I personally feel like she sang it well. It wasn't 90's standard but I still think it was a solid and enjoyable performance. I don't think she lipped the climax. She didn't hide her face behind her hand or turn away and we all know those are the usual lipping signs for MC. Her voice was clear all through the song. (Monday 16 March 2015; 17:43)
The introduction before the performance / Amber (50,940)
by Orkun from The Netherlands
What I think of the performance is obvious I'm sure. I prefer skipping talking about that. What I wish is that her speech before her performance had more depth to it. It seemed too casual and too regular. A powerful speech would have had a big impact. Lost oppertunity. Amber makes a valid point, calling this The Charmbraclet era. I don't think Mariah is there yet and I'm crossing my fingers for Vegas. (Monday 16 March 2015; 17:08)
Leave Mariah alone (50,939)
by Abraham from USA
You criticize her when she lips, then criticize when she sings live. The performance wasn't her best but it wasn't terrible. A little hoarse but that's nothing new. You think Mariah doesn't know how her own voice sounds. She's doing Vegas for a reason. And how everything turns out is on her and her team. But there's no need for all the bashing. If she isn't up to your standards anymore, just stop being a fan and wasting your time posting here. (Monday 16 March 2015; 16:50)
M's spiel at HRC (50,938)
by Lee TS from USA
How adorable was she? A touch of diva yet a very nice intro to the song. Not trying to make any excuses for anything but she sounds like she either has a cold or a tad bit tired. She did "preface" it by saying she's been in the studio. Anyway, a great event and a nice moment for M and the lambs. (Monday 16 March 2015; 16:00)
Addition to last post (50,936)
by Dove from USA
I wanted to clarify something about my last post. Each person has free will to create their own destiny. The vision I have (or that you have) for her life and career may not be the same as the vision MC has for herself. Her vision will win out. I just like to put my vision out there because she might like it and accept it. It would be easier to know what to pray for if we knew what her vision was. I guess we could pray that her vision is realized if it's God's will. (Since the infinite intelligence knows the big picture and what's best better than us.) Side note: Not all Sony artists have the scary symbolism in their videos some of you mentioned. I don't think Adele does and I haven't seen it in any of L.A. Reid's artists. I don't watch them over and over, though, so I may be wrong. (Monday 16 March 2015; 15:44)
Faith / Amber (50,935)
by Dove from USA
I woke up with so much faith this morning. I opened my eyes and noticed the flowers that grow outside my window. It made me think about how they weren't there before and now they are. There is a process that makes flowers grow and bloom, but if we don't understand the process, it seems as if they appeared out of thin air. That's kind of how faith works. If we collectively focus on a vision, if we believe and are enthusiastic about it, it will manifest sooner. Those of you who also want to see MC rising from the ashes to reclaim her place in the music universe, please believe and think positive thoughts. Sometimes I also fall into negative thoughts but starting now I'm going to try to focus on a perfect vision. My desire is for MC to be well and healthy in every aspect. For her career to sky rocket and for her voice, music, and person to inspire the world to be love and a light to others. (Kind, forgiving, calm, gentle, patient, helpful, brave, faithful, encouraging, etc.) Amber, the energy you put out for others will come back to you. Please be careful with your thoughts. I say this to you because the things you are saying are nowhere near true and I wonder why you're saying them. (Monday 16 March 2015; 15:26)
My wish for Vegas (50,934)
by B from USA
I hope Mariah sings like she did when she sang Looking In and My All at the MLB Charity Concert in Central Park. Her vocals were husky and impassioned. She also did a good job at the HRC benefit. I'm not worried about Vegas. She's a professional. (Monday 16 March 2015; 15:25)
Deedre / Andrew / Jon (50,933)
by Dove from USA
Deedre, I love your post (50,924) and agree with it. Andrew, I enjoy reading your posts now too. Before I felt they were abrasive and hurtful, but now they make me laugh. I realize now that's just your sense of humor, like Howard Stern and Simon Cowell. I appreciate your descriptive and well written observations and I don't feel like you hate Mariah anymore. Jon, I'm like MC that way, just call my name and I'll be there. (But I've been doing a bunch of extra shifts lately so it actually may take a few days.) (Monday 16 March 2015; 15:20)
Assuming (50,932)
by B from USA
Assuming Mariah Carey isn't taking care of her God given gift is ridiculous. Like the saying goes assuming makes an ass out of you and me. I think her performance of Hero at HRC gala was proof that she's taking care of her voice. (Monday 16 March 2015; 14:53)
Commentary on her HRC vocals (50,931)
by ADAM from USA
Andrew I enjoy your posts. Don't be detracted. It was really nice to see Mariah perform Hero stripped down and mostly live. I've accepted that this choppy singing is the best her voice is going to get nowadays. My logic is that leading up to the HRC performance she hasn't had much going on therefore all that down time her voice would be in, the condition it's in now - is the good voice it's going to be in. And about her in the studio lately, we don't know how much she's actually singing vs writing or producing at the moment so I wouldn't rule that as the reason she's hoarse. I can't remember the last performance where her vocals weren't raspy and choppy. I think her instrument is just irrevocably damaged. Let's be honest here, MC knows how to train her voice and she's been MIA for a long time so she's clearly has a lot of time these last several years for rest and tea with honey, so if this is what she sounds like live during Rockefeller and HRC, this is what its going to be. She's never going to be candid enough to tell us what really happened with her voice so at this point all we can do is speculate amongst fans and either root or jeer whenever she decides to perform "live". I'll just say that I'm glad I don't have plans to see her in Vegas sounding like that. (Monday 16 March 2015; 14:39)
Thank you Lee / worried (50,930)
by Ardis Logic from Earth
I am truly worried about Mariah's voice. If it's true that she is already working in the studio, then that means she is not resting her voice at all. I don't see how she is going to heal her instrument if she is doing this. The performance was not bad, but it's not what we are used to. We are used to the long smooth vocals, not this "choppy" singing. I am really not a fan of this style. It's ok once in a while for an accent or something but not through the whole song. I don't think her voice is going to be able to hold on through all this singing in the studio and then Vegas show after show. It's really sad to me. She doesn't seem to be too concerned. It's just the same old routine. (Monday 16 March 2015; 14:04)
Sidenote (50,929)
by Lee TS from USA
M's fairy godmother Ms. Patti Labelle is going to be on Dancing With The Stars this season, it would be cute if M would make an appearance to show support. (Monday 16 March 2015; 13:17)
Hero at HRC (50,928)
by Lee TS from USA
For the ones that couldn't view the performance on YouTube, here's a link to the performance on Facebook. After seeing the whole performance I thought it was ok, not her best but definitely not her worst either. I felt it was a bit more conservative and she didn't try to reach the big notes, maybe fearing of getting off key and get that scratch/rasp. (Monday 16 March 2015; 12:46)
Oh Andrew (50,927)
by Shezz from Pk
Andrew your posts are borderline hilarious now. You've gone from being the most infuriorating poster to read to the one I look out for now because I want to see how much meaner and more negative you can get. I'm from the school of thought that says let the poor girl be. She's not how she was. Enjoy her for what she can give you now instead of demanding perfection from her. Life is just so much better without all these expectations. (Monday 16 March 2015; 12:31)
Psychiatrist / Hero (50,926)
by Luke from United Kingdom
I'm impressed with the amount of trained psychiatrist's on this board. Who are you to say she needs help and therapy? None of us have any idea how she copes with things in her life. I think for how young he was when she started, what has happened in her family and marriages she is doing pretty damn well. As for her performance, that was her best in years. I'm not sure what people expect from a song like this when it's a slow building ballad. .She never used to do much singing Hero in the 90's either. I have wondered if maybe she changes the notes on purpose because I never considered it a hard song to sing apart from the ending. She changed parts of songs in the 90's purely because on a good day she could sound exactly like the recording, and then get chewed up and accused of lip synching. As the saying goes, don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes. (Monday 16 March 2015; 9:37)
Bill (50,925)
by Deedre aka MiTodoChop @HBF from Canada
I enjoy the Rainbow album. Funny enough, I had just listened to the Jay-Z version of Heartbreaker before I listened to the interview. I just love his addition to that track and have always wondered if they'd work together again. I think her cover of Against All Odds is beautiful. I think Bliss is underrated for what is actually accomplished on that track musically. Petals, well what can you say? To this day I still love "Thank God I found you". "Cry Baby" grew on me over time. At first I didn't like it. I really like the interludes on this album too. (Monday 16 March 2015; 6:14)
I love Mariah (50,924)
by Deedre aka MiTodoChop @HBF from Canada
1) It has been coming for some time now, but I'm so happy she is officially singed with Epic. 2) I'm so happy, that Rainbow interview is amazing. I could listen to her riff about music and hooks and samples all day long and never get bored. Thanks so much for posting that, what I gem I enjoy it so much. I love the one from the Butterfly era that's similar. 3) I enjoyed the Hero performance, I thought the dress was lovely. 4) I am a Madonna fan, I love many artists for different reasons. I don't think discussion of other artists and their work is wasteful here, and I deeply appreciate when the discussion is handled in such a way that it isn't viewed as "threatening" to Mariah, or an attack on the artist. There's room for everybody. (Monday 16 March 2015; 6:00)
Annilated in Vegas (50,923)
by Amber C from USA
So lets keep it real folks. We are excited about Mariah's Sony endeavors but we are terrified about Vegas. Well at least I am. I think she will get annihilated. Yesterday this came to my mind and it never left. Right now Mariah is in her pre-Charmbracelet days. She has gone through the huge meltdown, and she has gotten dropped from the previous label. And now she's hoping to reclaim the past glory by releasing Charmbracelet on a "supportive L.A. Reid" label. I honestly don't believe we are entering the Emancipation yet (even though we are in 2015), we are entering the Charmbracelet. The Emancipation will happen, but lambs I don't think this era will be it. The Chanteuse era has barely ended. unfortunatley. The woman needs a live chat with her fans, and I mean live stream, not Facebook. Someone tell JD. Lol. Back to Vegas. Judging by the gala snip bit, she aint ready. How are you currently recording music as well getting ready for Vegas? Why is that even happening? I would rather have a new album than Vegas tbh. (Monday 16 March 2015; 4:35)
The gala / Hero performance (50,921)
by Ardis Logic from Earth
I haven't been able to see the whole performance. The video posted below is blocked in my country. I searched for other versions and only found short clips so far. She looks beautiful as always. To me, it sounds like she is trying to be careful with her voice. I hope she will continue to care for herself as much as possible. If she could just focus on being positive and just try to take each moment as it comes. Try not to focus on the negative things that are going on around her. She really needs to not to use her voice, if she can help it, until she has to sing in Vegas. I don't know if she is doing this or not. I get the feeling she is working in the studio. I wish her well and send her lots of love and healing energy. (Monday 16 March 2015; 3:19)
HRC (50,920)
by Darryle from USA
That wasn't a good performance. It was ok at best. Mariah sounded hoarse the whole time, which made it difficult to listen to her. The notes where choppy like she was singing each syllable of the word. This something I've noticed she does often, whenever she can't hold the note she splits them in into syllables. The climax was clearly lipped. Not only does her voice get considerably lower after the climax but, if Mariah can't sing the line "just hold on" without making it choppy what makes her think I'm going to believe she can belt out "you'll find the way" straight through? There's less than 2 months until Vegas. Mariah needs to get her voice together or else critics and fans alike will eat her alive. (Monday 16 March 2015; 3:00)
Seriously (50,919)
by Anthony Basco from Cardiff, Wales
Can we stop bashing this woman? Really. It's getting ugly now. Ok, she's not perfect, amazing. But just stop now. Anybody heard of unconditional love? It's a confusing concept for many, but let me make it simple - loving someone or something without condition. Through the ups and downs, the good and the bad. Whatever happens, I will love and cherish this woman until the end. "She should be, she should sing, she should wear." Over and over and over. To hell with it. She's a person, not a product. And don't give me the she's a product as she chooses to sell herself that way bollocks. She's an insecure, irrational human being. She's not perfect, never was, never will be. She has always had some of this about her, just before it was hidden. She's being scrutinised and abused 24/7, and people wonder why the insecurity raises its ugly head time and again. I say, give her kudos for still having the guts to be seen, to be herself. I hate the people constantly praising Madonna for reinventing herself. Who is Madonna? Who the hell knows? I for one don't give a shit. But I know who Mariah is, heart on sleeve, warts and all, ugly and obvious and beautiful transparency. Keep going Mariah. And please don't let anything or anybody get to you. Work on your craft, work on your body, work on your life. But I for one accept that you aren't perfect, and in my eyes, that makes you more perfect than them all. (Monday 16 March 2015; 1:49)
Andrew (50,918)
by Dennis from Miami, FL
Your posts are hilarious. You're like the Kai boy from an Andersen's fairytale. You see everything distorted and ugly. (Monday 16 March 2015; 1:19)
Puzzled (50,916)
by Jon from Netherlands
Not wanting to start anything thing with this but it kind of puzzles me that some people find absolutely nothing wrong with Mariah these days, no problem leaving stage mid song or whatever she is currently doing, but do see a problem with her clothes. Are we this superficial? Really? Am I the only one shocked with that? Don't get me wrong: there is nothing wrong about criticizing her clothes go ahead and do it but some people are uncomfortable with what she wears and find everything else ok. Am I a fan of the person who wrote Butterfly or am I a fan of Paris Hilton? PS: Shelly I had no idea I could summon people but I love my newly acquired power. Loved to see you back on the board. (Monday 16 March 2015; 1:08)
Hero (50,914)
by Andrew from UK
Lol sorry but that performance was lazy-ass bad, and honestly from some of the comments I really wanted it to be good. Is the bar so low that that gets praise? What is it with Mariah singing this song in weird staccato: "ohh-on", "troo-ooth", "yoo-oou", "se-elf"? Can she not just actually sing the words normally and hold the note in her throat? It sounds so jarring on the ears. Also, why don't the lines flow into each other as a normal song is sung? Every line seems like it's held back and the words burst out quickly at loud volume to get them over with. And why, oh why, is the climax of the middle-8 lipped again? The pre-record doesn't even come out at the same volume as her live voice. Gut-wrenching. That wasn't anywhere near the classic performance that a "star" like Mariah should be pulling out the bag these days. That was clunky and boring and, to be quite honest, she sings Hero now like a drunk person on a cruise ship. If she thinks she can transfer that to Vegas and get away with it she's in for a brutal shock. People are paying big money, they want top quality, not to mention how annihilated she will get by the global media. Come on, Mariah. At least look like you put a little effort in. (Monday 16 March 2015; 0:11)
My name is Dita (50,913)
by Dennis from Miami, FL
As a former Madonna fan I can tell you that she had mentioned many times that she was jealous of MJ or any other famous man in the industry. I can't see passion in what she does. She is a good businesswoman, with intuition. To me Janet was and still is a "truer" artist than Madge. Remember Madge flashing her nipple in Istanbul or her behind on some other date. That was a real artistic statement. Madonna also talks the same old stuff in her interviews. And she is more afraid of aging. But lets be honest, most of us are. By the way, Madge hadn't toured much between 1993 and 2001. Her first tour of the millennium was Drowned World (when she was 42 already). It was not so visual as her later tours. Regarding bipolar, many people surrounding us have it. Maybe MC has a middle age crisis. That is normal. She will overcome it. She transformed before already. And I wish her another successful change. (Sunday 15 March 2015; 23:47)
You're like the Kai boy from an Andersen's fairytale. You see everything distorted and ugly.
