Thursday 23 December 1999

The rebirth of Mariah

The New Yorker Mariah has a voice like honey in her sugary songs. Since she's no longer with the president of her record company, she'll probably have less success. Think again! With Heartbreaker Mariah makes a spectacular comeback with a sexier image. For you, she talks about her life as a star...

NEW ALBUM, NEW LIFE

"Before my divorce I was a slave! I did whatever I was told. I was a brave woman. I fought to become more free and confident but I didn't succeed. Until my separation. I must admit that while I was married to Tommy Mottola (the head of Sony), I was married to the company. But that's ancient history. Today I am free."

"My ex-husband and I still say hello when we pass each other, because we're never very far [because we still work together]. Truthfully, today I'm against marriage. Ever since I watched my parents divorce when I was little, I have been convinced that no marriage will last. As far as I'm concerned, I'm accurate."

"I did not enjoy my childhood. I would not relive it for anything in the world. I came from a mixed marriage: my father is black and Venezuelan, my mother is white and Irish. People say that America is a melting pot, but it is very divided. I always felt different and rejected. I was also poor. My father left, and my mother had to take care of three children by herself. Her family had disowned her; she could not be forgiven for marrying my father..."

"I lived on Long Island in a white neighborhood. One night, neighbors set fire to our car and poisoned my dog. My sister Allison's skin is much darker than mine and the other kids would insult her incessantly. My brother tried to defend her but he's handicapped. It was very tough. In the United States, I'm always asked questions like: ‘Are you white or I am not part of only one community."

"In high school I acted like a tough girl. I smoked in secret and for fun I locked girls in the bathroom. But in reality, this wasn't me. I invented a personality and had friends that were bad influences. In a flash, everyone thought that I was a savage, a rebel..."

"For a long time I was infatuated with Derek Jeter (of the New York Yankees). Our romance ended six months ago. The rumors and the pressure from the media were unbearable. However we're still good friends. I fell in love with him because, like me, he has an Irish mother and a black father. I had never met a guy so wonderful. I grew up after my divorce. Finally, and most importantly, this is the first time I've been happy. I feel I am at my best now. When I get the blues, writing consoles me."

"After my breakup with Derek I was incapable of having confidence in men. I was scared. Since I'm famous, I could not be sure of their true intentions. For that reason, I am single now. People think I'm lying, who cares. I'd like to say my heart is taken, but that's not the case..."

"When do I have time for a man in my life? I'm constantly locked up in my apartment writing songs, or locked up in the recording studio. Sure I hope to one day find my soulmate, someone who I have total confidence in and who understands me. I'm always considered the ideal sex symbol, the ideal woman, the kind and naive Barbie doll in the tight dresses. In reality I'm deeper than that!"

MARIAH MAKES MOVIES!

When she started out, Mariah declared that she had no interest in a career as an actress. That changed after the divorce. Mariah wants to act in the movies. She started taking classes with Sheila Grey five times a week to perfect her acting.  For Mariah, these classes are therapy.

"It is incredible liberation. I started taking exhausting and emotional [acting] classes because they were a connection to a lot of things that I never really finished - a lot of things from my childhood. Sheila helping me with my emotions made it easier for me. Actors are seen as reputable, but for me acting is one more thing to surrender to my emotions when I'm kept to myself for a long time."

Coming out November 5 in the United States, The Bachelor is a romantic comedy about a single man, played by Chris O'Donnell, who has to marry within 24 hours to receive his inheritance of $100 million. Mariah has no small role; she plays the opera singer ex-girlfriend of O'Donnell's character.

"On screen I sing La Traviata, a very dramatic opera where my character dies at the end. The producer said, ‘Do you want a double for [the part with] the fall?' And I said, ‘No, I want to do it,' not realizing I would have to do the scene over 30 times. My hips and knees suffered. A nurse brought me some ice cream. I told myself, ‘Never again!'"

WHAT'S NEW?

Rainbow, Mariah's new album, will be released on 8 November. It includes songs with Missy Elliott, Usher, and 98 Degrees. It is a magic CD, very R&B, including some very beautiful ballads.

Mariah received an honor in Washington for the foundation of Camp Mariah and for a commercial asking people to adopt orphans. She gave over a million dollars to the foundation.

All That Glitters is Mariah's newest movie project. It takes place in the 1980s and is about a young singer and her rise to stardom. She faces many problems in her life, including racism, and falls in love with a DJ.  Mariah has stated that the movie is not autobiographical (although it does have striking similarities)...  At the moment she is working on six songs for the original soundtrack. One of them, called There For Me, she is co-producing with David Foster.

(Star Club)



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