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Hand movements (46,765) by Jenny from South Africa I do the Mariah hand movements when I sing too Mimi L. Not only when I'm singing Mariah's songs but any song. I catch myself doing it all the time and I'll just start laughing. I really think it helps me sing better though. Not that I have any singing ability lol. (Friday 12 September 2014; 21:19)

Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) (46,764) by Bill from the UK I lost somebody dear a few years ago. This song is so poignant and beautiful and special to me now. It really is a sincere, heartfelt, hidden gem. How a woman so young could produce such heartbreaking lyrics just shows how she has always been a talent beyond her years. And her vocals are spell binding. All of Mariah's own Christmas music is special but for her to recognise so young that Christmas is, for many, a time to reflect, reminisce and remember loved ones that we so desperately miss, makes me realise what a fantastic song writer she is. I get a lump in my throat every time I play this gorgeous song. (Friday 12 September 2014; 20:22)

Enunciation (46,763) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter The problem with Ariana's enunciation is the same as that of Britney's and li'l Wayne's. All three of them sound like they are singing/rapping with candy in their mouth. (Friday 12 September 2014; 20:01)

Thanks Edward and Darryle (46,762) by Manny from U.S. Thank you for responding to my question. I was confused because Ariana performed "AIWFCIY" live at some show. I thought she needed permission to performed it live at a public setting. That seemed more serious than her performance of "Emotions" on YouTube. That was the only thing I was curious about. Sometimes I also get annoyed by how much the focus is on other singers here. I don't mind it superficially with not much details but if it goes something like this, "Their debut album, their new album, the new video, the lyrics, the interview", I do not read it. (Friday 12 September 2014; 19:44)

Tabloids (46,761) by Mara from United States Well the tabloids are at it again. Why does it seem every gossip story that is out there is favorable to Nick? They are all over MC and waitng for a breakdown. It is so hurtful to see. It seems like Nick is doing just fine. If he is not, why wear the statement clothing articles? From the "Saved" hat to the most recent jacket with "Freedom" printed across his back. How insensitive can you be? And no it's not for fashion or whatever he should be smart enough to know the media is watching and will make a lot out of the words "saved" and "freedom". Is he trying to hurt Mariah? It seems he only came out defending when "he" was being accused of cheating with a girl who literally has a photoshoot identical to MC's MIAM cover, outfit and even orange clouds and poses. If I recall he defended other people have lives, family and careers? Who does, this girl? He should have defended his wife before. Where is he now? Now that the gossip once again shifted just to MC. Mariah stay strong and you will get through this storm too. We love you. (Friday 12 September 2014; 19:01)

Mariah (46,759) by B from USA Mariah's enunciation has never been a problem for me. Breakdown is sung in a lower key but the lyrics are easy to follow and sing along to. I can always understand what Mariah sings, Ariana not so much. (Friday 12 September 2014; 18:54)

Enunciation (46,758) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While I do get that some of Mariah's lyrics can be a bit of a challenge to understand, I've noticed that they only happen in any of 3 cases: 1) when she's singing rapidly that she's practically mumbling, which she usually does in monotone (i.e. Clown, Shake It Off); 2) as a side effect of vocal layering, which she usually does when, like someone here mentioned, she ad libs towards the final choruses of some songs (i.e. Thirsty, So Lonely) where of course, vocals on top of what would usually already a choir of Mariahs certainly won't help the lack of clarity; and 3) months ago, someone here also mentioned how her delivery somehow sounds slightly "accented" in a way, unlike her earlier singing which was sonically rounded. I believe this dates back to as early as the #1s/Rainbow era, where her delivery started to sound more labored, less round, and more nasal. I think this is because she's singing with her mouth not as open as usual to let less air out so she could sustain notes longer, as that has become more difficult for her to do as she aged (i.e. X-Girlfriend, Crybaby). But for Ariana, it's bad enough that she can't enunciate well when singing slow songs, let alone uptempo ones where her rapid-fire delivery mostly blends into one big blob of gibberish. (Friday 12 September 2014; 16:18)

I love this (46,757) by enwar00 from usa (Friday 12 September 2014; 16:04)

Darryle/Martin (46,756) by Bill from the UK The Wind is a truly beautiful song. It's long been a favourite of mine and I would love to see Mariah venture into that soft jazz territory again sometime in the future. Martin, what a great idea. I remember I cried when it didn't make it to Christmas #1 here (I was about 10 which is too old for a boy to cry but I was hooked on Mariah by then and absolutely loved the song like everybody else in the world does now). You should make a facebook campaign and tweet the link to Mariah, she might retweet to all her followers. It pains me that her only #1s here are songs she didn't write. AIWFCIY is really one of her best and as you said deserves to be #1 on this special anniversary. (Friday 12 September 2014; 15:59)

this_is_qhm (46,755) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter You described the vocal differences perfectly. I couldn't have said it better. One part I am not sure about is the idea that the comparisons will help get Mariah a new batch of fresh audience. While it may be true, from my experience I think it probably really won't help Mariah, because I never bothered listening to the people Mariah was compared to or the people she cited as her influences. Mariah wasn't the first to use the whistle note but I never bothered checking up on the people she was influenced by, I just heard Mariah and took it like she was the first to do it and that's it. So same can be said about Ariana's fans. They may not care who she is copying or who she is influenced by. They may just not bother checking up on Mariah at all because let's face it Ariana's fans are pre-teens and their tastes are quite different. (Friday 12 September 2014; 15:35)

All I Want For Christmas to UK #1 (46,754) by Martyn from England, UK So this Christmas marks 20 years since the release of All I Want For Christmas, and I still think it's a travesty that it only got to number 2 in the UK. It deserves to be a Christmas number 1. It's managed to chart in the top 15 quite a few times since they brought the new chart rules in (it got to #4 in 2007), so I think we should start a campaign to get it to Christmas #1 for the 20th anniversary. What say you all? Are you with me? (Friday 12 September 2014; 10:56)

Ariana / "the next" blah blah (46,753) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines If there's anything I've learned about music careers, it's that there's no such thing as "the next" this or that. All dem supposed "successors" to legends will always be under the shadow of their idols, no matter how big they seem for a given moment. And Ariana is no exception. I like her, but I never really got the comparison between her and Mimi. Sure, when I first heard her sing, she did kinda sound like Mariah in some spots in her vocals, but those instances are quite few and she mostly reverts back her lithe, girly, cutesy timbre and pretty much stays there. Sure she can sing, but her voice lacks the depth, volume, texture, grit, and versatility of Mariah's. Her use of it is also quite limited, in contrast to Mimi's multifaceted approach. And artistry wise, she just isn't there yet and I highly doubt she ever will. Save for the few co-writing credits, she's still mostly just a talented muse that her producers use to showcase their skills. With Mariah, it's the reverse. Plus, Ari's material is child's play compared to Mimi's released material when she was 21. The only reason why let these invalid comparisons slip is because Ariana is today's it-girl, and with Mariah needing a fresh batch of younger fans, any excuse that keeps her in the news wouldn't hurt, even it's as cringe-worthy as this one. (Friday 12 September 2014; 10:39)

Manny / Ariana's covers of Emotions and AIWFCIY (46,752) by Edward from USA Manny, Ariana sang "Emotions" and "AIWFCIY" on YouTube videos. Had Ariana placed the aforementioned songs on her album to make a profit, or sing them in concert, it would have been a different monster. As long as credit is given to the artist, and no profit is being made from it, it shouldn't be any problem. Ariana wasn't a recording artist in 2012, and just like many other YouTubers in hope of stardom, she didn't feel like she had to ask for permission. Even though most artists or songwriters don't care about people covering their songs on YouTube, some do. To be 100% sure your cover won't be taken down, the party covering the song should ask for a synchronization license from the entity that holds the copyright, but as we know, they that rarely happens, since every time a cover is played on YouTube, it counts as a view toward the total points for the Billboard Hot 100. On 2013, a parody video of Miley's "Wrecking Ball" went viral and propelled the song back to the top spot. (Friday 12 September 2014; 4:13)

Cover (46,751) by Darryle from USA Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the reason Ariana could cover Mariah is because she isn't making money off of it. I think because it wasn't released commercially she can't make money from it thus she isn't violating copyright. (Friday 12 September 2014; 3:45)

The wind (46,750) by Darryle from USA I usually skip over this this track when I listen to Emotions but today I decided to listen to it. I found myself pleasantly surprised. This song is hauntingly beautiful. If I'm correct I believe it's about a friend of hers that died in a drunk driving accident. Lyrically this song is so beautiful. "The pain is gone, gone with the spirit in your eyes", "you've flown into the wind, escaping all the hurt within". She was what 21/22 when she wrote this song. That's amazing to write a song like this at such a young age. To top it off she wrote it by herself. This song alone can prove that Mariah is an amazing lyricist. I never thought of Mariah doing a jazz album as a possibility but hearing this song I can see it happening. If it were I would fully support it. (Friday 12 September 2014; 3:27)

Her again (46,748) by S from Comes back after a few days and this has become the Ariana board apparantly. Wow. It's bad enough that she obviously "tried" to copy Mariah in the beginning and then since getting called out on it she's been acting like she was never a fan in first place by leaving her name out when discussing her influences. But now we have to hear about her here too? She's not even half the singer Mariah ever was and never will be. I'm sick of the comparisons already. Okay, I may have come across a bit edgy in my last message, the point is I agree with what the recent messages here had to say about her but I'm just so sick of seeing her name/face everywhere and that people seem to bring her up whenever discussing Mariah (which I think is ridiculous). I'm just basically wishing for less of her here. (Friday 12 September 2014; 1:49)

To you, what's Mariah's greatest influence/contribution to the music industry? (46,747) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines (Other than the #1 hits.) Is it her innovation of hip-pop that has since then paved the way for zillions of imitations and has become ubiquitous nowadays? Is it the way she has pushed the (sometimes over) use of melisma and vocal acrobatics into the forefront of pretty much every pop and R&B hit song since the 90s? Or is it the once-in-a-blue-moon feat of being able to have her original Christmas song become one of the very few contemporary additions to ever make the regular holiday playlist? (Thursday 11 September 2014; 23:04)

Ariana covers of Mariah's songs (46,746) by Manny from U.S. The thing I've been curious about this whole Mariah/Ariana situation is related of the covers Ariana did of "Emotions" and "All I want for Christmas is you". Ariana recorded "Emotions" and sang "AIWFCIY" live. I was always under the impression that if a singer covers a song they need permission from the songwriters. Was Mariah asked if allow Ariana could sing her songs? Or is this done through the publishing company? Does anybody know how this works? (Thursday 11 September 2014; 23:01)

Lee (46,745) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter That video was amazing. I was laughing so hard. MC and Beyonce's impersonation was spot on. I have seen previous videos of Jessica and although she looks a lot like Mariah during Rainbow and Glitter era, I thought her impersonation was not really that great, she didn't always get the hand movements and expressions right, but in this video she was flawless as Mariah. It was awesome. The one who played Beyonce managed to get the perfect voice. P.S. Is it only me or does all MC fans tend to eventually start talking and doing hand gestures like MC? I've noticed many times that whenever a Mariah songs comes out and I am singing along I start doing hand movements and pulling expressions and I'll look at the computer screen and I see MC doing the same pose right at that moment. I guess we all study her so intimately that it kind of translates into our (or atleast my) body language. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 21:07)

Myles (46,744) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I respect your opinion but I just want to say that I don't think Mariah's enunciation was ever as bad as Ariana's. I hardly ever understand what Ariana says. Even in the song problem, the only line I understood on my own at first was "I've got one less problem without you" and that part was sung by big Sean. I didn't have problems understanding Breakdown or Miss You from the first listen although I will admit that I could not understand what she ad libs around the end of Breakdown. For Mariah the case is maybe that we sometimes don't understand her ad libs, the recent one being Thirsty's ending. But for Ariana it's the whole song. Too much screeching. Mariah has this soothing voice of a storyteller. I can listen to her talk for hours. But anyways just want to clear it out that I am not trying to push my views on you, I am just sharing my opinion about your post. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 20:59)

Lee/Mimi L. (46,743) by Abraham from USA Lee thanks for posting that video. I was laughing. Mariah's part is the best. "I ripped that ponytail right off her head." Someone needs to show it to both Ariana and Mariah, lol. Mimi L, good list. I completely forgot about Drake and Usher. As for the women, I forgot Leona Luis. I like her voice and think their voices would blend together perfectly. But I don't think Mariah is interested in collaborating with female artists. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 20:37)

Ariana (46,742) by Myles from CT, USA I jumped on the Ariana "Please Enunciate" bandwagon too but then I remembered Mariah's later songs. This is why I was happy she include the lyrics. "Breakdown", "Miss you" and the whole Charmbracelet album. Lol, I love her anyway. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 18:39)

Never Too Far / Glitter / 9-11-01 (46,741) by Michele from USA I don't know about anyone else, but ever since I bought the Glitter album on 9/11/01 and heard "Never Too Far" that day, it has always reminded me about this tragic day, and though we lost so many people they are "never too far" and we won't forget. Does anyone else feel this way too? I play it every year on this day as a reminder. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 18:03)

New Mariahs / Ariana, Christina, Leona, who else (46,740) by Eternal from Italy To quote DJ Clue, "new Mariah often imitated, never duplicated". I don't want to put Ariana down, because she's new and obviously the mini Mariah thing was mostly a marketing ploy by her company to get people talking. They did that with Christina Aguilera and Leona Lewis too. They are all endlessly talented when compared to their peers. I don't know how many of you watched the video of her performing on the Today Show a week ago. Her fans in the studio were about 10 years old each. She's 21, like Mariah was in 1991. Watch any live performance by Mariah at age 21 and compare it to Ariana now, and I think these comparisons can be put to rest. Mariah sang songs for adults, Ariana sings songs for pre-teens. Mariah could hit high notes while retaining a thick, soulful voice. She didn't have to screech to hit a G5. The maturity of her songwriting was really beyond her years. She wrote Vanishing as a teen. Somehow I can't even begin to imagine Ariana writing a song like that in her 40s. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 16:25)

Collaborators (46,739) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Some of the people I would like for MC to collaborate with: Male: Robin Thicke, Jay Z, JT, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Drake, the British band Blue (yes yes they are not that famous right now but I loved each and everyone songs they made and they write their own material). Female: Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj (come on they can make up), Janet. (Thursday 11 September 2014; 11:18)

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