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Mariah explains how the album came together
Friday 22 April 2005
It's Like That is a song that to me is just very much like, it's all about
having a good time, and really just a fun, party record. I went to Atlanta and I
was working with Jermaine Dupri. We wrote "Always Be My Baby" together and we've
been friends for a really long time. He's just a great person and a great, great
producer and writer. I just wanted a record that was really fun, really like for
the clubs and just for the people who were getting ready to go out at night; one
of those really let-your-hair-down, just have a good time, this is my night type
of thing, like this is my song when I go out to have a good time. And that's how
we came up with the song "It's Like That", we were just having fun.
We Belong Together is my second single from "The Emancipation of Mimi",
and it's probably one of my top three favorite songs on the record, because it
was a situation where I went back down to Atlanta to work with Jermaine after we
had already written two songs for the album. And I didn't think we could top the
songs that we wrote, cause I really liked them a lot. And then I got there, and
we started going back and forth with concepts and ideas and we came up with "We
Belong Together". And I feel like the end result was just a really heartfelt ballad
that I think people can really relate to, even though it's like a very specific
story, I think that everybody can probably apply it to their own lives.
Shake It Off is definitely one of my favorite songs from "The Emancipation
of Mimi". It was the first time that I went down to Atlanta to work with JD and
it was just like, I don't really know how to explain how the song happened, but
Jermaine is just incredible with the beats. And we started singing different
melodies, and coming up with different lyrics, and at first Jermaine was singing,
"I gotta get away" and I was like, that's a cool concept and stuff but I feel like
we can do something more specific. And we were just sitting around, and "shake it
off" just came out of the blue, like happens when you're writing, and to me it
just says so much cause it's like, when you're going through some drama, and you
just wanna get through it, you put that song on and it just takes you out of whatever
mood you're in.
Mine Again is a song that I wrote with James Poyser who is from The Roots,
and he's an incredible, incredible musician and a really good person. We sat down
at the piano, the first time we met, and he just started playing and he's one of
those musicians where you can go back and forth and just riff off each other. And
I was singing him, kind of like what ended up being the main piano riff of the song.
And he's so talented that obviously he can just pick that up in two seconds and then
you know, he would lead me in one direction, I would lead him in another direction.
And we came up with a song that I feel is definitely like the power ballad of this
record, and I feel like it's gonna be a lot of people's favorite. Cause it's a very
big vocal moment, a big vocal performance. And it's one of those kind of like, break
your heart songs, make you get together with your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend.
Say Somethin' is a song that came about when I, for the first time, went to
work with the Neptunes. And obviously I had never worked with Pharrell before, but
it was just a really cool experience because he just, musically, he's very, he's
got a lot of diverse influences and it was cool that he took me to a different
place than I would naturally go. And it was just a great session, because I mean,
Snoop was in the other room working on his record. And Pharrell was like, "I really
think it'd be hot if we put Snoop on this". And I love Snoop, we've worked together
in the past, we did a song called "Crybaby" that's one of my favorite songs. And he
came in and he did his part, and it just took the song to a new level. And that's
a lot of people's favorite song on this album.
Stay the Night is a collaboration between myself and Kanye West. We've wanted
to work together for a really long time, and I was really glad that it happened on
this record. It was one of the first songs that I recorded for "The Emancipation of
Mimi", and it was a track that he had, that I just like fell in love with when I
heard it. And we started going back and forth with some ideas, melody stuff. And
then I went away and sang it and I didn't realize when we were coming up with the
concepts in writing, that it was in a really high key. And it was, the way I wrote
it, it was like a belting-out song. And when I did it I was kicking myself, like
"hy didn't I think about this?!" But then after I finished it, I was happy because
it's very much a vocal performance... but it's organic to the song and to the nature
of the feeling we were going for. It's kind of like giving you an old-schoolish,
Jackson 5-type vibe, so I was happy with that.
So, Get Your Number is a song yet again that I did with Jermaine Dupri, only
this time Jermaine is actually singing on the record, which I never would have
expected in my life that that was gonna happen. But he was using it for his album,
and he had sung the hook and it is a loop of the song "It's Just An Illusion" by a
group called Imagination. And when I heard it he was like, you know, Jermaine was
like, "I want to hear you singing over a loop!" And I was like "Well OK people
always criticize me for singing over loops, but there's no other loops on the record,
basically, so all right, let's do it." And when I started to resing the hook, it
just didn't have the same quality as when Jermaine was singing it, because obviously
we have very different voices. So I kind of made it into a duet with Jermaine singing
his part on the hook and I do the verses. And a lot of people like it cause it's very,
giving you kind of like a "Fantasy" type-feeling.
One and Only is featuring Twista. I got the track from a really, really hot
producer named Traxster, who had actually initally made that beat for Twista to
rhyme on. And I didn't even know that when I got the record and I just started writing
it and it happened to be in that kind of you know fast singing, rythmic style,
whatever you wanna call it, just natually cause that's kind where the beat was taking
me. And I happened to run into Twista backstage at a show in LA, and I was like "Oh,
I have this beat" (cause Traxster produces for Twista a lot) I was like and I love
it, it would be so great if you could get on it, I'm a big fan. And he was just so
cool. I mean, I was so happy that he's on it cause I'm a really big fan of his. I
think his style is amazing.
Circles is a song that I did with Big Jim Wright, who is an incredible musician.
He worked with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and he also does outside projects like Sounds
of Blackness and a lot of different gospel things and he's just very very talented.
Basically we were going for like an old-school type vibe, it's all live musicians,
and I feel like it has that organic kind of feel, like basically we were going for a
somewhat retro, urban record that wasn't overly produced that gave you the feeling of
you know like something from maybe like the 70s, you know, very soulful kind of record
and that's how I tried to produce the background vocals, to kind of give you that vibe
of like just a really basic soul record.
Your Girl is a record that I did with Scram Jones who is a hot producer that
I just happened to run into when I went to the studio with N.O.R.E, when I went to
visit N.O.R.E at the studio, and Scram Jones was there and I didn't know who he was.
But he was playing beats and they were hot, and I was with my nephew-slash-cousin
who got Scram Jones' number for me, cause he was like, he saw me really loving that
beat, but there was nobody that worked with me there, so he just took his number and
we got together and I did this song. And it's like, most of my friends who are
singers really love that song, like it's one of their top favorite songs because of
the style of the singing, the background vocals, and that whole thing. So it's one
of those happy, uptempo records but it's still giving you kind of, very thugged out
moments cause that's kinda, Scram Jones' thing.
I Wish You Knew is a song that I wrote with Big Jim Wright, one of the songs
I wrote with Big Jim. Yet again we recorded it with a live band, and I sang with
the band as they were recording it, as they were laying down their track so they
could feel where I was gonna go, and you know just the nuances and stuff. And it
was a really good experience, even just singing parts to the guitar player or the
whatever, whatever instruments were going on, the keyboards, you know, just having
the entire moment, the live moment. And I added the live audience in there, there's
like a spoken section and I know that I'm gonna do this song live, and it's gonna
be fun, because it's giving you old-school kind of Diana Ross moments, of like a
live concert where she'll just break down a song and start talking. And I was kinda
joking when I did it in the studio but then my friends were there and they were
like, "you should leave that". And I was like, alright whatever. Anyway, it's one
of my favorite songs off of the record.
To The Floor is a song that features Nelly. I was working with the Neptunes,
and Snoop was in one room; Nelly was in the other room. And Nelly came in at one
point and Pharrell was like, "you guys should be on this record together". Cause
he had this really hot beat. And I was like, "Wow, that'd be incredible." And we
all wrote the song together and it was just very much like, you know, I'm a fan
of the Neptunes and obviously I'm a fan of Nelly's, and I just wanted basically
like a club track. You know, I think it's a little bit more unique than your average
club record, because... I think the combination of us kind of duetting without
making it like, I wasn't trying to oversing or anything like that with him, as a
duet. It was more about the vibe of the track. That's a lot of people's favorite
song off the record, as well.
Joyride is a song that almost didn't make it on the record, and I'm really
glad that it did because the original track was produced by a 15 year old named
Young Genius, and I think it's really cool that, you know, to be 15 and to have
done that track is pretty amazing, and then there was this whole thing cause we
didn't have, we kind of lost part of the track or something like that... Ee had
to mix it to basically two tracks, not to be too technical but it's not the ultimate
way to mix a record but it really didn't matter because.. it was so well done the
first way so I was happy just to like mix the vocals and call it a day. But it's
a ballad and it's kind of like one of those, they call it the baby-making song of
the record. I don't use that terminology, but they can call it the baby-making
song if they want.
Fly Like a Bird is my favorite song on the album, "The Emancipation of Mimi",
mainly because it's very much a spiritual message. It was, I wrote it with Big Jim
Wright. We had already written "Circles" and "I Wish You Knew" and I kind of thought
we were done writing for the night. And I went upstairs and the melody for "Fly Like
A Bird" and the words for the chorus kind of like came to me at this moment, and
I was like, "What do I do? Should I finish working tonight? Should I just like record
this and do it tomorrow?" And I was like, let me run downstairs. We were in Anguila,
working on having this writing session. So I went downstairs and I wrote this song
with Big Jim. He layed down the chord structure, and stuff like that, And I later
took it and wrote the lyrics and put the choir on it and sang it. And I sang it
in Capri, which was just like so inspiring to sit there and sing this song looking
out the window, just like at the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. And actually my pastor,
Pastor Clarence Keaton, is featured on the song. He opens the song and he says a little
something in the middle of the song. And I just felt like the message was really
important to include on the album and that's why it's the final song on the album.
It kind of sums up everything. It kind of leaves you on a spiritual high moment.
(America Online)
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The conviction of Akon
Akon's voice is one of the most unmistakable - and unavoidable - in music today. From collaborations to his own solo hits to rumored upcoming collabs with Mariah Carey, the smooth-voiced, Senegal-born singer is a ubiquitous force on the pop charts.
(Thursday 31 May 2007) |
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ActiveX module for CD bonus content unsafe
Eminem, Cold Play, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey - there's one thing they all have in common - an application on their CDs which promises additional downloads and content. The program analyses the inserted CD and then activates web content.
(Thursday 31 May 2007) |
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MariahHero.com 6th anniversary
MariahHero.com is celebrating their 6th Anniversary of being on-line. We have come a long way from where we started. It all started May 5, 2001. Badyr Salcedo started it all. Through the years we have made many accomplishments
(Wednesday 30 May 2007) |
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Lil L.O.V.E. is "pick of the week"
Mariah's collaboration with Bone Thugs & Harmony and Bow Wow is Magic 89.9's "Pick of the Week" this week. This means that the track will get more spins than any other new songs for the next seven days on the local radio station's playlist.
(Wednesday 30 May 2007) |
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Mariah to attend Fresh Air Fund gala
Mariah Carey will serve as one of the Honorary Chairs for this year's The Fresh Air Fund's Salute To American Heroes on Thursday, June 7, 2007 in Central Park under the tent at Tavern on the Green with cocktails and dinner and dancing to follow.
(Wednesday 30 May 2007) |
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Mariah Carey links with Spike Lee for short film
Mariah Carey aims to spoof herself and her life in the upcoming film short, Lovers & Haters. The Spike Lee directed flick, to be produced by 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, is a spoof of her life, with the "lovers and haters" that she encounters along the way.
(Tuesday 29 May 2007) |
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Celebrity shopping
B+C owner Jeff Goldstein quickly called Mariah Carey in St. Maarten and advised her to buy a pair of the same $500 UES shoes that Usher's son got so that she could give them to Reid's son, Aaron, as a high-school graduation present. She did.
(Tuesday 29 May 2007) |
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Songs for the crush, the romance, and the break-up
Set to the funky rhythm of the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love", Mariah Carey demonstrates just how fine fantasizing about a potential lover can be. It makes Mariah get "kind of hectic inside", but it's all just a "sweet, sweet fantasy".
(Tuesday 29 May 2007) |
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Forget "respect": women get even
The new women of pop and country don't bother with getting mad. They skip to getting even. Years ago, when female vocalists across genres tapped into lost love or unfaithful men, they usually crooned over broken hearts and the inability to move on.
(Saturday 26 May 2007) |
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Not a star for Mariah this year?
Mclafan was lucky enough to talk to the director of Hollywood, CA Chamber of Commerce and he told her that Tim McGraw has already received his star this year and that Mariah Carey and Leann Rimes will not receive theirs in 2007.
(Friday 25 May 2007) |
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"Lil L.O.V.E." update
According to Radio and Records, "Lil L.O.V.E." is the 5th most added at Rhythmic with 8 more stations. Mediabase airplay update as of May 24, 2007 states that the song has 920 spins with an audience impression of 6.141 million.
(Friday 25 May 2007) |
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"MuchOnDemand" mock interview with Mariah Carey
Leah Miller of "MuchOnDemand" conducted a "Mock Interview" with Mariah Carey in a Best of MoD clip just posted online, talking about a day in her life, Madonna being the Grammy's opening act, and if she considers herself crazy. Watch the comedy clip.
(Thursday 24 May 2007) |
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Empire Interactive developing "Hello Kitty" titles
Hello Kitty exploded onto the fashion scene after debuting in 1974 when Sanrio established her as a greeting card character. However, her charm and innocence quickly established her in the hearts and minds of an adoring public.
(Thursday 24 May 2007) |
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Couple plead not guilty in identity theft
A couple charged with stealing the identity of a pop star and an actress pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court. Charles B. Curry Jr. and Shameika Drain Curry, both 28, are charged with identity theft, mail fraud and bank fraud.
(Thursday 24 May 2007) |
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Lovers & haters
On September 16, 2007 production company 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks will release a short comedy, called "Lovers & haters". This movie spoof tells the life of Mariah Carey, with the lovers and haters that she encounters along the way.
(Thursday 24 May 2007) |
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Jessica Simpson: blonde, army-bound
Jessica Simpson's dad, Joe Simpson, is a smart guy. He's taken a page out of Goldie Hawn's old playbook and put singer-daughter Jessica into a "Private Benjamin" for 2007. That was the word from Joe on Saturday night at Vanity Fair's annual affair.
(Wednesday 23 May 2007) |
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E.U. clears Universal, BMG Music deal
EU regulators gave Universal Music Group clearance to buy BMG Music Publishing for about for about $2.09 billion in a deal that will create the world's largest music publishing company. The EU however has "serious doubts" about effect on online music.
(Wednesday 23 May 2007) |
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Diana's regal
It's been a busy a month as ever in London for lovers of black music. This week alone I caught up with Mims (of This Is Why I'm Hot) fame, then I flew to Paris to catch Lemar's tour with Beyonce (more on that next time in Jasmine's Juice).
(Tuesday 22 May 2007) |
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Local couple wanted for celebrity ID theft
The search is on for two Rochester people posing as Hollywood celebrities and illegally spending thousands of dollars in their names. The two are accused of using the Internet to steal the identity of celebrities like Mariah Carey and Ashanti.
(Tuesday 22 May 2007) |
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Tidbits
According to Heroes of Mariah, "Tennessee" could be released in 2008 (they are still in talks). Maybe it will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, just like WiseGirls did in 2002. The next Sundance Film Festival will be held in January 2008.
(Monday 21 May 2007) |
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Gallaudet Dance Company
Gallaudet Dance Company members demonstrated graceful movements while conveying a powerful message of hope in their performance of "Hero" at the May 9 installation of Dr. Robert Davila as Gallaudet's ninth president.
(Thursday 17 May 2007) |
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Billboard's Bubbling Under chart
In the May 26, 2007 issue of Billboard, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Lil L.O.V.E." misses the Hot 100 by debuting at #17 on the Bubbling Under chart. According to Mediabase, the song had 5.195 million audience impressions, with 594 spins.
(Thursday 17 May 2007) |
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Mariah and Janet on the same track?
Now Nelly is the latest person to dream of a hit record that features both Mariah and Janet. Jermaine Dupri apparently told MTV News, "He wants Janet to rap a 16-bar verse, he wants Mariah to sing the hook and he's gonna do two verses."
(Thursday 17 May 2007) |
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BMI honors the Bee Gees at 55th annual pop awards
BMI staged its 55th Annual Pop Awards on May 15, honoring the Bee Gees as Pop Icons; Kara DioGuardi and Sean Garrett as Songwriters of the Year; "Because of You" as Song of the Year; and Warner/Chappell Music as Publisher of the Year.
(Wednesday 16 May 2007) |
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"Lil L.O.V.E." is Bone Thugs' second single
On Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's official site and MySpace music page, "Lil L.O.V.E." featuring Mariah Carey and Bow Wow is announced and listed as a "brand new single". "Lil L.O.V.E." is the second offering from the group's new album.
(Tuesday 15 May 2007) |
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