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May (46,521) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Sorry I didn't make that line clear when I meant "out of her comfort zone". I meant like Mariah never does duets with female singers (except Whitney, which was way too long back). She includes female rappers but never a female singer. So that is what I meant, that I hope she comes out of it and records with a current female artist. I realized the mistake after posting it. But I agree with your points nonetheless. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 14:27)

Marketing and gimmicks (46,520) by May from Denmark I do think there was marketing before, and tons of it as it was the only thing artists could rely from to be heard (now at days the digital era has changed that) but also channels like MuchMusic, MTV and VH1 helped a lot when it came to spin music and let people vote who they wanted to hear. Now at days MTV is nothing more than a disgusting tv channel where they throw all those terrible reality shows, there's hardly any music at all, there are no real know VJs (remember they had those?) and they had exclusive shows where all they would talk was music. It's all gone, now everything is Vevo on YouTube, that's it. But there was also a huge difference, in order to get marketed you needed to write your songs or know how to really sing. Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Taylor Dayne, Patti LaBelle, Kate Bush, Dale Bozzio, Sandra, Belinda Carlisle, and so many more, all with either an amazing talent to write music and sing well or powerful voices, I would even add the well known Cher had charisma, did the skimpy costumes and kept it classy still haha and was good singing. Then in the beggining of the 2000s I feel things started going down. Now at days all are gimmicks, costumes to see who looks like the biggest clown, who does the most "almost porno" on stage to get attention (but pitifully not with a statement like Madonna had). Problem is that now any hack goes, as long as makes people talk, doesn't matter if in a negative way. How did we get to this? (Sunday 31 August 2014; 13:20)

Interesting list Mimi L. (46,519) by May from Denmark If it's an actual singer, who is doing really well and is also a successful songwriter (and while her singing is not amazing) but who will help Mariah get out of her comfort zone at the same time, that's got to be Sia. She has created beautiful music in the past and I can actually see some of her talent merging with Mariah, they could make something amazing together. I personally don't like Beyonce, I cannot stand how she sings, it's like she is shivering from having cold all the time and her dances are generally about moving the money bank haha. Sorry Bjay fans out if you read this lol it's just my opinion. I also would love some re sang remixes, they were the best ones, sometimes they could even sound better than the original. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 12:54)

Got the note this_is_qhm (46,518) by May from Denmark Don't worry, yeah I interpreted that little first part exactly as you said, the whole patriarchal stereotype kind of thing, but the rest was point but I do get what you are saying. While I don't think in a relationship there is much this of an agreement to who will be the captain, sometimes it is obvious when one is dominant. Mariah, despite her physical insecurities, I think that as a person she has always given this idea that she is a very secure person, in the sense that she does set her foot on the ground and she won't let anyone walk all over her, she seems to have a strong character, behind the sweetness and her gorgeous smile, I always liked that of her. I think that they simply were too different, don't know if the fact that all she has to do is to glance in a certain way to send across the message that intimidated him, though in some interviews we could see this when they were together. Possibly he felt like a shadow? Maybe that they don't agree in many things ended up being too much? All are speculations. Nick was and is inmature, it is great he works hard but when it starts affecting family life there is when you show what you care most, they are not in a financial position where you have to keep on over working. I feel, that it will have to pass like a decade for all of us to know just a little bit of what went on or is going on. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 12:47)

1990/2014 (46,517) by Billy from Greece It's been a while since I listened to the early Columbia albums, and last night I played the first album. What I've always loved about this album, since the very first time I listened to it, is how distinct the intros to each song are (especially, "VOL", "AIYM", "AIL", "SFUA") that the immediately capture your attention. Also, "Alone In Love" is really special, structure-wise and mood-wise, while I also remembered the story about Warner wanting to include it in a movie soundtrack in the late 1980s (or something like that). Still, while we all know the head-turning effect of her voice since day one, I can't help but recognize that as a vocalist Mariah has grown immensely. Her voice has always been a wonder to behold, but listening to "Cry." in 2014 is a totally different experience than, for instance, listening to "I Don't Wanna Cry" (no pun intended). She has developed such intricacies and details in terms of her technique that are now even more difficult to imitate (than the big notes of the first years), while her interpretive skills are beyond reach at this point (look at "One More Try"). Although I love those early records with a passion, I have to recognize that it was indeed with "Butterfly" that Mariah the artist fully landed. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 12:19)

The last great decade (46,516) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Is anyone else feeling nostalgic for the 90s? (Stupid question considering this is a Mariah board.) I mean it really was the golden era of R&B and hip-hop. I especially love the mid to late 90s. Like really, all I need to do is just mention album names CrazySexyCool, A Day In The Life, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number, Brandy, Bedtime Stories, Kylie Minogue, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, FanMail, Let's Talk About Love, Daydream, Cool Relax, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, Rainbow, Back At One, Never Say Never and I can just go on. Another thing I like about it, particularly during the '97-'98 (my favorite musical era ever) was this uncanny phenomenon - a lot of mainstream artists became weirdly introspective and came up with some of their best, most mature, and most personal works: Madonna (Ray Of Light), George Michael (Older), Kylie Minogue (Impossible Princess), Janet Jackson (The Velvet Rope), Whitney Houston (My Love Is Your Love) and of course our very own queen (Butterfly). Well, I was too young back then to really take it all in, but now I often revisit those records "just for the nostalgia". Those were good times. Not marketing expertise, but talent ruled the charts. I miss those days. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 12:11)

May / women of the world (46,515) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay, re-read my post about Nick and I'm afraid I might have given the impression that I'm perpetuating the notion that patriarchal families are ideal - that's a medieval point of view and many modern unconventional families dispute that. Yeah, it still is a popular concept in archetype in our country. But I'm all for women going after what they want and leading successful lives. I was thinking of it more from a man's point of view. You know, other than lockerroom talk which seems to be solely reserved for sex discussions, during boys' night and the men get drunk, they talk about their lives and married men often spill out their frustrations. I'm guessing Nick has been to a couple of these meetings and probably compared his situation to his pals - although he's married to the Mariah Carey, she still wears the pants in their relationship. I realize that's too much speculation packed into one sentence, but it does seem possible, right? It also doesn't help that the media keeps remiding him of that pretty much every single day. So I guess his foray into music as well as booking too many gigs for Mariah's liking isn't really to surpass Mimi's earnings (he'd be delusional to think that) or to take advantage of the perks of being married to a legend (though it may be that way to some extent), but rather to prove that he can compete with her in a way (even he knows she still wins). You're lucky men don't have that problem where you're from. Haha. Not all men are the same, though. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 9:08)

Up Out My Face (46,514) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I know many fans hate this video, but I was watching it again today and honestly I don't mind it, it's actually fun to watch. While I will admit, they could have had a much better scenery/set, I enjoy it. Here's why: (1) It's one of those rare videos of Mariah where she is really animated. Like I know there are many where she dances around and all, but how much does it really happen nowadays? (2) Instead of trying to be the "always perfectly poised diva", MC goes on to poke fun at herself. Like the shot where when Nicki and MC try to break out of their doll boxes and Nicki comes out perfectly poised, but MC loses her balance and falls down. Also the part at the end where she is trying to pull that part popper type thing and confetti burst from two sides and she gets scared. I think both these shots were super cute and funny. (3) There is not a single shot of her lying down with her hair fanned around her face and the camera shooting from above (don't get me wrong, I think she looks extremely gorgeous from that angle but hello don't we already have WBT, DFAU, Obsessed, Li'l Love?). (4) She seems to be having a lot of fun instead of sitting in one place, staring at the camera trying to be sexy but coming off as uncomfortable. (5) MC is actually running around in the video, like I don't remember that happening very often. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 6:35)

The voice (46,513) by Anonymous from I'm tired of you guys talking about her voice in a negative way. Mariah can still sing when she is touring. She was amazing when I saw her on the Angels tour. And she sung those same songs and they were not lip synced. I even have it recorded as proof. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 3:51)

The next album (46,512) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter So MC did mention she is "back in the studio" and we still don't know whether it is for a relaunch of Chanteuse or a new album. If it is a new album, I would love it if Mariah would do the following. 1) A cover of "You are not alone" by MJ. 2) Get out of her comfort zone and have atleast one duet with a current artist (Beyonce, Rihanna or Adele). I don't really care for a duet with Ariana, only because I want an artist with a style different from Mariah. (Yes Ariana is deviating from it, but still.) 3) An anthem with a strong social message. (She has many but a new one wouldn't hurt.) 4) A duet with Justin T, Usher or Chris Brown. 5) Give me one more MC-Jay Z moment. And probably also another with Drake. 6) For videos, hire Brett Ratner, Jake Nava and Paul Hunter. (I loved the over the top sets used by Nava in videos like SIO and GYT.) 7) Completely re-sung remixes. I would have loved another "Heartbreaker-IYSEBL" or "My All-Stay Awhile" or "TGIFY-MIL" type remixes but I know Billboard rules changed and she may not want to waste time recording remixes that will not help boost a single so a remix with re-sung vocals (keeping the song same yet changing the vocals) would be great. 9) Single release. Summer song (up beat), a mind range, followed by a classic over the top Mariah ballad. 10) Changed up versions for live performances. That's what I have thought of so far, may add a few more if I get more ideas. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 3:31)

May (46,511) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Haha I laughed at the word "Mariahnoia". I get what you mean, we all can sit here and say MC should do this and that (which we do out of love because we want her to remain at top) but if Mariah every comes infront of me, I'll probably be a little "yes man (ok girl)" immediately. She has been such an influence in my life, I don't thik I will have the courage to say "Mariah you are doing this wrong" infront of her. Nevertheless, I hope if MC or her team does check out forums, she can look past the criticisms and see the suggestions we give here. Many people here have put down such great points and suggestions for MC, I am sure if implemented, they will be of great help to her. We all just have a common desire and that is for MC to always remain the queen, and to get back to the top to shut off all the people who have written her off. Yes, we react to it in different ways, but I believe we all really want the same for her. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 3:12)

Mara / MCIIY (46,510) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I so agree on how you described Born Is The King. It really is mesmerizing. Too bad it's only an interlude. I enjoy MCIIY much better than Merry Christmas mostly because of the variety of sounds it offers. There's just something for everyone. Out of that album, I replay 4 joints the most: Oh Santa., the BITK interlude, When Christmas Comes, and Christmas Time Is In The Air Again. Especially those last 2. Back-to-back. It's just throwback heaven. Mariah does well in covering Christmas standards, but she just has this knack for composing her own holiday songs - she's only done it several times, but each one is just a knockout. Back to WCC, it's just so classy and festive at the same time. And don't even get me started with dem vocals. I mean seriously, chills. CTIITAA on the other hand is like its more solemn, romantic sibling. It just sounds so dreamy, there were a lot of Christmas nights since '10 that I played it on loop to lull me to sleep. I hope another holiday album is coming our way sometime in the future. It will probably be called Underneath The Merry Christmas III. (Okay that was bad. I'mma stop now before you all stone me, haha.) (Sunday 31 August 2014; 2:45)

Mariah 2014 setlist (46,509) by Ty from USA Girl the lambs are tired of the same hits, even though she can't sing some of these live back to back. Here's my wish list: 1. Fantasy ODB mix 2. Thirsty 3. Make it look good 4. Cry 5. All alone in love 6. Someday 7. Love hangover 8. Slipping away 9. Love takes time 10. Mine again 11. TGIFY/Make it last 12. VOL/Vanishing/If it's over 13. Lead the way 14. We belong together 15. Heavenly/I wish you well/Fly like a bird (Sunday 31 August 2014; 1:53)

Hard worker (46,508) by LC from USA I just remembered coming across a quote from P. Diddy about Mariah and her work ethic that really makes me so impressed with and in awe of her. It was about rapping or helping produce on "Honey" (I can't really remember). He said something along the lines of how she gave him over 100 different tracks of her singing "Honey" in different ways just to make sure he had a variety to choose from, and because she wasn't sure which vocal of hers she liked best. Wow. I'm just so awestruck with how hard this woman works. Imagine that. Just one song and she had 100 different tracks. How much work and time does she put on each album? It's incredible. First, she writes, which is already awe-inspiring because a vocalist and megastar of her calibre could easily buy writing credits or just not write at all, but then she works so hard on perfecting every single line. She's just a musical genius. I also remember right after Whitney passed, music producers were praising how she was "like a laser" because she could sing her songs in one take. But to me, that's really not that impressive because Mariah could do it, especially in her prime, but she wouldn't because she wouldn't be satisfied with just one take. She is a genius. I love her so much. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 1:49)

Sorry typos and some mistakes (46,507) by May from Denmark At late night I write on the iPad so I find it hard sometimes to correct things, generally I review what I write but at night I'm mentally tired haha. Thanks for taking the time to read. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 0:46)

Maybe in the Phillipines (46,506) by May from Denmark this_is_qhm, men don't really have that problem here haha. A successful woman is simply that, a successful woman and it's a great thing. Nick always had a bunch of projects but I feel that since he started going with MC he started getting bigger ones and he just felt too tempted for to be on camera again and not just behind it. I agree with you that probably he felt inferior to Mariah, people would always call him "Mr. Carey" and such things, his twitter would be filled with things about Mariah from people and in every interview he went he was asked about Mariah and the Mariah topic alone took maybe fifty percent of every of his interviews haha. Maybe he felt small but I think that's an idiotic feeling. To even try to compare an icon and legend who worked for over 20 years and done so much in such time, with someone who all he was known for was a tv show in Nickelodeon and side projects that no one knew, obviously the money earned won't be the same, ever. Maybe you are right and his insecurities ate him. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 0:44)

Mariah is first (46,505) by Gilles from Malta Rank from the Time. (Sunday 31 August 2014; 0:24)

Benjamin / Nick can't handle her (46,504) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I agree that some problems in their MC and NC's marriage stem from the fact that he probably can't handle the fact that no matter what he does, Mariah will always be the one who rakes in the bigger pile of bucks. A lot of men have this macho pride. It's normal. In fact, it's a primal instinct that the man should be the one who provides for the family. Being able to do so gives the man a sense of superiority and accomplishment. With that taken away, the effect could be emasculating for the man. My theory is that Nick probably got to a point where he was tired of people commenting on how his net worth is probably just 10% (or even less) of Mariah's, so he started throwing himself into a lot of gigs to possibly "catch up" and prove his worth, making him "the abandoner" in Mimi's eyes. Marriage is a partnership, but he probably can't let go of the fact that whatever he makes by working hard is still gonna be dwarfed by what Mariah gets without even lifting a finger. So yeah, in this case, Mariah is the alpha. It's hard enough for most regular men who are married to more successful wives, so what more for "stars" who are married to certified icons? Ever since this relationship began, I always thought that the success or failure of it would depend on Nick's ability to accept that he'll always be the one the public will consider "who got lucky", not Mimi. Otherwise, this would probably end up like Madonna and Guy's relationship. And sadly, now it did. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 23:56)

MIAMTEC, the hit that never was (46,503) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I guess we can say this era rivals, maybe even surpasses, the Glitter fiasco as the most frustrating point of Mariah's career from a fan's point of view. But no matter how successful, disastrous, or lukewarm an era has been for her, she always, always came through with the music. I must say, though, that I follow a lot of artists and I've never seen such a consistent string of unfortunate events precede any mainstream major release. We all know about the bad career choices, the injury, and controversial performances, but it almost seems like there's a bigger, dark force that has haunted the album since its inception. Think of it, Thirsty was probably patterened after N***** In Paris, and now, another song song similar to it is already a hit. Supernatural may have been recorded the same time (or even earlier) as B's Blue, but since Beyoncé dropped earlier, now it appears Mimi copied her. Who knows, there might be other unfortunate occurences we don't know about. It's obvious this isn't her most commercial or most sonically cohesive record. It's also evident that it lived up to its title success-wise. But here's what I've just realized - for a project that has been plagued with bad luck from the start, maybe the real victory here is that it got released at all. Maybe the fact that it ranks among Mariah's best and the guarantee that it will be lovingly looked back upon by many a decade from now are just bonuses. I'll always be upset it underperformed, but I can get past that. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 16:54)

Giving love to the fans (46,502) by May from Denmark I think is great Mariah asking to the fans what songs they would like her to perform, but what's amazing is that she is taking out of her "crate" some good oldies. Mimi L. I thought slightly the same thing. Is Mariah reading some forums? Oh no, now I will suffer from "Mariahnoia" hahaha. If Mariah is truly reading this (fingers crossed) please European tour please (lots of exclamations). (Saturday 30 August 2014; 16:22)

Ariana etc. (46,501) by Shezz from Pk I just read something on twitter that caught my eye: Debbie Gibson tweeted "Props to Mariah Carey who clearly influenced Ariana Grande and set the stage for so many others." Nice to have a peer acknowledge MC. I know she doesn't need it or care but still. I actually liked The Way when I heard it because MC's influence was so strong there. But her not citing MC as an influence or inspiration annoys me. Maybe her producers got her to mimic MC's sound and she actually wasn't one of her favorite singers growing up. Who knows? I'm excited about MC turning to the lambily for setlist choices. HI hpe the marriage issue settles down/blows over soon. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 16:20)

Thoughts (46,500) by S from Now that Mariah didn't have much success with MIAMTEC I hope she finds a great management and works on something new for next year. After all she seems to have good luck when it comes to releasing a succesful album in the 5th year of a decade (Daydream in 1995, TEOM in 2005). I also hope she works on something special this Christmas to celebrate the 20th anniversay of Merry Christmas. With her marriage coming to an end, Jermaine Dupri quitting as her manager and her possibbly signing with a new label this could be an oppurtunity to start afresh, a new phase in her life and hopefully a happy one. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 14:16)

Mariah's eyes on us (46,499) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter So, I see that there has been times where things discussed on this board (or probably other Mariah fan boards also) are followed by Mariah. I mean either that or it's just a coincidence. I don't remember all the instances but one would be where a lot of us were complaining about Mariah talking non-sense during interviews and right after that there was an interview which showed MC being calm, composed and with a sprinkle of humor, just the way we wanted. Then there is now the influx of posts with fans sharing their dream set lists here and most of us want Mariah to deviate from the (more or less) same set list she has been performing for years, and now we see she is taking it seriously and asking fans to choose songs she hasn't performed live or rarely performed. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 8:14)

On the impending divorce (46,498) by Andrew crisostomo from Canada, niagara falls I really think now it is just a matter of time until Nick and Mariah announce their divorce. I think they will announce it once AGT is done on TV soon and while Mariah is away on world tour, away from America. It's so sad though, it actually bums me out in my regular life. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 7:27)

Th First Noel / Born Is The King (46,497) by Mara from United States Ok so taking a break from all this other talk, I have been listening to MCIIY the past few nights. Yes, MC is the only artist that always seems to make me want to listen to Christmas music anytime. The First Noel is so beautiful, from the first few lines in the intro which leads to such a relaxing mood to the absolutely hypnotic Born Is The King. She is so beyond the word talented. It kills me how underrated she really is as someone else said. And then there is Christmas Time Is In The Air Again, how many artists now can create a song that sounds like it came out of the Nat King Cole eras of music? It is so beautiful and classy, especially the live version she did at the Tree Lighting. She looked and sounded amazing that night. I still would love to hear Mariah venture in a bit more to jazz. She has such a great voice for it. (Saturday 30 August 2014; 5:05)

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