| Tuesday 28 September 2010 |
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Mariah: the ultimate diva
American singer Mariah Carey's diva attitude is nothing short of legendary. When she flew into Singapore in the wee hours of Saturday, she met fans and sweetly signed autographs for them. Then, she reportedly asked for a massage at her Sentosa hotel.
A source told my paper that Carey had another request - that her hotel room be strewn with pink and white rose petals. Yes, it's clear that Carey, 40, has her demands. But she also has a sense of humour.
Carey, who is married to American comedian and TV host Nick Cannon, was in town to close the F1 concerts - which smartly lined up mainstream celebrities like Missy Elliott, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry and Sean Kingston to appeal to the mass crowd who turned up at F1.
Carey proved that the formula worked - a crowd of some 35,000 showed up after Sunday's races to catch her performance on the Padang stage. She opened her 90-minute show with the catchy Obsessed (2009), which is reportedly about rapper Eminem (with whom she was rumoured to have had a little liaison, circa 2001).
Carey, all big hair and sass, then began to play the diva - hilariously so. "My shoes are killing me," she said, before launching into a debate on whether she should take them off (her assistants eventually helped her with that task). She asked whether the fan could be moved closer to her. She asked if someone could bring her water. "I'm tired, I'm sorry," she giggled.
She would later drink water out of a champagne glass, say that she was "shockingly" pouring water on her own, and collapse on a divan lounger brought out just for her. It was all theatrics, all playing to the image she has built for herself - a sweet, slightly naive, sometimes-inane little gal who can really, really sing.
The crowd waited for her to catch her breath before she launched into Dreamlover (1993), recorded at a time when much was being made of Carey's five-octave vocal range. She still has it. Her voice peaked, swooped, and made you listen (despite sound problems that had the speakers crackling).
Carey's 11-song set was clever, covering the entire range of her career, from the early hit Emotions (1991), to the moving break-up song Always Be My Baby (1996), and the dancier, more current tracks like It's Like That and Shake It Off (2005).
Carey, who is rumoured to be pregnant (there was an awkward moment in the song Touch My Body, which contains the lyrics "Do you like my curves?" and, well, you could see there was a lot to love), also took a tumble while singing Make It Happen (1992). She was helped up by her dancers, and her humour was on show again as she told the crowd, "I did that on purpose!" She also took very extended breaks during her show, making one wonder each time if she was coming onstage again.
One thing Carey could not avoid were comparisons to another diva: Beyonce. The 29-year-old was in town last year to perform at the F1 Rocks show, held during the F1 period, though not organised by the Singapore Grand Prix. So, here's the breakdown: Beyonce wins in terms of sheer athleticism. At her concert, the Single Ladies singer performed all the dance moves she is famous for, barely getting breathless.
But Carey, on the other hand, has the vocal chops and the range. She has learnt restraint, too, as her later records show, and her lower range is beautiful. Beyonce doesn't compare here (sorry, B). In the end, as Carey launched into the ever-popular Hero (1993), you realise why people came out in force to see her. Despite the theatrics, Carey is no joke. She is a legend. (Asia One)
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