Mariah Carey gets her act together
The key to "divadom" is the ability to reinvent oneself. Prissy, trampy, down-to-earth and unapproachable are just some of the personas Mariah Carey used to become the most successful female artist of the '90s. Make way for the diva. Mariah Carey takes her act on the road.
Carey had 15 No. 1 singles and pushed past the Beatles with the most cumulative weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with dance hits like Emotion and Heartbreaker. Two years ago, the entertainer took on a role most people would avoid: woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Weeks before the release of her movie Glitter and its accompanying soundtrack, Carey suffered a meltdown that many thought would be a career-killer.
These days Carey is working on a new persona: survivor. In December she released Charmbracelet, her first record for Island/Def Jam Records; it's sold more than 500,000 copies. Currently on her first tour in three years, which includes a stop tonight at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Carey took a few minutes to talk about performing and upcoming projects, as well as to answer questions about "the episode". What tidbits can you give away to tease fans about what to expect from your tour?
One of the cool things was being able to have fans actually vote for their favorite songs on my Web site (www.mariahcarey.com). That is the interactive portion of my show. Also, in each city there will be a list of the top four songs that aren't making it onto the list. The fans in that city (at the show) will get to vote, and then I'll do that song specifically that night. Have you been surprised at what's been requested?
I knew a lot of the songs would get picked, like Heartbreaker, Fantasy and Hero, but I didn't realize that Hero would win by such a landslide. It's unbelievable. What about the first couple of albums, 1990's self-titled debut and 1991's Emotions? Do those songs get as many votes as something from Charmbracelet?
It's funny. Charmbracelet gets a lot of votes for different album cuts. Like I Know What You Want with Busta Rhymes gets a lot of votes, as well as the really big hits. But I can't do every song that's getting voted for, so we're getting pretty specific. Were you concerned that you were going to lose momentum because there was such a lull between when Charmbracelet was released and when you went out on tour?
Not really. I don't even really think about stuff like that, to be honest with you. I just sort of go about my business and do what I want. [laughs] Are you enjoying being out live like this? You've done a lot of studio work and behind-the-camera stuff. How does moving around this much compare to that?
I think it's about the same amount of work, but it's almost more enjoyable in some ways because you get to be right there with the fans. That's something that's irreplaceable. This tour is so different because it is very intimate. By the end of the show you know all the singers and the dancers and the band members. We just have a good time. I kind of take one day at a time. I'm that kind of person. Do you feel that whatever happened a few years ago and whatever troubles you were having, are they gone from your life now?
You know what? It's gone for me, but people still want to ask about it. It's like being asked the question, "When did you first know you wanted to be a singer?" It's that kind of tedious stuff, but what are you going to do? That's the way it is. In your own mind, is it gone? You have a new record label, new movie opportunities, a big tour and the success of Charmbracelet. Does it feel like a new beginning?
I would say Charmbracelet was definitely a new beginning for me, especially because it's such a personal album. It's sort of like a new beginning, but getting back to basics as well. What about your new movie, The Sweet Science?
It's about women boxing. I play a boxer. I'm not supposed to tell that much about it, but it's being cast right now. It's still in the beginning stages. It sounds like a lot of time in the gym following the tour.
Yes. Exactly. You got that right. [laughs] (Houston Chronicle)
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