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Thank you / thoughts MIAM (46,099) by Stacey from USA Thanks for the kind words Mimi L, Stephen, and Will. Edward is a class act too. Common sense and a cooler head always prevails in my book. Thanks for being such good examples of that to me too. When I first started posting on MC fansites as a young 24 year old, I took disagreements as personal attacks. I learned that is not the case. Such things cause unnecessary drama. Maybe it's because I'm 37, married almost 13 years, or have three kids (that cause enough drama all by themselves) that allows me to flick off the flies of drama when they buzz around me here. How's that for a metaphor? Haha. It's ok for those to say leave MC alone and let her do what she wants. Fair enough. But, not every fan is going to see it that way. There are those of us who are frustrated the album wasn't promoted properly. We feel the music deserves better treatment. Both opinions are valid and should be heard. If that bothers some of you, sobeit. The world would be boring if we all shared the same opinion. Relax and enjoy the discussion. It ain't that deep. (Monday 18 August 2014; 7:24)

Why she's quiet (46,098) by Terri from USA My take on her not speaking out on the album release fiasco is that she has to be devastated, embarassed and quite possibly, humiliated. How does it happen, how could it happen, that none of her songs are getting airplay? A few with the ability to be legitimate hits. Some huge errors were made. If she gave interviews she might very well be placed in a position where she would have to throw some folks under the bus, i.e., her close friend/manager Dupri being the main one. As captain of the ship, so to speak, he was the man in charge, in delegating and overseeing. This has been a major mess-up. I think her leaving the country and letting things die down is a good thing. I just hope that her leaving is not a harbinger of her marriage breaking up. And BTW, why is Arianna even a discussion on this site? (Monday 18 August 2014; 5:09)

MIAMTEC top 5 (46,097) by enwar00 from usa Awhile back I thought I wasn't able to choose my top 5 faves from MIAMTEC, because it was so new, but it turns out that I was pretty much there, except for the fact that I like #Beautiful way more than I did last year, so I can only do to a top 6. In no particular order except Faded: Faded Dedicated #Beautiful Make It Look Good You Don't Know What to Do Meteorite (Monday 18 August 2014; 3:49)

Mimi L. (46,096) by 123 from USA Mimi L. I agree with you and so do many of the other fans here. I know it is hard because we were told that there was a plan and we would know the truth very soon but unfortunately I do not believe that is going to happen. Usually if a project fails, Mariah will abandon it and instead just start from scratch and create something new. The great thing about her is that she loves to create and she seems to already be cooking up something. We won't hear anything until she is ready to release details about her next move. I hope she does get a new deal and she puts a clause in her contract where she has control of how her album is released to the masses. There are reports that more labels are considering worldwide digital releases, but they won't start testing the waters until later this year early next year. I would rather she get a deal like Madonna and go to Live Nation and use a label solely for distribution of physical copies. Mariah wants complete control, she has fought for record companies to listen to her before, especially during the infancy of the digital era, they didn't listen and look at where they are at now. Hopefully she can finally get to realize her vision and start communicating with the fans more about what we should or shouldn't be expecting. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 22:59)

qhm, Ariaha (46,095) by 123 from USA Nevermind that you don't get that this is a Mariah board, you didn't get anything that I wrote. Whether we are upset at her absence promotion wise or just ecstatic that she finally released the album, most of us here have something in common, we are loyal to Mariah. I would rather discuss someone who you think is less talented (Rihanna) who doesn't disrespect or steal from Mariah then someone who does and be ok with it, only because in your opinion they are more talented. Talent doesn't equate respect. It is illegal to steal someone else's music, listen to Never Forget You and Almost Is Never Enough and tell me it is not the same song. You don't hear Mariah or her team saying disrespectful comments about Ariana but Ariana's manager wants to throw Mariah's name to promote Ariana and say she is the new Mariah and add "yeah I said it" after the comment, so that he can affirm that he doesn't care how it comes across. Her music is forgettable and there is nothing remarkable about her voice. There are plenty of singers that can sing her under a table. If you want to be a fan of her so be it, but don't come here discuss how great she is and expect everyone else to agree. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 22:47)

Mimi L. / Otti (46,094) by Abraham from USA You're so funny. Otti, great post. I agree, people should give Mariah a break and let her do and handle things her way. Fans should just continue to support her and hope for the best. Not having any hard feelings or being disappointed just because she didn't make anymore videos. Everything you stated was on point. It's nice to see someone who isn't so critical or on Mariah's back for her decisions or faults. Who is anyone to be questioning her on how she wants to handle her life or career? I know fans want the best for her, but why brag or complain about something that's over and done with. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 21:40)

Stacey (46,093) by Stephen from London, United Kingdom Hey Stacey, thank you for your message. I'm glad you possess the common sense that's so often missing when people decide to share their thoughts and opinions online. It's amazing how quickly people try to come at you from a personal angle when you express an opinion they don't like, and then don't expect you to defend yourself. Lol. I'm still loving the album. Money is a very enjoyable jam, but atm my favourite song is Camouflage. I can hear Mariah's heart and soul on that joint. On a different note, I've always loved hearing your thoughts and opinions on this board. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 18:10)

Where are the lyrics that were promised by Mariah? (46,092) by Nina from USA I love the album and although I'm disappointed with Mariah's seeming lack of interest in promoting it, I'm most upset at the lack of lyrics. She always includes them and she promised them to us. Where are they? Come on Mariah. By the way, I do think something is going on with her and I really hope it's not medical. I hope she's not sick and that's why she didn't promote album. Also, I'm really baffled about why she has replaced her beautiful engagement ring with the butterfly ring. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 16:35)

The deafening silence (46,091) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines One quote in a review for MIAMTEC caught me. It states that Mariah is capable of 2 kinds of crazy: crazy brilliance or just plain crazy. The author was right. We all know the former. Woman can compose songs like nobody's business yet still remains underrated. Woman can still do marathons of impeccable runs that dem rivals and wannabes can only dream of. But she can also test the heck of out her fans. Surely, silence can mean a lot of things. But when you've just released one of your best works and stay mum about everything that goes wrong with it, all while remaining vocal and open about a bunch of other (mostly unrelated) stuff, there has to, there's just got to be a very good reason behind it. As a result, fans are left with no other choice than to speculate. And indeed we do. Very much so that a lot of times we've gotten way too creative. Could she be cooking up something special? Could there be a problem bigger than anyone would've thought? Could she actually be clueless of which next step to take? It's anybody's guess. I therefore add another to her capabilities: the ability to her drive even her most optimistic fans crazy. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 16:20)

May (46,090) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Thank you so much for the sweet post, it was really very nice of you. And I am also glad you understood my point without taking it as a hate message to Mariah. That's all I wanted, that the least Mariah can do is just say anything at all because at the moment her fans are quite confused about what's going on. I completely understand that she may want to spend time with her family, she is human too after all. So just saying that directly would be fine. Most of us want to know what's going on especially since we were told that "there is a plan for this album and even though it started with low sales it will pick up and sell millions" or "there is stuff going on that's bigger than JD and MC and we will get to know about it real soon". All these gave us, or at least me, some hope that maybe there is some plan which is taking time to implement but alas, nothing. Anyways May, thank you again for the post. It really made me happy. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 13:42)

Failed anticipation (46,089) by May from Denmark You are right this_is_qhm. She was doomed since beginning. In all honesty, I don't think she wanted to drop the album at all. In my opinion, she should have released it right away after the success with #Beautiful and while the album was practically done, she wanted to keep doing changes to some songs - she is a perfectionist after all. The album is great and I love most of the songs, it could have been a huge success, I mean, it debuted third, it simply dropped fast because there was no real live singing promo, when she presented YDKWTD it was already late, the special didn't help to boost and then the push back on Meteorite, it was worst. No spins on the radio (no money, no label support?), sad, because the album has great songs and it had great summer jams as well and beautiful slow songs. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:50)

At Mimi L. (46,088) by May from Denmark I always like your posts because you sound truly sincere and have straight forward opinions, you don't go around trying to add candy to what you have to say. I understand your frustration, I feel the same. I would have loved some special single remixes and a couple of videos. I was eager to hear more of Meteorite and other slower songs. But nothing happened yet. While I think Mariah taking time for herself, her kids and maybe side projects, I would have loved if she addressed her fans and told us what she is up to, where she is going or a simple note about what the future might hold, not even something extensive. She could simply give thanks for the unconditional support through the years and tell us to understand she needs some family time or whatever before hitting the tour. Simple and plain. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:41)

Mariah homely (46,087) by May from Denmark I'm sure Mariah's absence is definitely because she wants to spend quality time with her kids. If we go back a bit in time, after she released the album and did the first promos, she mentioned in an interview that one of the reasons she fired a nanny was because her kids were feeling too attached to the nanny rather than her. Mariah spent at times up to 18 hours inside the studio. She said she sent her kids from home to the studio at times so she would be able to see them and play with them, it was very hard for her. I'm sure she felt guilty and after the albums promo going nowhere due to her label limitations, she simply laid back and took advantage to be with her kids. We all know that all she has been doing mostly since she started being truly "elusive" was spending time with her kids, posting often pics of them and talking about them, which I think is great. She deserves the time to take easy, probably she wanted to just not release the album at all and first take some time to relax and then come as a hurricane, but it wasn't like that. I wouldn't be surprised if she is currently working on another project, but at her own pace and not with pressures or deadlines. When she pushed for the last date of her album, she mentioned that it was because the album had lots of things to be retouched and she convinced the label to give her more time. I love this current album but it's obvious it wasn't the right time. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 12:35)

Understanding The Beyoncé Project / MIAMTEC release (46,085) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I won't say Beyoncé didn't promote her eponymous album as much as she did her previous ones. I think she did, but in smarter, subtler, more unorthodox ways. 1) The woman kicked off 2013 by performing at the Superbowl. Of course Beyoncé wouldn't be released until December, but the publicity she generated with that huge stint was enough to last the whole year round. 2) Her dropping of buzz tracks, even thet didn't really do well, nevertheless heightened a sense of "will-she-or-won't-she" kind of anticipation for her new album. 3) She's married to Jay-Z. That pretty much guarantees her regular features on entertainment news shows, posts, and columns. 4) Lots of recording artists have surprise-dropped their new releases before, but she happened to be one of the first mainstream acts who did (and the most popular one at that), an extremely unconventional move. 5) Timing is everything, and in this case, it was brilliantly strategic, releasing at the last quarter where album sales always rise due to the holiday rush. The fact that she did it in the middle of the night days before the year ended adds a whole lotta intrigue. 6) People were just caught off guard. And overwhelmed. "Oh there's a new Beyoncé album. And celebs are tweeting about it. And it's getting rave reviews. And it's got all new material that includes none of her buzz singles. What the hell's a visual album? Oh, it's got a music video for every damn song. Oh, everyone's buying it. And it just broke world records. But there's no first single to sample it. Screw that, I gotta have it." It's this frenzied herd mentality that created a domino effect. You know you did everything right when people buy your expensive album out of intrigue alone. Katy was right, "B done broke the internet." 7) She opened the Grammys with a surprisingly low key performance. With no less than her husband. Really, I can get more analytical about this genius plan and there's no way it wasn't strategic. It may have been a huge risk that paid off better than anyone could've expected, but it was a calculated one. She can say it was because she was tired of the usual way albums were being released, or wants to sell albums and not just singles, or that it was a way to prevent leaks, which may very well be true, but doesn't change the fact that it was a middle finger to conventionality, and boy did it work bigtime. It was a masterclass in using shock value and deviance in modern marketing and promotion. If Mariah really was planning a similar release for MIAMTEC, she was doomed from the start and probably didn't fully understand what a Beyoncé-style release meant. 5 singles were already out and 3 of them made the album. A few release dates were already set, pushed back, and forgotten. Add to that the series of horrible events that preceded its release, along with Mariah's tainted image, this album never really had a chance. Shame, as it contains some of her best material in her entire career. Here's to moving on. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 11:00)

Appreciating Ariana or other artists (46,084) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay, it's not unbelievable that a Mariah fan can appreciate Ariana songs. Those two aren't mutually exclusive. I get that this is a Mariah board, but if we can discuss issues here about artists light years away from her caliber (Katy, Rihanna, etc.), I think it's fair to throw someone more talented in the mix, even if she's a "copycat". Though a lot of her music can be a blatant rip-off of Mariah's, we're just appreciating the girl's talent. We know it's nowhere near Mariah's which is why we also know she can't possibly replace someone who she's just not on the same level with. I'll always appreciate loyalty towards Mariah and recognize that we're entitled to our own opinions on anything, but I don't think it's fair to even somewhat insinuate that a person's musical preference is somehow bad or wrong. It's one thing not to like someone. It's another thing to question someone's preference if they don't share your opinion. Us supporting a "copycat" doesn't diminish our love for Mimi one bit. Besides, I think she's slowly trying to disassociate herself from Mariah. Unlike her debut, her newer songs are less similar to what Mimi normally does. She knows that eventually people should know her as Ariana Grande and not just some poor man's Mariah. And she may be the "it-girl" today, but only time will tell if she'll achieve longevity. We're just cutting her some slack because she's the most deserving of the bunch and I see no crime in that. Same goes with admiring other artists. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 7:54)

Stacey (46,083) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I couldn't have described the situation better than you did. You made really good points and I agree with them. One main reason for my disappointment was that this album was supposedly so personal to her then why let it sink? Like you mentioned, she even put a very personal artwork on the CD, something she didn't do before and now commercially it will be her lowest selling album. Remember how she sometimes just refuses to acknowledge Glitter because it bombed (despite being a gem in its own right). That was one big dent in her career and she sometimes pretends that phase just didn't happen or she regrets it whatever, I didn't want the same for this album. Especially not with so many potential hits like Thirsty, Faded, YDKWTD, Money and so on. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 7:46)

Me I Am Stacey: The Elegant Bestower (46,082) by Will from Australia As a regular reader and somewhat less contributer to this board I just wanted to take the time to say that Stacey is an absolute pleasure and treasure to have on this board and as a fan. She always has so much class and dignity when addressing any conflicts of interest on here, with the innate ability to infuse the conversation with positivity. Well done Stacey, I don't know you personally but I think anyone that has you as a friend can count themselves blessed and dem babies of yours must be very proud of you. Right now my favourite MIAM song is Dedicated which is ironic as this post is dedicated to you. (Lovefest over lol.) (Sunday 17 August 2014; 6:21)

Absence of Mariah (46,081) by Otti from Belgium I remember when Mariah released an album, she was always in full force. You saw her everywere, talkshows, magazines, awards shows, radio. But with this album she did an appearance in NYC, the opening of the World Music Awards (but it has never been broadcasted), a tv interview with Matt Lauer, and then left the album for what it was. No videos, not talking about the album or songs, no interviews, no performances, no communication to the fans. That's not the Mariah that we used to know. But we asked for it. She was not ready for this album to be released. It's not her second album that we're talking about. She spoiled us with many beautiful albums the past 25 years. Give her a break. I know she is coming back like she always does. You can tell when she released the single #Beautiful last year, she was in shape, made a hot video, did several performances, she was in a good place. And #Beautiful went platinum. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 2:57)

MIAM and promotion (46,080) by Stacey from USA Simply stating you wish Mariah promoted MIAM is not whining. This album is that good and deserves to be heard. For whatever reason, MC has moved on. It's frustrating to many of us because when we listen to each track, there are so many potential hits that appeal to different markets (i.e. adult contemporary, R&B, hip-hop, etc.). I get wanting to get the album out to end a contract and move forward. What I don't get is her letting such hard work go to waste. This album is so personal to MC. She put a childhood drawing on the back cover. Listen to the songs like Camoflauge and Faded. You can tell she put her heart into this album. So why let people remember it as a flop? (And I'm not talking about Mariah fans.) Proper promotion (aka TEOM) would have helped sales. It bugs me this album isn't viewed among her great releases. (Sunday 17 August 2014; 1:26)

Stephen (46,078) by Stacey from USA Your latest posts make me respect and like you tons more, my friend. Some folks will never learn an opinion is just that: an opinion. It's not fact. It's how you see a situation. *sigh* Anyway, my latest jam getting a lot of attention of MIAM is Money. What's your favorite song at the moment? (Sunday 17 August 2014; 1:18)

10 Times Mariah lyrics blew your mind (46,077) by Pablo from Spain Just saw this link giving Mariah some major props for her songwriting and vocabulary. I thought the board could use some more light-hearted fare, so I'm sharing it. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 23:39)

RJJ12 (46,076) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter I agree with your post. Even if Beyonce didn't promote the album in the traditional way, she used the advantage of her somewhat innovative idea to boost sales and then went ahead and jumped on a tour. Not only that, she had 17 videos to accompany the songs, giving her enough time to keep people hooked while planning out her next move. Basically, the thing is Beyonce probably knew that her album wasn't that great so she used the shock value to get what she wanted and she succeeded. Her being considered the "reigning queen" of the music business currently caused the album to explode. And when the album was cooling down, now she is heating it up again by using controversial remixes using Kanye, Nicki and next is Rihanna. Mariah, trying to do the same was not going to work eitherways (like you already mentioned). I am not saying that Mariah should throw caution to the wind, write average songs and ride on gimmicks to get success. Beyonce is an entertainer, she can afford to release average songs and then take it to the top with her performances, because she can dance her way to the top. What makes Mariah famous is her voice, her song writing, so she needs to be seen out, singing her songs, in a convincing manner, and talking about what the album means to her, like she used to do before. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 23:05)

Abraham (46,075) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter Bro, wouldn't hurt you to be nice. If you hate what you read, just simply move on from the message. The whole "the album is for the fans" point is invalid. A record label won't release an album "just for the fans". I didn't call her names. If you don't find it annoying and disrespectful that Mariah no longer addresses her fans, it's fine, must be great to be you. Just because I am (as you so nicely put it) "whining" doesn't make me any less of a fan than you. We all react to situations differently. I did not have one single complaint about the content of the album, Mariah was and always will be way above everyone when it comes to her songs. But excuse me if I find it annoying that she won't save her own hard work. A good 4 years worth of work. So no, please don't tell me how I should feel about it. You have your opinions, I have mine. I'll respect yours as long as you don't imply my posts are "whiny". (Saturday 16 August 2014; 22:54)

Mimi L (46,074) by Abraham from USA Girl please. I'm so tired of people whining and complaining about Mariah. "Where are the videos, promotion?" There are none. This album was just for the fans. It upsets me when people bash or call her names(lazy). She has a life outside music you know. Right now it's all about the next one. And I'm sure it's already in the works. I respect however Mariah decided to go through with the album. Obviously she wants to start fresh. If she hadn't released it, people would be whining. Now that she did, people are disappointed. Just because she didn't shoot any videos. Give me a break. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:52)

Mimi L (46,073) by 123 from USA Mariah wanted to pull a similar marketing strategy to Beyonce but got the plug pulled by the label. Beyonce has not promoted the album at all, sans the Grammy performance, hardly done interviews, and has rode the wave of shock that the release caused to have multiple successful tours. Mariah was hoping that by dropping the album all at once digitally would cause a stir and that the music would carry it's success. Unlike the Beyonce album, Mariah's was full of great songs from beginning to end. Unfortunately, the poor roll out and the label publically announcing the following day her Billboard interview was released that they would not be following her wishes was a big embarrassing blow. It's sad that she just dumped the project instead of working hard and clawing her way back to the top. Same thing happened with E=MC2 and MAOIA. They both had great songs but she didn't promote and the label chose the wrong singles. They though the shock of her shot gun wedding (Benny's idea, marketing her like JLo which failed), and her response to Eminem would be enough to build interest. The public doesn't have enough of an interest in her love life to make a career out of it, JLo, nor do they care about her beefing, Eminem to cause excitement. The public wants classic songs with great singing/live performances. That's what made her special and what made her famous. She needs to go back to that. She has the songs and vocals. but she needs to promote by singing live. (Saturday 16 August 2014; 21:29)

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