Monday 6 December 1999

The Lyric interview

Mariah Carey, US mega pop star, recently sat down with Lyric reporter, Tom Allen, and discussed her upcoming project (All That Glitters soundtrack).

Tom: Mariah Carey, the best-selling artist of the 90's (chuckle)

Mariah: Please!! (Laugh) People keep sayin' that but I don't view it in that fashion. My focus has never been on the "numbers" so to say. It's always been the "music." But I do appreciate people recognizing the fact that I do work hard and I think it's safe to say that what success I have earned is exactly that; I've worked hard to earn it.

Tom: So the latest word on Mariah Carey is an elusive movie project dated for fall and winter of 2000.

Mariah: Yes. We are going to start production in February of the new year. Right now, I'm working on trying to get the soundtrack together. As of right now, there are 4 tracks out of a total of 15 tracks done. Within the 15 tracks, there will be a new remixed recording of "Heartbreaker" along with several other tracks I plan to do myself.

Tom: So the soundtrack isn't going to be completely you?

Mariah: No. Not by any means. It's going to be mostly me but it's also going to feature classic 80's artists along with some collaborations between myself and various artists.

Tom: Are you at liberty to talk about some of the 'collabs"?

Mariah: Not entirely. There is one project that is done though. I can somewhat discuss it. It's a track called "Angelfire," which I did with Madonna, William Orbit, and Patrick Leonard. It is an incredibly personal song which may or may not be on the album.

Tom: Why might it not be on the soundtrack?

Mariah: It is very much a departure from my normal style and shines a new light on my music. It really wasn't for the soundtrack initially. From time to time, I decide to do songs just for my own personal library. Kinda like therapy; a release of thoughts and emotions that need to be released. So I called up Patrick Leonard because this particular concept was born from a rush of feelings dealing with insecure issues from my childhood and I thought it needed an 80's feel because of that era of my life. Patrick Leonard had been with Madonna since the eighties so I felt he would be perfect. We completed the track and a producer friend of mine, who is also co-producing the soundtrack with me, heard it and told me it was perfect for the overall theme of the movie. So we called up Madonna to see if she would be willing to come in and assist us in revamping the song to better fit the soundtrack. We finished it up and called in William Orbit to give it a somewhat futuristic millenium feel. Now the decision falls upon my shoulders as to whether to use it or not.

Tom: Though still, why wouldn't you use it.

Mariah: Well... because it deals with deep, deep insecurities that I have never mentioned or have vaguely eluded to in conversations. It's much deeper than "Close My Eyes", "Looking In", and even "Petals." That's why releasing this song is an issue with me.

Tom: I see. So how are you responding to the success of "Rainbow."

Mariah: (a smile grows on the songbird's face) Very well. It is so much of a validating feeling to be able to place yourself undisguised on an album and have people respond to it so positively. That is something that I was unable to do in the past.

Tom: Now you mention in the jacket of the CD that the CD actually has a story art to it describing your emotional rollercoster past year. I was listening to it and I noticed that the storyline followed a path of love and loss and rediscovered love. Out of curiousity, would it have anything to do with your previous romance with a certain yankee?

Mariah: (Mariah laughs) Well it is public knowledge that we did have somewhat of a romance. But that moment is over and we both have moved on. Though as far as the album is concerned... it basically was an outlet for me to just let go and have fun with different styles of singing and showcasing a diverse mixture of unique collaborations. The album story isn't this major declaration of my lovelife. Not at all. There's actually a deeper meaning in the songs, the lyrics, and in the attitudes and themes of the music. The story lies within those elements. Not so much in the story that can easily be seen on the surface of "a collection of love songs" so to say.

Tom: We hear the newest flame in your life is a hot-blooded latin... Luis Miguel. Are the rumors true.

Mariah: Yes they are true. Or at least most of them. I hear some rumors that people make up about our relationship that are just so completely stupid. But for the most part, yes we are together.

Tom: Is it safe to assume that the last track on "Rainbow" was about him? The song "Thank God I Found You" featuring Joe and 98 Degrees?

Mariah: Maybe. But at the same time, I don't wish to divulge elements such as the nature of my songs. My fans do need room enough to interpret it themselves and make the music theirs. And I try to respect that.

Tom: So what will be the next single from Rainbow?

Mariah: (A silly grin grows on Mariah's face) Well, we gotta keep some things secret. Gotta keep the fans guessing. But I will tell you this about the next video for the new single. It might have yet another cameo from a certain evil twin of mine. (Mariah laughs aloud).

Tom: Ahhh... The mysterious Bianca, huh? How is Ms. Bianca doing these days?

Mariah: Well I haven't spoken to her since that messy interview we had back on MTV on the day of my album release when MTV had the "Mariah TV" special. Though she might just pop up again real soon. Maybe not in the next video but somewhere (Mariah gives a sly grin).

(Lyric)



COMMENTS
Malcolm from Asia wrote:
Wow I didn't know about this. What happened with the Mariah-Madonna collaboration?
(Tuesday 23 August 2016; 9:21)
Butterfly from wrote:
Trust me, it's not true. Old skool lamb here.
(Tuesday 23 August 2016; 13:44)
Carlos from Brazil wrote:
I would love a Mariah and Madonna collaboration. If it's not true they shouldn't use Mariah's name as the interviewed.
(Tuesday 23 August 2016; 15:20)

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