" to Carey and Dion, and described them and Houston as "groomed, airbrushed and overblown to perfection".[150] Carey's musical transition and use of more revealing clothing during the late 1990s were, in part, initiated to distance herself from this image, and she subsequently said that most of her early work was "schmaltzy MOR".[150] Some have noted that unlike Houston and Dion, Carey co-writes her own songs, and the Guinness Rockopedia (1998) classified her as the "songbird supreme".[151]
Despite the fact that Carey is often credited with co-writing her material, she has also been accused of plagiarism on several occasions. Many of these cases were eventually settled out of court.[152][153][154]
Voice
Mariah Carey possesses a five-octave vocal range[155]. In a countdown of the "22 Greatest Voices in Music" by Blender Magazine and MTV, she scored first place, and she was placed second in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists".[156][157]
Music critic Jim Farber of Daily News said that Carey has "a range wide enough to cover all the octaves between an alto and a soprano and the agility to move between those roles with swiftness and aplomb",[158][159] and her vocal trademark is her ability to sing in the whistle register.[160] Describing Carey's voice, French-American baritone Malcolm Walker said, "tired and inhomogenous in the low register, but very well leads, especially in the piano register, her upper register works very well, it's the top of her voice, the diamond, the upper register is much more healthy than the low register, and she passes easily in head voice, who is her real voice."[161] Carey has cited Minnie Riperton as the greatest influence on her singing technique[162] and from a very early age, she attempted to emulate Riperton's high notes, to increasing degrees of success as her vocal range expanded. In 2003, her voice was ranked first in MTV and Blender magazine's countdown of the 22 Greatest Voices in Music, as voted by fans and readers in an online poll. Carey said of the poll, "What it really means is voice of the MTV generation. Of course, it's an enormous compliment, but I don't feel that way about myself."[163]
Themes and musical style
"We Belong Together" (2005)
One of Carey's many love songs, and a Grammy Award winner for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song".
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"Vanishing" (1990)
The first song that Carey was allowed to co-produce demonstrates the piano influence that permeates much of her music.
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"My All" (1998): Classic Club mix
Remixes of Carey's singles by producers such as David Morales established her presence on the U.S. club scene.
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Love is the subject of the majority of Carey's lyrics, although she has written about themes such as racism, social alienation, death, world hunger, and spirituality. She has said that much of her work is partly autobiographical, but TIME magazine wrote: "If only Mariah Carey's music had the drama of her life. Her songs are often sugary and artificial—NutraSweet soul. But her life has passion and conflict."[164] The Village Voice wrote in 2001 that, in that respect, Carey compared unfavorably with singers such as Mary J. Blige, saying "Carey's Strawberry Shortcake soul still provides the template with which teen-pop cuties draw curlicues around those centerless [Diane] Warren ballads [...] it's largely because of [Blige] that the new r&b demands a greater range of emotional expression, smarter poetry, more from-the-gut testifying, and less unnecessary notes than the squeaky-clean and just plain squeaky Mariah era. Nowadays it's the Christina Aguileras and Jessica Simpsons who awkwardly oversing, while the women with roof-raising lung power keep it in check when tune or lyric demands."[165]
Carey's output makes use of electronic instruments such as drum machines, keyboards and synthesizers. Many of her songs contain piano music, and she was given piano lessons when she was six years old. Carey said that she cannot read sheet music and prefers to collaborate with a pianist when composing her material, but feels that it is easier to experiment with faster and less conventional melodies and chord progressions using this technique. Some of her arrangements have been inspired by the work of musicians such as Stevie Wonder, a soul pianist to whom Carey once referred as "the genius of the [twentieth] century",[24] but she has said, "My voice is my instrument; it always has been."[166]
Carey began commissioning remixes of her material early in her career and helped to spearhead the practice of recording entirely new vocals for remixes.[167] Disc jockey David Morales has collaborated with Carey several times, starting with "Dreamlover" (1993), which popularized the tradition of remixing pop songs into house records, and which Slant magazine named one of the greatest dance songs of all time.[168] From "Fantasy" (1995) onward, Carey enlisted both hip hop and house producers to re-imagine her album compositions. Entertainment Weekly included two remixes of "Fantasy" on a list of Carey's greatest recordings compiled in 2005:[169] a National Dance Music Award-winning remix produced by Morales, and a Sean Combs production featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. The latter has been credited with popularizing the pop/hip hop collaboration trend that has continued into the 2000s through artists such as Ashanti and Beyoncé.[167][170] Combs said that Carey "knows the importance of mixes, so you feel like you're with an artist who appreciates your work—an artist who wants to come up with something with you".[24] She continues to consult on remixes by producers such as Morales, Jermaine Dupri, Junior Vasquez and DJ Clue, and guest performers contribute frequently to them. The popularity in U.S. nightclubs of the dance remixes, which often sound radically different from their album counterparts, has been known to eclipse the mainstream chart success of the original songs.
Philanthropy and other activities
Carey is a philanthropist who has donated time and money to organizations such as the Fresh Air Fund. She became associated with the Fund in the early 1990s, and is the co-founder of a camp located in Fishkill, New York, that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts and introduces them to career opportunities. The camp was called Camp Mariah "for her generous support and dedication to Fresh Air children",[171] and she received a Congressional Horizon Award for her youth-related charity work.[172] She is well-known nationally for her work with the Make-a-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, and in November 2006 she was awarded the Foundation's Wish Idol for her "extraordinary generosity and her many wish granting achievements".[173] Carey has volunteered for the New York City Police Athletic League and contributed to the obstetrics department of New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell Medical Center. A percentage of the sales of MTV Unplugged was donated to various other charities. In 2008, Carey was named Hunger Ambassador of the World Hunger Relief Movement. She is giving a free download of her song, "Love Story", to customers who donate to the organization at participating restaurants.[174]
One of Carey's most high-profile benefit concert appearances was on VH1's 1998 Divas Live special, during which she performed alongside other female singers in support of the Save the Music Foundation. The concert was a ratings success, and Carey participated in the Divas 2000 special. In 2007, the Save the Music Foundation honored Carey at their tenth gala event for her support towards the foundation since its inception.[175] She appeared at the America: A Tribute to Heroes nationally televised fundraiser in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and in December 2001, she performed before peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. Carey hosted the CBS television special At Home for the Holidays, which documented real-life stories of adopted children and foster families,[176] and she has worked with the New York City Administration for Children's Services. In 2005, Carey performed for Live 8 in London and at the Hurricane Katrina relief telethon "Shelter from the Storm". In August 2008, Carey and other singers recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On September 5, the singers performed it live on TV.[177]
Declining offers to appear in commercials in the United States during her early career, Carey was not involved in brand marketing initiatives until 2006, when she participated in endorsements for Intel Centrino personal computers and launched a jewelry and accessories line for teenagers, Glamorized, in American Claire's and Icing stores.[178][179] During this period, as part of a partnership with Pepsi and Motorola, Carey recorded and promoted a series of exclusive ringtones, including "Time of Your Life".[180] She signed a licensing deal with the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, and in 2007, she released her own fragrance, "M".[181][182] According to Forbes, Carey was the sixth richest woman in entertainment as of January 2007[update], with an estimated net worth of US $225 million.[183] Carey directed or co-directed several of the music videos for her singles during the 1990s. Slant magazine named the video for "The Roof (Back in Time)", which Carey co-directed with Diane Martel, one of the twenty greatest music videos of all time.[184] In 2008, Carey made Time's annual list of 100 most Influential people.[185][186][187] In January 2010, Carey announced via Twitter that she is launching a new rosé champagne brand called Angel Champagne.[145]
Discography
Main articles: Mariah Carey albums discography, Mariah Carey singles discography, Mariah Carey videography, and List of Mariah Carey songs
Studio albums
Mariah Carey (1990)
Emotions (1991)
Music Box (1993)
Merry Christmas (1994)
Daydream (1995)
Butterfly (1997)
Rainbow (1999)
Glitter (2001)
Charmbracelet (2002)
The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
E=MC² (2008)
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009)
Other albums
MTV Unplugged (1992)
#1's (1998)
Greatest Hits (2001)
The Remixes (2003)
The Ballads (2008)
Playlist: The Very Best of Mariah Carey (2010)
Love Songs (2010)
Angels Advocate (2010)[188]
Awards
Main article: List of awards received by Mariah Carey
Tours
Main article: List of Mariah Carey tours
Music Box Tour (1993)
Daydream World Tour (1996)
Butterfly World Tour (1998)
Rainbow World Tour (2000)
Charmbracelet World Tour (2003–2004)
The Adventures of Mimi Tour (2006)
Live At The Pearl (2009)
Angels' Advocate Tour (2010)
Filmography
Movies
Year Film Role Notes and Awards
1999 The Bachelor Ilana
2001 Glitter Billie Frank Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
2002 WiseGirls Raychel
2003 Death of a Dynasty Herself
2005 State Property 2 Dame's Wifey
2008 You Don't Mess with the Zohan Herself
2009 Tennessee Krystal
Precious Mrs. Weiss Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival[189][190]
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress & Best Ensemble.
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 Ally McBeal Candy Cushnip Episode "Playing with Matches"
2003 The Proud Family Herself
Background information
Born March 27, 1970 (1970-03-27) (age 39)[1] Huntington, New York,
United States
Genres R&B, pop, dance[2]
Occupations Singer, songwriter, model, record producer, actress
Years active 1988–present
Labels Columbia, Virgin, MonarC, Island
Website www.mariahcarey.com
Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.[3]
Following her separation from Mottola in 1997, Carey introduced elements of hip hop into her album work, to much initial success, but her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia in 2001. She signed to Virgin Records but was dropped from the label and bought out of her contract the following year after a highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception given to Glitter, her film and soundtrack project. In 2002, Carey signed with Island Records, and after a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the top of pop music in 2005.[4][5]
Carey has sold more than 175 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.[6][7][8] She was named the best-selling female pop artist of the millennium at the 2000 World Music Awards.[9] According to the Recording Industry Association of America, she is the third best-selling female artist and sixteenth overall recording artist with shipments of over 63 million albums in the US.[10] She is also ranked as the best-selling female artist of the U.S. Nielsen SoundScan era (third best-selling artist overall).[11] She has the most number-one singles for a solo artist in the United States (eighteen; second artist overall behind The Beatles).[12] In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked her at number six on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists", making Carey as the second most successful female artist, in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart.[13] In addition to her commercial accomplishments, Carey has earned five Grammy Awards, and is well-known for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register.
Contents [hide]
1 Life and music career
1.1 Childhood and youth
1.2 Early commercial success: 1989–1992
1.3 International success: 1993–1996
1.4 New image and independence: 1997–2000
1.5 Personal and professional struggles: 2001–2004
1.6 Return to prominence: 2005–2008
1.7 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Angels Advocate Tour: 2009–present
2 Acting career
3 Artistry
3.1 Voice
3.2 Themes and musical style
4 Philanthropy and other activities
5 Discography
5.1 Studio albums
5.2 Other albums
6 Awards
7 Tours
8 Filmography
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links
Life and music career
Childhood and youth
Carey was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Carey (née Hickey), a former opera singer and vocal coach, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer.[14][15] Her mother was Irish American and her father was of Afro-Venezuelan and African American descent;[16] her paternal grandfather, Roberto Nuñez, changed his surname to Carey to better assimilate upon moving to the United States from Venezuela.[17] Carey was named after the song "They Call the Wind Mariah".[18] Carey's parents divorced when she was three years old.[19] While living in Huntington, racist neighbors allegedly poisoned the family dog and set fire to her family's car.[20] After her parents' divorce, Carey had little contact with her father, and her mother worked several jobs to support the family. Carey spent much of her time at home alone and turned to music to occupy herself. She began singing at around the age of three, when her mother began to teach her after Carey imitated her mother practicing Verdi's opera Rigoletto in Italian.[21]
Carey graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She was frequently absent because of her work as a demo singer for local recording studios; her classmates consequently gave her the nickname "Mirage".[22] Her work in the Long Island music scene gave her opportunities to work with musicians such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape. After moving to New York City, Carey worked part-time jobs to pay the rent, and she completed 500 hours of beauty school.[23] Eventually, she became a backup singer for Puerto Rican freestyle singer Brenda K. Starr.
In 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party, where Starr gave him Carey's demo tape. Mottola played the tape when leaving the party and was impressed. He returned to find Carey, but she had left. Nevertheless, Mottola tracked her down and signed her to a recording contract. This Cinderella-like story became part of the standard publicity surrounding Carey's entrance into the industry.[24]
Early commercial success: 1989–1992
Carey co-wrote the tracks on her 1990 debut album Mariah Carey, and she has co-written most of her material since. During the recording, she expressed dissatisfaction with the contributions of producers such as Ric Wake and Rhett Lawrence, whom the executives at Columbia had enlisted to help make the album more commercially viable.[25] Backed by a substantial promotional budget, the album reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for several weeks. It yielded four number-one singles and made Carey a star in the United States, but it was less successful in other countries. Critics rated the album highly, and Carey won Grammys for Best New Artist, and—for her debut single, "Vision of Love"[26]—Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[27]
Carey conceived Emotions, her second album, as an homage to Motown soul music (see Motown Sound), and she worked with Walter Afanasieff and Clivillés & Cole (from the dance group C+C Music Factory) on the record. It was released soon after her debut album—in late 1991—but was neither as critically or commercially successful; Rolling Stone described it as "more of the same, with less interesting material [...] pop-psych love songs played with airless, intimidating expertise."[28] The title track "Emotions" made Carey the only recording act whose first five singles have reached number one on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, although the album's follow-up singles failed to match this feat. Carey had been lobbying to produce her own songs, and beginning with Emotions, she has co-produced most of her material. "I didn't want [Emotions] to be somebody else's vision of me," she said. "There's more of me on this album."[29]
Although Carey performed live occasionally, stage fright prevented her from embarking on a major tour.[30] Her first widely seen appearance was featured on the television show MTV Unplugged in 1992, and she remarked that she felt her performance that night proved her vocal abilities were not, as some had previously speculated, simulated with studio equipment.[31] Alongside acoustic versions of some of her earlier songs, Carey premiered a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" with her back-up singer Trey Lorenz. The duet was released as a single, reached number one in the U.S., and led to a record deal for Lorenz,[27] whose debut album Carey later co-produced.[32] Because of high ratings for the Unplugged television special, the concert's set list was released on the EP MTV Unplugged, which Entertainment Weekly called "the strongest, most genuinely musical record she has ever made [...] Did this live performance help her take her first steps toward growing up?."[33]
International success: 1993–1996
Carey and Tommy Mottola had become involved romantically during the making of her debut album, and in June 1993, they were married.
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds consulted on the album Music Box, which was released later that year and became Carey's most successful worldwide. The album maintained a presence on the Billboard 200 for a staggering 128 weeks.[34] It yielded her first UK Singles Chart number-one,[35] a cover of Badfinger's "Without You", and the U.S. number-ones "Dreamlover" and "Hero". Billboard magazine proclaimed it "heart-piercing [...] easily the most elemental of Carey's releases, her vocal eurythmics in natural sync with the songs",[36] but TIME magazine lamented Carey's attempt at a mellower work, "[Music Box] seems perfunctory and almost passionless [...] Carey could be a pop-soul great; instead she has once again settled for Salieri-like mediocrity."[37] In response to such comments, Carey said, "As soon as you have a big success, a lot of people don't like that. There's nothing I can do about it. All I can do is make music I believe in."[38] Most critics slighted the opening of her subsequent U.S. Music Box Tour.[39]
"One Sweet Day" (1995)
Carey's collaboration with Boyz II Men is one of her biggest singles in the U.S.
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In late 1994, after her duet with Luther Vandross on a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's "Endless Love" became a hit, Carey released the holiday album Merry Christmas. It contained cover material and original compositions such as "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became Carey's biggest single in Japan[40] and, in subsequent years, emerged as one of her most perennially popular songs on U.S. radio.[41] Critical reception of Merry Christmas was mixed, with Allmusic calling it an "otherwise vanilla set [...] pretensions to high opera on 'O Holy Night' and a horrid danceclub take on 'Joy to the World'."[42] It became one of the most successful Christmas albums of all time.[43]
In 1995, Columbia released Carey's fourth studio album, Daydream, which combined the pop sensibilities of Music Box with downbeat R&B and hip hop influences. A remix of "Fantasy", its first single, featured rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Carey said that Columbia reacted negatively to her intentions for the album: "Everybody was like 'What, are you crazy?'. They're very nervous about breaking the formula."[44] It became her biggest-selling album in the U.S., and its singles achieved similar success—"Fantasy" became the second single to debut at number one in the U.S. and topped the Canadian Singles Chart for twelve weeks; "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Boyz II Men) spent a record-holding sixteen weeks at number one in the U.S.; and "Always Be My Baby" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) was the most successful record on U.S. radio in 1996, according to Billboard magazine. Daydream generated career-best reviews for Carey,[45] and publications such as The New York Times named it one of 1995's best albums; the Times wrote that its "best cuts bring pop candy-making to a new peak of textural refinement [...] Carey's songwriting has taken a leap forward, becoming more relaxed, sexier and less reliant on thudding clichés."[46] The short but profitable Daydream World Tour augmented sales of the album, which received six Grammy Award nominations.
New image and independence: 1997–2000
Carey at Edwards Air Force Base during the making of "I Still Believe" video in 1998.Carey and Mottola officially separated in 1997. Although the public image of the marriage was a happy one, she said that in reality she had felt trapped by her relationship with Mottola, whom she often described as controlling.[47] They officially announced their separation in 1997, and their divorce became final the following year. Soon after the separation, Carey hired an independent publicist and a new attorney and manager. She continued to write and produce for other artists during this period, contributing to the debut albums of Allure and 7 Mile through her short-lived imprint Crave Records.
Carey's next album, Butterfly (1997), yielded the number-one single "Honey", the lyrics and music video for which presented a more overtly sexual image of her than had been previously seen.[48] She stated that Butterfly marked the point when she attained full creative control over her music.[49] However, she added, "I don't think it's that much of a departure from what I've done in the past [...] It's not like I went psycho and thought I was going to be a rapper. Personally, this album is about doing whatever the hell I wanted to do."[50] Reviews were generally positive: LAUNCHcast said Butterfly "pushes the envelope," a move its critic thought "may prove disconcerting to more conservative fans" but praised as "a welcome change."[51] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Butterfly] is easily the most personal, confessional-sounding record she's ever done [...] Carey-bashing just might become a thing of the past."[52] The album was a commercial success—although not to the degree of her previous three albums—and "My All" (her thirteenth Hot 100 number-one) gave her the record for the most U.S. number-ones by a female artist.
Toward the turn of the millennium, Carey was developing the film project Glitter and wrote songs for the films Men in Black (1997) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). During the production of Butterfly, Carey became romantically involved with New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter. Their relationship ended in 1998, with both parties citing media interference as the main reason for the split.[53] The same year, Columbia released the album #1's, a collection of Carey's U.S. number-one singles alongside new material, which she said was a way of rewarding her fans.[54] The song "When You Believe", a duet with Whitney Houston, was recorded for the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt (1998) and won an Academy Award. #1's sold above expectations, but a review in NME labeled Carey "a purveyor of saccharine bilge like 'Hero', whose message seems wholesome enough: that if you vacate your mind of all intelligent thought, flutter your eyelashes and wish hard, sweet babies and honey will follow."[55] Also that year, she appeared on the first televised VH1 Divas benefit concert program, although her alleged prima donna behavior had already led many to consider her a diva.[56] By the following year, she had entered a relationship with singer Luis Miguel.
Rainbow, Carey's sixth studio album, was released in 1999 and comprised more R&B/hip hop–oriented songs, many of them co-created with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[57] "Heartbreaker" and "Thank God I Found You" (the former featuring Jay-Z, the latter featuring Joe and boy band 98 Degrees) reached number one in the U.S.[57] and the success of the former made Carey the only act to have a number-one single in each year of the 1990s. A cover of Phil Collins's "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" went to number one in the UK after Carey re-recorded it with boy band Westlife. Media reception of Rainbow was generally enthusiastic, with the Sunday Herald saying the album "sees her impressively tottering between soul ballads and collaborations with R&B heavyweights like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Usher [...] It's a polished collection of pop-soul."[58] VIBE magazine expressed similar sentiments, writing, "She pulls out all stops [...] Rainbow will garner even more adoration"[59] but it became Carey's lowest-selling album up to that point,[49] and there was a recurring criticism that the tracks were too alike. When the double A-side "Crybaby" (featuring Snoop Dogg)/"Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" became her first single to peak outside the U.S. top twenty, Carey accused Sony of underpromoting it: "The political situation in my professional career is not positive [...] I'm getting a lot of negative feedback from certain corporate people," she wrote on her official website.[60]
Personal and professional struggles: 2001–2004
After receiving Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium,[9] Carey parted from Columbia and signed a contract with EMI's Virgin Records worth a reported US$80 million.[5] She often stated that Columbia had regarded her as a commodity, with her separation from Mottola exacerbating her relations with label executives. Just a few months later, in July 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. She had left messages on her website complaining of being overworked,[61] and her relationship with Luis Miguel was ending.[62] In an interview the following year, she said, "I was with people who didn't really know me, and I had no personal assistant. I'd be doing interviews all day long, getting two hours of sleep a night, if that."[63] During an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, Carey handed out popsicles to the audience and began what was later described as a "striptease".[64] By the month's end, she had checked into a hospital, and her publicist announced that Carey was taking a break from public appearances.[65]
Critics panned Glitter, Carey's much delayed semi-autobiographical film, and it was a box office failure.[20] The accompanying soundtrack album, Glitter, was inspired by the music of the 1980s and featured collaborations with Rick James and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; it generated Carey's worst showing on the U.S. chart. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch dismissed it as "an absolute mess that'll go down as an annoying blemish on a career that, while not always critically heralded, was at least nearly consistently successful",[66] while Blender magazine opined, "After years of trading her signature flourishes for a radio-ready purr, Carey's left with almost no presence at all."[67] The lead single, "Loverboy" (featuring Cameo), reached number two on the Hot 100 due to the release of the physical single,[65] but the album's follow-up singles failed to chart; however, a live rendition/medley of the single, "Never Too Far" made its way to #81.
Later in the year, Columbia released the low-charting compilation album Greatest Hits shortly after the failure of Glitter, and in early 2002, Virgin bought out Carey's contract for $28 million,[5] creating further negative publicity. Carey later said her time at Virgin was "a complete and total stress-fest [...] I made a total snap decision which was based on money, and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that."[68] Later that year, she signed a contract with Island Records, valued at more than $22.5 million.[69] and launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact since childhood, died of cancer that year.[70]
In 2002, she performed the American national anthem in front of an audience at the Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Following a well-received supporting role in the 2002 film WiseGirls, Carey released the album Charmbracelet, which she said marked "a new lease on life" for her.[63] Sales of Charmbracelet were moderate, and the quality of Carey's vocals came under severe criticism. The Boston Globe declared the album "the worst of her career, revealing a voice no longer capable of either gravity-defying gymnastics or soft coos",[71] and Rolling Stone commented, "Carey needs bold songs that help her use the power and range for which she is famous. Charmbracelet is like a stream of watercolors that bleed into a puddle of brown."[72] The album's only charting single in America, "Through the Rain", was a failure on pop radio, which had become less open to maturing "diva" stylists such as Celine Dion, or Carey herself in favor of younger singers such as Christina Aguilera, who had vocal styles very similar to Carey's.[63]
"I Know What You Want", a 2003 Busta Rhymes single on which Carey guest starred, fared considerably better and reached the U.S. top five; it was also included on Columbia's release of The Remixes, a compilation of Carey's best remixes and some new tracks. That year, she embarked on the Charmbracelet World Tour and was awarded the Chopard Diamond award for selling more than 100 million albums worldwide.[73] She was featured on rapper Jadakiss's 2004 single "U Make Me Wanna", which reached the top ten on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
Return to prominence: 2005–2008
Carey performing on her Adventures of Mimi Tour, in Florida August 7, 2006.Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), contained contributions from producers such as The Neptunes, Kanye West and Carey's longtime collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. Carey said it was "very much like a party record [...] the process of putting on makeup and getting ready to go out [...] I wanted to make a record that was reflective of that."[74] The Emancipation of Mimi became 2005's best-selling album in the U.S., and The Guardian reviewer defined it as "cool, focused and urban [... some of] the first Mariah Carey tunes in years I wouldn't have to be paid to listen to again".[75] The album earned Carey a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and the single "We Belong Together" won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. "We Belong Together" held the Hot 100's number-one position for fourteen weeks, her longest run at the top as a solo lead artist. Subsequently, the single "Shake It Off" reached number two for a week, making Carey the first female lead vocalist to have simultaneously held the Hot 100's top two positions. (While topping the charts in 2002, Ashanti was the "featured" singer on the #2 single.)[76][77][78][79][80]
In mid-2006, Carey began The Adventures of Mimi Tour, which was the most successful of her career, although some dates had to be canceled.[81] She appeared on the cover of the March 2007 edition of Playboy magazine in a non-nude photo session.[82] In early 2007, she was featured with Bow Wow on the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony single "Lil' L.O.V.E.".
Carey performing "Touch My Body" on Good Morning America on stage with her dancers in summer 2008.By spring 2007, she had begun working on her eleventh studio album, E=MC².[83] Asked about the album title's meaning, Carey said "Einstein's theory? Physics? Me? Hello! ...Of course I'm poking fun." She characterized the project as "Emancipation of Mimi to the second power", saying she was "freer" on this album than any other. Like her previous one, this album mainly concentrates on pop and R&B, but also borrows hip hop, gospel and even reggae ("Cruise Control") elements.[84][85] Although E=MC² was well received by most critics,[86] some of them criticized it for being "a clone of The Emancipation of Mimi".[87] Bleu Magazine's critic said that the "facsimiles aren't terrible, they're just boring and forgettable at this point."[88] Two weeks before the album's release, on April 2, 2008, "Touch My Body", her first single from the album, became Carey's eighteenth number-one single on the Hot 100, pushing her past Elvis Presley into second place for the most number-one singles among all artists in the rock era, according to Billboard magazine's revised methodology.[89][90][91] Carey is now second only to The Beatles, who have twenty number-one singles.[92] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 463,000 copies sold, making it the biggest opening week sales of her career.[93]
Carey's singles have collectively topped the charts for seventy-nine weeks, which places her just behind Presley, who topped the charts for a combined eighty weeks.[94] Carey has also had notable success on international charts, though not to the same degree as in the United States. Thus far, she has had two number-one singles in Britain, two in Australia, and six in Canada. Her highest-charting single in Japan peaked at number two.[95][96][97]
Carey and actor/comedian/rapper Nick Cannon met while they shot Carey's music video for her second single "Bye Bye" on a private island of the coast of Antigua.[98] On April 30, 2008, Carey married Nick Cannon, at Carey's private estate on Windermere Island in The Bahamas.[99][100][101][102] In October 2008, Carey was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.[103][104]
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Angels Advocate Tour: 2009–present
Carey performed "Hero" at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in as America's first African-American president on January 20, 2009.[105] On July 7, 2009, Carey – alongside Trey Lorenz – performed her version of the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There" at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in the Los Angeles Staples Center.[106]
Carey was featured on "My Love", the second single from singer-songwriter The-Dream's album Love vs. Money.[107] In early 2009, The-Dream spoke with MTV UK about working on Carey's next studio album:[107][108]
“ I think it's about just writing an album that includes the focus of all the hits that she's had. She can't take a loss; she has to do everything to the T. So it's basically like we're trying to make a greatest hits album without using the greatest hits. ”
On May 20, Carey used her Twitter page to reveal the title of her twelfth album: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.[109] Its first single "Obsessed" debuted at number 11, her highest debut on the chart since "My All" in 1998. Within hours after the song's release, various outlets speculated that its target was rapper Eminem, in response to his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad," in which he taunted Carey's husband, Nick Cannon by telling him to back off and that Carey is his.[110][111][112][113] According to MTV, Carey alludes to drug problems in "Obsessed," which Eminem opened up about on his sixth studio album, Relapse.[114] However, Eminem quickly responded recording a song titled "The Warning" in which he threatens to release voicemails of Carey and hurls abusive comments at her. Nick Cannon has vowed that Eminem’s words will have “repercussions”.[115] "Obsessed" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her 40th career entry on that chart.[116] Carey is the eighth woman to amass 40 Hot 100 singles; Aretha Franklin has the most, with 76.[117][118] The album's second single was a cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is". It only managed to peak at #60 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as becoming a moderate success worldwide. The album was released on September 29, 2009 in the United States. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at #3 with first week sales of 168,000, considerably less than her previous album E=MC2.[119]. On October 5, 2009, during Carey's performance at a private V.I.P venue in New York, it was announced that "H.A.T.E.U." will be the album's third single.[120][121] Carey performed a mini-residency Live At The Pearl in promotion of the album at The Pearl in Las Vegas, she performed two dates in September before the albums release and two dates in October, premiering new songs from the album and some old favorites.[122] Carey performed a New Year's Eve Concert in 2009, at Madison Square Garden live in New York, which marked the beginning of her new tour.
On March 30, 2010, Mariah Carey will release Angels Advocate, a collection of newly remixed duets with some of her favorite artists, performing songs from her album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.[123] "100%" was a song written and recorded for the movie "Precious" however, it was never used and will now be one of the theme songs on a soundtrack for the 2010 Olympics with all proceeds between February 12 and March 1 going to Team USA.[124]
Acting career
Carey and Robert De Niro at the premiere of Tennessee at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2008. Photograph by David Shankbone.Carey began to take professional acting lessons in 1997, and in the coming year, she was auditioning for film roles. She made her debut as an opera singer in the romantic comedy The Bachelor (1999), starring Chris O'Donnell and Renée Zellweger. CNN referred derisively to her casting as a talentless diva as "letter-perfect [...] the "can't act" part informs Carey's entire performance".[125]
Carey's first starring role was in Glitter (2001), in which she played a struggling musician in the 1980s who breaks into the music industry after meeting a disc jockey (Max Beesley). Though Roger Ebert said "[Carey]'s acting ranges from dutiful flirtatiousness to intense sincerity",[126] most critics panned it: Halliwell's Film Guide called it a "vapid star vehicle for a pop singer with no visible acting ability",[127] and The Village Voice observed: "When [Carey] tries for an emotion — any emotion — she looks as if she's lost her car keys."[128] Glitter was a box office failure, and Carey earned a Razzie Award for her role. She later said that the film "started out as a concept with substance, but it ended up being geared to 10-year-olds. It lost a lot of grit [...] I kind of got in over my head."[63]
Carey, Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters co-starred as waitresses at a mobster-operated restaurant in the independent film WiseGirls (2002), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but went straight to cable in the U.S. Critics commended Carey for her efforts — The Hollywood Reporter predicted, "Those scathing notices for Glitter will be a forgotten memory for the singer once people warm up to Raychel",[129] and Roger Friedman, referring to her as "a Thelma Ritter for the new millennium", said, "Her line delivery is sharp and she manages to get the right laughs".[130] WiseGirls producer Anthony Esposito cast Carey in The Sweet Science (2006), a film about an unknown female boxer recruited by a boxing manager, but it never entered production.[131]
Carey was one of several musicians who appeared in the independently produced Damon Dash films Death of a Dynasty (2003) and State Property 2 (2005). Her television work has been limited to a January 2002 episode of Ally McBeal. Carey had a cameo appearance in Adam Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan, playing herself.[20][132]
In 2006, Carey joined the cast of the indie film Tennessee (2008), taking the role of an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband and joins two brothers on a journey to find their long-lost father.[133] The movie received mixed reviews, but most of them raved about Carey's performance and praised it as "understated and very effective."[134][135][136][137] In 2009, she appeared as a social worker in Precious, the movie adaptation of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire.[138] The film has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, as has Carey's performance.[139][140] Variety described her acting as "pitch-perfect".[141] So far Precious has won awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, receiving top awards there.[142][143][144] In January 2010, Carey won the Breakthrough Actress Performance award for her role in Precious at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[145]
Artistry
Carey has said that from childhood she was influenced by R&B and soul musicians such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan,[146] Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin.[147] Her music contains strong influences of gospel music, and her favorite gospel singers include The Clark Sisters, Shirley Caesar and Edwin Hawkins.[146] When Carey incorporated hip hop into her sound, speculation arose that she was making an attempt to take advantage of the genre's popularity, but she told Newsweek, "People just don't understand. I grew up with this music".[148] She has expressed appreciation for rappers such as The Sugarhill Gang, Eric B. & Rakim, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep,[24] with whom she collaborated on the single "The Roof (Back in Time)" (1998).
During Carey's career, her vocal and musical style, along with her level of success, has been compared to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Carey and her peers, according to Garry Mulholland, are "the princesses of wails [...] virtuoso vocalists who blend chart-oriented pop with mature MOR torch song".[149] In She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul (2002), writer Lucy O'Brien attributed the comeback of Barbra Streisand's "old-fashioned showgirl" to Carey and Dion, and described them and Houston as "groomed, airbrushed and overblown to perfection".[150] Carey's musical transition and use of more revealing clothing during the late 1990s were, in part, initiated to distance herself from this image, and she subsequently said that most of her early work was "schmaltzy MOR".[150] Some have noted that unlike Houston and Dion, Carey co-writes her own songs, and the Guinness Rockopedia (1998) classified her as the "songbird supreme".[151]
Despite the fact that Carey is often credited with co-writing her material, she has also been accused of plagiarism on several occasions. Many of these cases were eventually settled out of court.[152][153][154]
Voice
Mariah Carey possesses a five-octave vocal range[155]. In a countdown of the "22 Greatest Voices in Music" by Blender Magazine and MTV, she scored first place, and she was placed second in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists".[156][157]
Music critic Jim Farber of Daily News said that Carey has "a range wide enough to cover all the octaves between an alto and a soprano and the agility to move between those roles with swiftness and aplomb",[158][159] and her vocal trademark is her ability to sing in the whistle register.[160] Describing Carey's voice, French-American baritone Malcolm Walker said, "tired and inhomogenous in the low register, but very well leads, especially in the piano register, her upper register works very well, it's the top of her voice, the diamond, the upper register is much more healthy than the low register, and she passes easily in head voice, who is her real voice."[161] Carey has cited Minnie Riperton as the greatest influence on her singing technique[162] and from a very early age, she attempted to emulate Riperton's high notes, to increasing degrees of success as her vocal range expanded. In 2003, her voice was ranked first in MTV and Blender magazine's countdown of the 22 Greatest Voices in Music, as voted by fans and readers in an online poll. Carey said of the poll, "What it really means is voice of the MTV generation. Of course, it's an enormous compliment, but I don't feel that way about myself."[163]
Themes and musical style
"We Belong Together" (2005)
One of Carey's many love songs, and a Grammy Award winner for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song".
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"Vanishing" (1990)
The first song that Carey was allowed to co-produce demonstrates the piano influence that permeates much of her music.
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"My All" (1998): Classic Club mix
Remixes of Carey's singles by producers such as David Morales established her presence on the U.S. club scene.
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Love is the subject of the majority of Carey's lyrics, although she has written about themes such as racism, social alienation, death, world hunger, and spirituality. She has said that much of her work is partly autobiographical, but TIME magazine wrote: "If only Mariah Carey's music had the drama of her life. Her songs are often sugary and artificial—NutraSweet soul. But her life has passion and conflict."[164] The Village Voice wrote in 2001 that, in that respect, Carey compared unfavorably with singers such as Mary J. Blige, saying "Carey's Strawberry Shortcake soul still provides the template with which teen-pop cuties draw curlicues around those centerless [Diane] Warren ballads [...] it's largely because of [Blige] that the new r&b demands a greater range of emotional expression, smarter poetry, more from-the-gut testifying, and less unnecessary notes than the squeaky-clean and just plain squeaky Mariah era. Nowadays it's the Christina Aguileras and Jessica Simpsons who awkwardly oversing, while the women with roof-raising lung power keep it in check when tune or lyric demands."[165]
Carey's output makes use of electronic instruments such as drum machines, keyboards and synthesizers. Many of her songs contain piano music, and she was given piano lessons when she was six years old. Carey said that she cannot read sheet music and prefers to collaborate with a pianist when composing her material, but feels that it is easier to experiment with faster and less conventional melodies and chord progressions using this technique. Some of her arrangements have been inspired by the work of musicians such as Stevie Wonder, a soul pianist to whom Carey once referred as "the genius of the [twentieth] century",[24] but she has said, "My voice is my instrument; it always has been."[166]
Carey began commissioning remixes of her material early in her career and helped to spearhead the practice of recording entirely new vocals for remixes.[167] Disc jockey David Morales has collaborated with Carey several times, starting with "Dreamlover" (1993), which popularized the tradition of remixing pop songs into house records, and which Slant magazine named one of the greatest dance songs of all time.[168] From "Fantasy" (1995) onward, Carey enlisted both hip hop and house producers to re-imagine her album compositions. Entertainment Weekly included two remixes of "Fantasy" on a list of Carey's greatest recordings compiled in 2005:[169] a National Dance Music Award-winning remix produced by Morales, and a Sean Combs production featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. The latter has been credited with popularizing the pop/hip hop collaboration trend that has continued into the 2000s through artists such as Ashanti and Beyoncé.[167][170] Combs said that Carey "knows the importance of mixes, so you feel like you're with an artist who appreciates your work—an artist who wants to come up with something with you".[24] She continues to consult on remixes by producers such as Morales, Jermaine Dupri, Junior Vasquez and DJ Clue, and guest performers contribute frequently to them. The popularity in U.S. nightclubs of the dance remixes, which often sound radically different from their album counterparts, has been known to eclipse the mainstream chart success of the original songs.
Philanthropy and other activities
Carey is a philanthropist who has donated time and money to organizations such as the Fresh Air Fund. She became associated with the Fund in the early 1990s, and is the co-founder of a camp located in Fishkill, New York, that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts and introduces them to career opportunities. The camp was called Camp Mariah "for her generous support and dedication to Fresh Air children",[171] and she received a Congressional Horizon Award for her youth-related charity work.[172] She is well-known nationally for her work with the Make-a-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, and in November 2006 she was awarded the Foundation's Wish Idol for her "extraordinary generosity and her many wish granting achievements".[173] Carey has volunteered for the New York City Police Athletic League and contributed to the obstetrics department of New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell Medical Center. A percentage of the sales of MTV Unplugged was donated to various other charities. In 2008, Carey was named Hunger Ambassador of the World Hunger Relief Movement. She is giving a free download of her song, "Love Story", to customers who donate to the organization at participating restaurants.[174]
One of Carey's most high-profile benefit concert appearances was on VH1's 1998 Divas Live special, during which she performed alongside other female singers in support of the Save the Music Foundation. The concert was a ratings success, and Carey participated in the Divas 2000 special. In 2007, the Save the Music Foundation honored Carey at their tenth gala event for her support towards the foundation since its inception.[175] She appeared at the America: A Tribute to Heroes nationally televised fundraiser in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and in December 2001, she performed before peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. Carey hosted the CBS television special At Home for the Holidays, which documented real-life stories of adopted children and foster families,[176] and she has worked with the New York City Administration for Children's Services. In 2005, Carey performed for Live 8 in London and at the Hurricane Katrina relief telethon "Shelter from the Storm". In August 2008, Carey and other singers recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On September 5, the singers performed it live on TV.[177]
Declining offers to appear in commercials in the United States during her early career, Carey was not involved in brand marketing initiatives until 2006, when she participated in endorsements for Intel Centrino personal computers and launched a jewelry and accessories line for teenagers, Glamorized, in American Claire's and Icing stores.[178][179] During this period, as part of a partnership with Pepsi and Motorola, Carey recorded and promoted a series of exclusive ringtones, including "Time of Your Life".[180] She signed a licensing deal with the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, and in 2007, she released her own fragrance, "M".[181][182] According to Forbes, Carey was the sixth richest woman in entertainment as of January 2007[update], with an estimated net worth of US $225 million.[183] Carey directed or co-directed several of the music videos for her singles during the 1990s. Slant magazine named the video for "The Roof (Back in Time)", which Carey co-directed with Diane Martel, one of the twenty greatest music videos of all time.[184] In 2008, Carey made Time's annual list of 100 most Influential people.[185][186][187] In January 2010, Carey announced via Twitter that she is launching a new rosé champagne brand called Angel Champagne.[145]
Discography
Main articles: Mariah Carey albums discography, Mariah Carey singles discography, Mariah Carey videography, and List of Mariah Carey songs
Studio albums
Mariah Carey (1990)
Emotions (1991)
Music Box (1993)
Merry Christmas (1994)
Daydream (1995)
Butterfly (1997)
Rainbow (1999)
Glitter (2001)
Charmbracelet (2002)
The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
E=MC² (2008)
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009)
Other albums
MTV Unplugged (1992)
#1's (1998)
Greatest Hits (2001)
The Remixes (2003)
The Ballads (2008)
Playlist: The Very Best of Mariah Carey (2010)
Love Songs (2010)
Angels Advocate (2010)[188]
Awards
Main article: List of awards received by Mariah Carey
Tours
Main article: List of Mariah Carey tours
Music Box Tour (1993)
Daydream World Tour (1996)
Butterfly World Tour (1998)
Rainbow World Tour (2000)
Charmbracelet World Tour (2003–2004)
The Adventures of Mimi Tour (2006)
Live At The Pearl (2009)
Angels' Advocate Tour (2010)
Filmography
Movies
Year Film Role Notes and Awards
1999 The Bachelor Ilana
2001 Glitter Billie Frank Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress
2002 WiseGirls Raychel
2003 Death of a Dynasty Herself
2005 State Property 2 Dame's Wifey
2008 You Don't Mess with the Zohan Herself
2009 Tennessee Krystal
Precious Mrs. Weiss Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival[189][190]
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress & Best Ensemble.
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2002 Ally McBeal Candy Cushnip Episode "Playing with Matches"
2003 The Proud Family Herself
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