Friday 2 April 2004

The fire within

Yesterday, I told you that Edgewise from the UK heard on the radio that Mariah's working title for her new album is "Princess". The dj stressed it was a working title and is probably not what Mariah will end up calling the album. I asked the fans what they think Mariah should call her next album. And why? Should it be a "girly" name like Butterfly, Rainbow and Charmbracelet, or would they like to see something more "mature"? I had never imagined that I would get so many responses. Below you can find some of these responses. Please, don't be disappointed if your suggestion is not mentioned.

Sugary sweet

Jem finds the the sugary-sweet album titles very stylistic of Mariah, and does portray an interesting aspect of her personality: "She is thoughtful, intelligent and poetic which shows in her lyrics, responses in interview with the press, yet hyper-feminine, sexy and playful, best displayed in her music videos, in concert, photo ops, etc. I feel her sacchrine album titles aren't just there for the sake of sounding pretty, they are title tracks to some of Mariah's best-written songs and have their own special meanings. The Butterfly song/album title alone has become synomynous and symbolic of Mariah's growth as an artist and bid to relinquish herself from the constraints her previous record label placed upon her creative freedom. Even non-Mariah fans are aware of this.

Her two recent efforts didn't contain any title tracks, but for obvious reasons Glitter was a soundtrack album so it bore the name of the movie she'd starred in and Charmbracelet, which didn't fare a title track but offered some more insight into Mariah's persona when she had this to say about naming her album that 'Charmbracelets have always had a personal and sentimental significance for me. Charms are like pieces of yourself that you pass on to other people, items that tell your story, and that can be shared, like a song. The bracelet represents the foundation of this album, a body of work that encompasses many feelings.'

So in reality, there has always been an underlying maturity in most of her album titles, despite the fact they could be names for the My Little Pony toyline. But it's part of what makes Mariah 'Mariah' essentially and I would be disappointed if she stopped adopting this format into her album titles. I just can't wait to hear what she puts out next."

Wiser to the world

Ruben, as a a guy, likes MC's girly album names, they represent what she is and how she feels: "I think any name she chooses will be great, and I think some other singers are adopting her girly ideas, for example Mya with Moodring. Anyway, I think it would be cool if MC titles her album Automatic Princess, since it is one of her trademarks." Aaron thinks these girly names would put people off from buying them. "I am a male fan and it is embarrassing to go buy a CD called Glitter, Butterfly, Rainbow, or Charmbracelet. I think that has alot to do with her lower sales. Men will not want to buy that. Something deeper and more mature would be nice."

Lee, as a straight male Mariah fan, thinks the girly titles are getting a bit too much now. "We go on the pink message boards with butterflies etc flying around. I'm aware of the fact that she doesn't design the boards, but it's all getting a bit too camp for my liking. So now I think it's time for Mariah to mature in her album titles, she's not getting any younger. I think it's about time we see this. Don't get me wrong ,it was fun for a while, but I'm ready for the next evolution of our queen. Since the whole Glitter thing, Tommy, and all the other trials and tribulations Mariah has seen in the past 7-8 years, I think it's about time we saw a reflection of this in her album title. This is why I chose Wiser To The World. Mariah is no longer a naive young girl, just setting foot into the business, she has wisened up to a lot of things, ie who to trust and who not to trust. I think a title of something of this nature would be much more suited to her now exterior also."

Ric doesn't have any ideas or suggestions for an actual title, but he most definitely agree - no more childish titles: "She really needs to disassociate herself with that adult kid image and be the powerful, talented woman that she is. I've been a hardcore fan since the first album, but I would love for her music and her image to mature. I was even frustrated with the Charmbracelet title. C'mon, Mariah, you are one of the top divas of all time. Enough with trying to cater to the teeny-bopper audience. Your hardcore fans have grown into adults and would like to see you take that path too. Be a kid at heart, sure, but represent yourself as the fierce force to be reckoned with that you started proving yourself to be"

Not too girly

Andreas thinks we haven't any influence on the new album title. It can be girly, but it schouldn't be too girly. "Butterfly, Rainbow and Charmbracelet are great. I think they aren't too girly. I hate the idea that it is called Lollipop, that is too girly. But fortunately it is just a silly rumour. What about Unicorn? No, that's also too girly. I think Princess is nice, but I also like Daybreak. But I think the most important thing is the music itself. I hope that the new album will be great. It doesn't matter how it will be called, I will buy it.

Anthony personally believes that the album should have a more mature title: "I do think a good name for the album would be simply Diva which sums Mariah up perfectly. If not, I think a nice title like Forever, or a meaningful title like Heaven would suit Mariah perfeclty." And David thinks Mariah should come up with a more "all round" name for her new album, a title that will appeal to a wider variety of people. "Butterfly, Rainbow, Glitter, and Charmbracelet are names that will appeal more to her female and gay fan base, and not to an all round fan base, and being a straight male Mariah fan, I'm sure that if she had a more neutral name, then it would appeal to more people."

According to Sieraaj, Mariah really needs to have a mature title to go along with what (hopefully) will be a reinvention album: "What she really needs right now (assuming she wants to sell millions of records again) is to do something to re-establish herself as a serious artist and not a caricature of a pop diva. I would suggest a very simple title, perhaps even just Mariah or something, to re-establish focus on herself as an artist. Whatever image/sound she chooses to go for, she should stick with it and the artwork of the album cover should reflect whatever look she chooses. If she's gonna go for full-on hip-hop/R&B, I'd suggest an album cover reflecting something like an 'Uptown New York' Mary J. Blige. Mariah in a red velvet gown fixing her make-up in a grimy bath room, with a yellowish tint to the pic. Anyway, that's my idea. A simple album title, to go with a focussed image, declaring to the world that this is 'Mariah reborn'. Launch her as if she were a new artist, put emphasis on her songwriting ability, give her some gravity and stature again, and aim for the Grammy's. (Not that I think they're important personally, but in terms of her career she needs credibility again and the Grammy's are the surest way to get some. Either that or go completely for hip-hop like she did with Busta, that gave her a different kind of credibility.) That's it from me. Simple, Mariah. No more butterflies or rainbows. They were pretty and fabulous but for the sake of your career choose something simpler."

MC2004

Sunni Holiday recommends, depending on the release date, something like MC2004 or MC2005: "That is just my thought. She could totally pull off. New York Heart or Heart Of A New Yorker. Whatever it is, it'll be a great album. Now If I was gonna name an album I would call it Sunny Holliday Dreams." Carina thinks that Princess is a very good name, but "Automatic Princess" would be even more interesting. An why not name her album after Misty Moon? She really likes that song.

Derek thinks Mariah should entitle her new album something related to fire to work in with that favourite quote 'Mariah - you're on fire'. Something like Flame, Blaze, Inferno or The Fire Within would be pretty cool. Whatever the title is though, I will support it and it is not gonna change the awesome music."

Iréne read the article about Mariah's "girly" album titles and it occured to her that Mariah (as a fan mentioned) chooses her album titles very carefully" "They always have a personal meaning to her. For instance Butterfly represented a certain period of time in her life where she broke free from her Daydream life, a life that most people out there thought was a fairy tale and of which we have learned that it wasn't every day of her life. The songs on Charmbracelet were very diverse and personal just like a charmbracelet. I believe that her follow up should be entitled Truth, mainly because Mariah has shown us many sides of her personality regardless situation. Even after the breakdown she got up on her feet and struggled through everything and came out with a smile on her face and that really counts... the effort and the desire to stand strong in front of everyone and say that: I can make it happen, once again. That is the truth."

Open eyes

Jeramiah thinks it's up to Mariah to title the album, and as long as it has some sort of significance to her, he'll stand behind it: "This time around, I'm thinking she can go out on a limb (i.e. Music Box), and gives this album a more meaningful and thought provoking name. Something like Open Eyes, Open Your Eyes, Experience. Or maybe give it a title that speaks directly to the audience, like Faithfully Yours. It's always an experience to see what name she comes up with next, just when you think there's no more one word titles that fit her motif, she comes up with one, and the surprising thing is that they all fit with that album and time in her life. Whenever I hear a new album title from MC, I smile and I don't know why. I hope she comes up with some fresh and original this time."

For Joy it doesn't matter what the title is, just as long as Mariah's new album is good: "She can choose any title she wants and I love every title so far but a title isn't the most important thing. The music is." Kingstef thinks the same: "It really doesn't matter to me. When her Charmbracelet album came out I was thinking her album was going to be called Candy and I envisioned a picture of her with a lollipop in her hand as the cover. It's doesn't matter to me as long as it sells extremely well and she has more number one hits."

Marcos also think that the title of her next album should be whatever Mariah wants it to be. "I don't think her so called fans should say that they will stop liking her if she chooses a girly title because Mariah doesn't need people like that to be her fans. She needs people who support her in everything she does. People who love her music, not just her titles."

Heather adds: "Being an artist myself, it has to be her choice as to what to name the new album. It might end up being a song title that is on the album, or just simply Mariah or M.C. What ever the album title, it is very silly to say that you won't be a fan, just because the title isn't something you like. Grow up. It's Mariah's album, Mariah's personal thoughts and experiences, so therefore it should be Mariah's decision."

(The Mariah Carey Archives)



COMMENTS
There are not yet comments to this article.

Only registrated members can post a comment.
© MCArchives 1998-2024 (26 years!)
NEWS
MESSAGEBOARD