Honoring the reinvention of Mariah, Gwen & Kelly
If you'd told any pop-music maven three years ago that Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson would be three of the biggest contenders at this year's Grammys, they would have laughed. Carey had all but been written off. Stefani was the successful but lightweight singer for No Doubt, and Clarkson was locked into the fluffy straitjacket of an "American Idol" winner.
But Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi", which sold nearly 5 million copies, edged out 50 Cent to became the 2005's top-selling album. She scored eight Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year (a writer's award, but Carey co-wrote every one of her songs). Only John Legend and Kanye West matched the diva's eight nods.
Carey, 35, had the songs in abundance. Her latest single, "Don't Forget About Us", recently hit the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, tying her 17 hits with Elvis Presley for second place among artists with the most No. 1 singles. (Only The Beatles have more, with 20.)
"Emancipation's" first single, "We Belong Together" spent 14 weeks on the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, longer than any other song last year. And Carey's comeback tale was simply irresistible. "God bless Mariah. She's been through some sh--, " says Conniff. That's putting it mildly.
In 2001, Carey recorded bizarre notes to fans on her Web site, which Howard Stern gleefully aired. Soon after, she fell to pieces emotionally and was hospitalized. She recovered enough to see "Glitter", the film and the soundtrack (released on 9/11/2001), tank. Carey's year hit rock bottom when EMI's Virgin Records fired her (and paid her a reported $28 million to break her contract).
After signing with Island Records, she worked with label head L.A. Reid and a team that abetted her break from being strictly a multi-octave warbler. "She made a better, more confident record than she had in her career," says Rolling Stone deputy managing editor Joe Levy. "It's a commercial record but it doesn't beat you over the head."
Her success surprised the industry and her fans, who were ready to embrace her. "I didn't know she could do it because she'd been on a cold streak," says Paul "Cubby" Bryant, Z100 DJ and music director. "It goes to show you it doesn't matter who you are if you have the right song." (excerpt from the New York Post)
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