Mariah's acceptance speech at the Billboard Awards
Thank you. This is all very surreal to me because honestly, it seems like not too long ago I was a kid in high school with a demo tape and a lot of determination and just really the desire to hear my songs on the radio. I didn't know about platinum or gold records or like what you have to sell to get them. I mean, I didn't even know about the Billboard charts! Sorry but I didn't know! Then it all happened so fast and it's like my life became public. I lived in the recording studio, writing and singing. That's how I made so many records in so little time, pretty much having no life, but I'd like to thank my mom for inspiring me and thank Don Ienner and all my Columbia Records family for so much support and I'd like to thank all the amazingly dedicated Sony people around the world and obviously, obviously I have to thank Tommy Mottola for his support, specifically during the beginning of my career. And I have to thank everyone at Maroon Entertainment for their unparallel dedication. I've been traveling around the world, right, you know promoting "Rainbow," my new album, and it's kind of like my message of hope for the new millenium, and it's been so moving to see so many devoted fans in continents where we don't even speak the same language, where people are singing back the lyrics to me that I wrote and that means so much to me becuase I put all of myself into my music, so as a writer and a producer, I thank you. And I am so grateful to God, to have overcome so many obstacles, as a multiracial person with a very disfunctional history, until recently! I am not Cinderella, my life has not been a fairytale! Forget the image, forget the ensembles, forget the rumors, forget the short skirts, big hair, whatever! I owe this to the fans and I will never forget you so I want to accept this award on behalf of all of you. We've come a long way and I feel like I'm just getting started because as an artist, and more importantly as a person, I am genuinely happy and finally, finally free to be who I really am. Thank you.
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