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About Tiina from Finland: Lamb since 2008

Mimi L (54,317) by Tiina from Finland Definitely didn't think that at all. As I said, I'm so pleased with the way everyone here have been discussing mental health issues with respect and understanding. Sure, there are some misconceptions and that's normal but all in all it's been positive. Some people, not the folks on this board, but some people have a difficult time understanding the reality of living with mental health issues or a full-blown mental illness. Take bipolar disorder. I will never be cured and that's not me giving up on myself or choosing to be a victim. I'm definitely not a victim, there's so much that I can do that I do to stay in control of the situation. But there's no cure and I've had to come to terms with that (which hasn't been easy) because it's a fact. I will have to keep taking that medication for the rest of my life. Some people don't believe that that's the truth. I've had friends turn on me, judging me behind my back, when I have no choice but to medicate myself to manage and to live a better quality life. I too deserve a good life. I didn't bring this illness on myself, it runs strong in my family on my father's side. My father's mother, who passed away in 1991, committed suicide. That's the reality of where the illness can eventually lead to untreated and unmedicated. For ignorant, judgemental people to condemn me or anyone else dealing with something like this is wrong and unfair. I hope those people would grow a heart and try to understand instead of judge so harshly. (Sunday 7 June 2015; 13:34)

If Mariah is bipolar, where are the symptoms? (54,307) by Tiina from Finland In the public, Mariah hasn't shown any serious signs of mental illness and certainly not bipolar disorder. Of course there's a possibility she might have it, we can't know for certain until she comments on it. Even though you can't tell by looking at a person, certainly at one point or another the symptoms would show. A bipolar person usually has major mood swings. I've experienced such rapid mood cycling I was literally laughing and crying at the same time. It can be hard to keep up with a bipolar person. Mania also often makes one edgy, to a point where they become aggressive and confrontational. She can be exhausted and on an adrenaline rush, speak fast and change the subject a lot, whatever, but that does not make her bipolar. It's called not getting enough sleep. There are also no psychotic symptoms. She may live in her own bubble and talk rainbows and butterflies with the fans but as far as having unlogical fears that dominate the mind, things of that nature, no. She'd be a nervous mess, terrified for no logical reason and her behaviour would mirror it. She behaves normally and is intact with reality. And she's never shown signs of truly erratic behaviour. "Stripping" on TRL and handing out popsickles over 10 years ago does not count as erratic behaviour. I'm talking highly risky, possibly life-threatning behaviour, suicide attempts, run-ins with the law or excessive spending, drinking or partying. There's none of that. I trust Shawn. He's actually close to her and has been seen by her side recently. I'm glad he shared those tweets and is standing up for Mariah. He's a good person. The last time Mariah appeared in a picture with Morgan, that I know of, was when she was recording her second Christmas album and was pregnant. Obviously, something happened between them that caused them to drift apart after that, which is very sad. All of the success and admiration Mariah has achieved hasn't come without a cost. She's been betrayed and used by those closest to her and that's gotta hurt the most. I'm sure she wouldn't have things any other way, though. It's good to see her looking so happy and vibrant. The thing you got to love her for is her ability to persevere. She's a brave woman. (Sunday 7 June 2015; 2:43)

Mariah, bipolar disorder, let's talk (54,304) by Tiina from Finland I highly doubt she's bipolar or suffering from any serious mental illness. She may suffer of insomnia but has never shown signs of extreme mood swings or psychotic symptoms, at least not in public. If she's bipolar, however, then it's the both of us. I'm bipolar or manic-depressive (I think it's more descriptive) type 1 with severe manic/depressive episodes, and to top it all off, have psychotic traits (paranoia, voices, hallucinating, the whole deal) among other symptoms, like chronic insomnia. I was diagnosed at 16 and I'm on an antipsychotic mood stabilizing medication 24/7. There. I thought about mentioning it in my previous posts on her alleged medication use as I've been on Zyprexa when I suffered my first severe psychotic episode during a manic phase and was hospitalized for the first time, which was a nightmare and I hated taking that numbing drug but then I thought that maybe it's for the better to not go there. It's not about me. And people judge. But after having read all your comments specifically on this illness, it's not bad at all, in fact I get the sense that most of you are understanding of it and of mental health issues in general which is fantastic. People often tell me that by looking at me and talking to me, they would've never guessed I was severely mentally ill and it's like that with most of us. I've been in a mental hospital locked up in a room with bars on the windows but it's not like I'm foaming at the mouth or crazy looking or anything like that. It was a very difficult journey (during which I found much solace in Mariah's music, her songs gave me faith and helped me to cope, which I will always love her for, I'm forever in debt to her) but I'm doing great today and I'm a stronger person for having overcome these challenges. The illness is under my control. Today I experience very few to no symptoms. The medical term for it is remission. I've been successful because I'm pro-medication (it's true that many of us are afraid of meds and yes, there are downsides to them but meds are absolutely vital in treating the illness as what this is is basically a chemical imbalance of the brain). I've also transformed my lifestyle. I don't touch alcohol (I never have actually, having personally known too many alcoholics). In fact I've always been against all drugs, even cigarettes. None of that has ever interested me and I don't socialize with people who do drugs. Many bipolar people have substance abuse issues. I'm quite the rarity. I even keep away from artifical stimulants, like soft drinks as they aggravate the brain. Rest is key and so is working on a positive mental attitude. I've also become vegan in the process. Basically I do everything that I can to think and live health and to strive for balance. They should stop glamorizing the illness. It doesn't make you more artistic or more cool. It's not a rock star accesory, it's a real illness, and untreated, makes you very sick and can drive you to suicide. It's no joke. (Sunday 7 June 2015; 1:15)

Hiring fans, seriously, it could work (54,193) by Tiina from Finland Did anyone see the fan-made music video for Infinity by TeamMariah on YT? It's a lot shorter but so much better than the original. Seriously, Mariah should think about hiring her fans to do videos for her. I'm not trying to bring her up again but I believe Beyonce hired one of her biggest fans, the YT star Todrick Hall, to do the choreograph for the video for her song Blow and he also makes a cameo appeareance in it. It's a little different than what lambs could do for Mariah but I think it's a brilliant idea to hire a fan, especially in Todrick's case because he's very popular among pre-teens, teenagers and young adults. Now he is constantly coming up with videos with Beyonce's songs, so he definitely has the rights from Beyonce to use them and it works well for the both of them. Mariah, think about it. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 17:08)

Morgan, Mariah's entourage, Nick part 3 (54,191) by Tiina from Finland The things that were said about Nick and the rest of the folks surrounding Mariah are not as far-fetched as the other allegations. First of all, Nick. Yeah, they were in love and have kids together but he used her. Even Mariah feels that way since she wrote Thirsty. No matter what she might say, that song is about Nick. I was recently watching an E. special on Mariah from like 2005 and at one point she was saying how lucky she was to have such "real friends" around her and then went on to name names. I sadly realized that they all worked for her and even though that was 10 years ago, some of those same people still work for her. It doesn't matter what they do, like sing background for her, do her PR, run around as minions distributing splashes or do her styling, makeup and hair, they still work for her at the end of the day. That's not healthy to have only people around you that you pay. I'm not saying that some of these friendships aren't real but they still want their cheques. They're never going to say anything that could jeopardize their jobs for them, even if that means sucking up to her or staying silent. Like, sometimes I wonder what her background singers really think about her lipping. How do they discuss it, like how does Mariah say that this is the part where the prerecorded track begins and this is where it ends and here's where I sing. I'd imagine that'd be humiliating in front of Trey or Mary-Ann. I bet it's one of those things that is off-limits. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 16:49)

Morgan, Mariah alcoholic? Mental health issues? part 2 (54,187) by Tiina from Finland If she really did have a drinking problem, believe me, it would show. She wouldn't be able to hold herself together, let alone be a single mom and raise two kids and record and release a brand new studio album last year and another album this year as well as do the residency. And she literally just made a comment that right now she's trying to avoid alcohol to preserve her voice for the shows. But first and foremost, she would never allow herself to get wrapped up in a serious addiction that would cause hurt to her children. At least that's what I believe because she herself grew up in a tumultuous household, always feeling uncertain. And Mariah has always been able to get through difficult times by holding onto her faith, music and optimism. As for prescription drugs, well, she can sometimes come across as loopy and unfocused, which could be due to a medication. Certainly strong antipsychotic drugs like Zyprexa can cause that. But it could just as well be that she doesn't get enough sleep as she works hard and suffers of insomnia. Once again, Mariah doesn't strike me as being severly mentally ill as in suffering from psychotic episodes, so why would she be on an antipsychotic medication? She's definitely not schizophrenic nor bipolar. Of course we can't know for certain unless she tells us. Depression? Maybe. Only she knows. If she has mental health issues, I have nothing but empathy for her. For her brother to shame her about using a medication to treat it is wrong. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 16:04)

Morgan, Mariah alcoholic? part 1 (54,185) by Tiina from Finland First of all, if this is for real then shame on him. As Mariah's big brother, he's supposed to protect her. The only reason that I can think of that could explain this is that he hasn't been able to reach Mariah and is frustrated. But it's still out of character for him. What do we know about Morgan? That he's successful in his own right and (before these alleged comments) has always remained private. Alison is a different story and yeah, this kind of behaviour could be expected from her but not Morgan. As for the allegations, Mariah doesn't strike me as an alcoholic, although she sure likes those splashes. Okay, at times it has made me wonder if there's more to it, when in the past (especially last year) it seemed like she was either constantly sipping on champagne during interviews or seen holding a glass of bubbly in her Instagram and Twitter pictures. It's a slippery slope. Something that might have started as a glamorous indulgence every now and then (also keeping up with the diva image) or even having an occasional drink to calm down (which is never a good idea), could have easily turned into tippling. But drinking while pregnant and breastfeeding? Hell no. She didn't even go to Aspen when expecting because of the altitude and before that she went through a cleanse to get her body ready. And during the B. Scott interview she said that is she was pregnant she wouldn't be drinking. She miscarried her first, there's no way she would have risked her second pregnancy. (Thursday 4 June 2015; 15:03)

The video, Mimi L and ideas, wasted opportunity (54,080) by Tiina from Finland Exactly, they could have done so much with this video. All this time and we get a video that seems like it was scrapped together at the last minute and the storyline falls short. Of course we expect it to be good because they've been hyping it up for so long and because we know how well Mariah and Brett work together when they really sit down and work it out. He's directed some of her best videos. I'm also not going to lower my standards just so I don't get disappointed. She's Mariah Carey and he's Brett Ratner after all. It doesn't have to be this huge motion picture, but I don't understand why they didn't work on that storyline some more. It took us probably a few minutes to come up with something that is both funny and ties all the scenes together. It wouldn't have required a bigger budget either, just a few more scenes (or less beauty shots) and a little dialogue. Mariah is joking all the time anyway, just press record. I like that idea Mimi L had of her having a party with her friends at the end. How about celebrating on that rooftop overlooking Vegas? Really Mariah should have hired us lol. (Tuesday 2 June 2015; 22:43)

Beyonce (54,046) by Tiina from Finland Oh no, you guys, I didn't mean to hate on Beyonce or start a war, honest. I like her like I said, I paid to go to see her and traveled to France to go to her show. She's got major star power, she's beautiful, very talented and is running the show, leaving her powerful husband in the dust. It doesn't mean that she gets a free pass though because there are a lot of aspects that are ridiculous about her but there also seems to be this unspoken rule (not on this board, I mean on the internet) that you're not suppose to point out those things because she's somehow above criticism. I'm glad Beyonce is out there though because the new generation desperately needs someone who is talented, all they have got are basic "singers" like Miley, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. The only artist that interests me out of the new generation is Tori Kelly. She has a voice similar to Grande's but she's got mad control and she writes her own songs. I've been following her since she was on America's Most Talented Kids. Mariah was also one of her original inspirations. Anyway, back to Mariah. (Tuesday 2 June 2015; 15:17)

Infinity music video (54,040) by Tiina from Finland I hate to say this but I'm disappointed. We've been waiting a long time for this video and I got the feeling that they were going to do something similar to WBT and TMB, especially since Brett was directing. I wanted a storyline and humour. I can see that they tried but didn't film enough scenes with the guys. She looks magnificent though. Mariah has always looked like 10 years younger than she really is, have you noticed? In her twenties she really looked like a teenager, in her 30's she looked 20-25 and now in her 40's she doesn't look a day over 35. Great genes. Anyway, I think they should have had her signing on Match.com in the beginning. That would've been very funny to see Mariah Carey do that and getting matched. And it should've been a talking scene where she's talking to herself coming up with a description of herself for the site, after which the actual video starts. The beauty shots could've been shots of her preparing for the dates, then she could have met all these guys but each of them would have failed in some funny way. One of them could have had the door closed on them because it was funny the first time but there should have been more scenes with the other two guys, and they could have also been at her show to tie it all together, and then at the end she should have driven off by herself with the doggie and a bag of Fritos singing "loving me more and more". Why would they waste this opportunity this way? (Tuesday 2 June 2015; 13:39)

Trox (54,010) by Tiina from Finland Absolutely, Beyonce is a monster on stage, although having been to her concert, I have to say I expected more. The show was choppy and I didn't feel like the audience got to be part of it because of all the choreography but that was also due to the setlist and Jay Z performing his songs. I'm going to be honest, I went there to see Beyonce, not him lol. Prince is still the best performer I've ever seen. He had the ability to shrunk an entire arena and make it feel like we were in a club. It was incredible. I expected Beyonce to do the same. And her voice isn't bad, it's just not the best either. It can be jarring listening to her ballads, except the live versions of Listen. Oh, and her rendition of Take My Hand Precious Lord was simply unsettling. She can't sing songs like that, basically any song that requires actual human emotion. She's at her best when doing uptempos, she has the perfect voice for songs like Freakum Dress. I also don't understand why she's decided to just sing about screwing now. I'm so glad Mariah doesn't do that because it gets old fast. Mariah actually has very few songs that have strong sexual innuedos. I love her for her personal lyrics. I can't think of any songs by Beyonce similar to Petals, Close My Eyes or Cry. I listen to Beyonce almost strictly only when exercising. I know it sounds like I'm hating on her, I actually do like and enjoy her but I just don't understand why she's worshipped so extensively and blindly. (Monday 1 June 2015; 18:20)

Mimi L (54,006) by Tiina from Finland Yup. It's actually pretty ironic that Beyonce gets praised for the diva image Mariah gets hated for, yet up-close and personal Beyonce comes across as a bland woman who doesn't have anything that interesting or deep to say, and behind Mariah's diva image there is an intelligent, knowledgeable and vulnerable woman with an incredible life story and an incredible talent, who has this body of work that in so many ways is truly groundbreaking. When all is said and done, Mariah will be the last one standing as the most influential female artist of all time. I'm not saying it's all Mariah, she has a hard-working team behind her as with any star and she has collaborated with other talented people and together they've created music that will stand the test of time. But she's not lying or exaggerating when she says she writes or co-writes her own material, the lyrics, and melodies as well as the music, plus she produces. Many of the brilliant ideas for using different samples and doing certain cover songs came from her. She was the one who wanted to collaborate with ODB, Boyz II Men and Jay Z, it wasn't a marketing thing where a collabo between two artists is only done because it's hot for the moment, like J.Lo and that Iggy whatshername doing that booty song. First of all, that song is crap (why they keep comparing J.Lo and Mariah is beyond me, there is no comparison in terms of talent or the music they do) but there's also nothing organic about that at all. (Monday 1 June 2015; 17:22)

Mimi L / Beyonce / unfair (54,001) by Tiina from Finland Forget even the "feminism", photoshopping and all the propaganda she uses to maintain this unreal flawless I-can-do-it-all-image, Beyonce hasn't released a good album since her first solo effort, yet she has like, what, over 20 Grammy Awards? And Mariah, who does write her own material and has had an enormous effect on both the popularized singing style and emerging of genres, has her 5. It's a joke. Can you even imagine listening to, say, Beyonce's latest studio album, which earned her yet another 3 Grammys, in 20 years without cringing? All those catch phrases may be trendy right now but they will sound so dated in already a few years, let alone a few decades. Mariah has given us great quality albums consistently for 25 years. We will still be listening to her latest studio album in 20 years and marvel at her songwriting and voice. Speaking of voice, while she has a great range and control, Beyonce's tone is not the most pleasing. Even Christina Aguilera has a better tone. And don't even get me started on Beyonce's overuse of unnecessary melisma. Makes me dizzy just thinking about it. To me she's an all-around good entertainer but she's not a singer's singer. She still performs as if she's taking part in a beauty pageant tho. Everything is choreographed. I mean everything. She literally does and says the same spiel night after night, even her exchange with her hubby feels creepily rehearsed. Behind this carefully crafted image is a talented but a pretty bland woman. (Monday 1 June 2015; 15:31)

Likeability (53,982) by Tiina from Finland I recently came across an internet article on female celebrities called "The women we hate". Mariah's picture popped up. Apparently "we" hate her because she's such a diva. That's nothing new of course but it annoys me. I admit, before I became a lamb I thought the same. I had heard of her diva reputation and although I thought her voice was stunning, I had no idea that Mariah was really a songwriter and that she was much more multidimensional than just a girl in a boring gown belting out ballads. She's a diva of course but I mean that in a good way. It's a shame that the public sees her as nothing else, especially knowing her background, knowing how knowledgeable she is and reading interviews like that recent one where she really opened up. Mariah is one of the realest celebrities out there but she's being thought of as a ditzy diva. And then we idolize someone like Beyonce for the same reason. We worship her for her pseudo-feminism or female "empowerment" and give her more credit for her "groundbreaking" work than she deserves. I for one don't believe she really writes her songs. And we all know she borrows ideas and imagery. Don't get me wrong, I like her and saw her live last year in Paris but she's pretty much an air head. The woman can't verbalize or spell, so she just posts pictures of herself claiming to "woke up like this" but uses photoshop to create a tigh gap. While a great entertainer, she relies on smoke and mirrors and lips all the time but is worshipped. Annoying. (Monday 1 June 2015; 1:52)

Insecurities and other female singers (chiming in) (53,976) by Tiina from Finland Mariah has insecure moments. She's only human and some of the best artists are often surprisingly insecure. Mariah has no reason to feel that way of course as undoubtedly she's the most talented singer in the history of recorded music but because she is herself and hears herself completely differently to anyone else, she can't ever really grasp that. But if you think about it, she really only has issues with singers that are being called the new young her (and who wouldn't when they put it like that?) but she's been very gracious with countless other female singers, like Kelly Clarkson, for example. And there are many more, like Aretha, Patti, Whitney, Olivia Newton John, Anita Baker, Cindy Mizelle, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Diana Ross and Beyonce to name a few. As for Nicki Minaj, I think Mariah was more genuienly offended because it really was a low blow to her to have to sit there in the same panel with Minaj. Mariah is a "singer's singer", she's a songwriter with 18 number 1's and she epitomizes what AI is all about. She's the most qualified judge that show has ever seen and for them to treat her that way, to force her be a part of a joke of a season, is still mind-blowing to me. I'm not at all surprised over her recent comments. I actually like that she's being real and letting them have it. They fooled her on the show by signing her first and then turned it into a joke as I said. They blew it. (Monday 1 June 2015; 1:05)

Duets (53,974) by Tiina from Finland Some of you will gag I'm sure but I'm not totally against a duet with Britney. I mean, I have no idea what exactly they would do together lol but I dig Britney. She's a warm, sweet person and has had major hits over the years. Britney is soon entering legendary territory, although more so in the lane of Janet Jackson than Mariah of course but still legendary, iconic. I listen to her from time to time and I like her voice. She's a good pop singer. Definitely not the most controlled voice and her range is very limited to say the least but if you listen to her first few albums you'd be surprised of her pleasing tone quality and her ability to project an emotion in a song. And she's never claimed to be the next Whitney or Mariah, unlike a certain someone who shall remain nameless who has proclaimed herself as "the voice of the generation" (not the new generation, I'm not talking about Ariana) when she really is the noise of the generation. "But anyway," said like Mariah *hair flip* I'm up for a Mariah/Britney duet just because I like Britney but it's never going to happen. By the way, I think Mariah could do a duet with Celine. There were some discussion about it earlier. Celine is part of the vocal trinity, although in my opinion the least impressive of the three ladies. But they're still sort of in the same league and it would be another legendary moment, plus Mariah and Celine have been communicating with each other more and more over the past years, so why not? (Monday 1 June 2015; 0:31)

JD (53,878) by Tiina from Finland Not only do they make wonderful music together, Mariah actually has a real friend in him. I'm not saying she's lazy because that's not true, she's given us 25 years of hard work, but yeah, as JD said, sometimes it seems like she doesn't take her music career that seriously. I'm happy that she has her babies and I'm not at all implying that she should neglect her family life for her career. But, for example, she used to be very aware of who and what was current. She was so on the forefront of music she used to be ahead of the game, creating groundbreaking music with unexpected collaborators. While she still makes great quality music consistently, she's not as innovative anymore but rather keeps applying the same formula to recreate a moment in time instead of focusing on cultivating her sound. It wouldn't hurt her to check out the current music scene either and not just pretend like the times haven't changed, like you haven't matured and like you don't need to rethink some stuff (outta ammo, gotta reload). And those half-assed performances she did some time ago before Vegas (I know she's doing a lot better now and I'm really proud of her) and that she clearly lipped badly or arrived unrehearsed to and without having warmed up her voice, were an insult to her legacy as a legendary singer and a true professional, her fans and her audience. I'm really glad she hired a new team and that the Vegas residency has got her focused again. Show us what you can really do, Mariah. (Saturday 30 May 2015; 1:03)

Debut era videos (53,844) by Tiina from Finland I think it's funny the way she discusses the videos. It's not the first time she's ranting about them though. And let's be honest, she isn't looking her prettiest in the VOL video. I would have been just as annoyed with that video. Her makeup is understated, her hair falls flat and looks crunchy and she's wearing a weird spandex leotard. Mariah is gorgeous of course but I don't think anyone can pull off that look lol. And what is that video about anyway? I never got it. But the song is so good, it was the perfect first single. The LTT video is pretty boring too but I love all her close-ups. I never noticed the glue on her lashes. I love the video for Someday. I love her look (that's hot right now, the 90's are back big time with the earthy tones, I actually saw a Mariah makeup tutorial on YT on her 90's look), I like that she's moving and dancing, plus there's a vague story. And the song is my jam. What's not to love? I wish Mariah would have explained why she hates it so much. I already knew she hated it but the question remains why. By the way, did she date that guy who played her love interest in the video? I like her look in the IDWC video but she probably hates that one too. She once said that "they" (i.e. Tommy and his minions) didn't like the short dress and gave her crap about it. (Friday 29 May 2015; 13:39)

My top 3 (53,644) by Tiina from Finland 1. Vision Of Love. The easiest to pick and the most obvious choice for me. I've said it before but I feel very close to VOL. It's a spiritual experience for me. I also think it's still one of the best songs she's ever written. All that maturity blows me away. What an entrance, dahling. Vocally it's one of the most challenging songs to sing because you need the range, elasticity and power yet you gotta keep it soulful and use breathy tones, which she does so effortlessly. Pure gold. VOL is Mariah's Bohemian Rhapsody. 2. Always Be My Baby. Mid-tempo ballad perfection with a wonderful hook and a joyous melody that sticks with you. Simply stunning vocals, her buttery tone sounds so good. Very smart approach too, those melismas have generations of singers studying them. A song she wrote with Dupri, merging pop and r'n'b. 3. We Belong Together. Another Carey/Dupri collabo blending pop and r'b'n. I actually may love DFAU more but had to pick WBT as it's so important to her career. A defining moment. And because it's a damn great composition, the number 1 song of the last decade. I remember when I wasn't yet a lamb but was hooked on watching Mariah on YT. I played WBT over and over again. It wasn't what I was used to listening but I simply couldn't deny how good it was, it broke barriers for me. The lyrics are some of her best and the vocals are epic, showcasing her whispery falsetto (love the phrasing) and her higher belting range. New classic. (Thursday 21 May 2015; 23:05)

Interviews and performances (53,612) by Tiina from Finland I'm happy about the way Mariah has been presenting herself during interviews lately. She comes across as confident yet humble, light and funny but focused. There's not too much rambling, if at all. I feel like she's back to business. Her voice is getting stronger too and there's less and less lipping. Gotta give her credit for singing live at the Billboard Awards even though she was sick. She sounded even better on Jimmy Kimmel. Good for you MC. (Thursday 21 May 2015; 11:38)

Cheers, toast, bravo to 25 years of Mariah (53,357) by Tiina from Finland Today I'm grateful to have discovered Mariah and her music. I'm not going to get too personal here but her music has saved my life, so you get the picture. I'll be forever in debt to her. Sometimes we get so caught up in our criticisms and analysis that we forget to show the respect this woman deserves. We forget to be thankful for all that Mariah has done and still continues to do. She's still here, after 25 incredible years, still passionate about music and giving us real artistry (every single album she's released is truly a work of art and mean something to me). It's a blessing that she's sharing her rare talent with us. Imagine a life without her and never having had the privilege to hear such beauty. My life wouldn't be the same. Mariah's music has not only saved me, it has expanded my musical consciousness and music being my greatest passion in life, that's saying something. (Friday 15 May 2015; 23:38)

#1 to Infinity booklet (53,268) by Tiina from Finland Just saw some pictures of the booklet and on top of a beautiful dedication from Mariah to all the lambs it is filled with gorgeous rare pictures of her from over the years that are minimally if at all photoshopped. She has also included not just the lyrics but a description of each song talking about how the songs came about. Love that idea. Feels like thought was put into this. (Thursday 14 May 2015; 1:14)

Nick (53,207) by Tiina from Finland Mariah went against her better judgement by marrying Nick after only a few weeks of dating (and he left Nicole Scherzinger for her). Before that she always said that if she's to marry again she would have to get to know the person first. The whole world was shocked by their union. And then her friends said "He's a playa, slow it down." Everyone had a hard time believing she would marry some B-rated celebrity just like that. Because that's what he was at the time and certainly getting married to Mariah raised his status. I do think Mariah was genuinly in love with him and that he loved her too. In the beginning they seemed to fit well together and even though I've never considered Nick that funny (in fact I think he's childish) he seemed to make her happy. That is until he started working all the time (doing "some stupid shows" as MC put it in the Breakfast Club interview). "You used to be mister all about me, now you're just thirsty for celebrity." And talking about their private stuff like their sex life and celebs he'd banged and oh, naming his wife, the mother of his children, among the other women. Tacky and disrespectful. And let's not forget the interview with Barbara Walters and Mariah saying she only trusted Nick "sometimes". He's still being his tacky self referencing Mariah on his Instagram. Mimi L is right, there's no point, like why? "Show is over you ain’t gotta act." (Monday 11 May 2015; 23:53)

Mail Online interview (53,171) by Tiina from Finland That is one of the best, most heartfelt interviews she's done in years. It reminded me why I admire and identify with her as strongly as I do. That's the Mariah you can relate to. It's not easy for her to open up like that I'm sure. I think she's very brave. I really feel for her and the kids. Divorces are difficult. My parents divorced when I was 5 and it messed me up almost completely. It must hit her even harder because her parents divorced when she was the same age as Roc and Roe. But one thing is for sure and that is that there's no keeping Mariah down for long. She's an eternal optimist and a strong person. She chooses to smile, to work, to put her kids first. That's one of the things I admire most about her. (Sunday 10 May 2015; 22:55)

Infinity (52,390) by Tiina from Finland I like the song and it's growing on me more and more. Expectations were high, especially after all the buzz about the single. I think it's cute. I don't know whether cute will cut it though. I guess I was hoping for more of a classic, old-school feel with real instrumentation (not just the violins) and a more straightforward structual approach. I'm afraid this song is going to sound outdated in a few years. I think it's better to focus on making classic stuff, something that will stand the test of time, not try to be overly trendy and write such kitchy lyrics. Mariah has shown us that she can have that old-school vibe and still have hits, like on TEOM. But I guess it's good that this song sounds current because a younger crowd will like it more. Structually it's somewhat all over the place, kinda like TAOLG. I like the verses but I'm not crazy about the chorus, especially if you compare it to her recent work that is similar to Infinity, like Make It Look Good that had a killer chorus. Actually, if TAOLG and MILG had a baby, it would be Infinity. I think the songs on MIAMTEC were stronger melodically, lyrically and vocally compared to Infinity. Now I'm even more bummed that the album didn't get a chance. If it was coming out now on Epic, it could have been just that. Remains to be seen whether the single will blow up. I hope so. The video is still coming, looking forward to it. I don't think this is number 1 material but for what it is I'm happy with it. (Monday 27 April 2015; 18:28)

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