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Re: Marc Charles (40,131) by nikki from usa Very detailed. The only question I have is, you mentioned the deterioration over the years through MOAIA, but Merry Christmas II You had some of the best MC vocals ever. Her live performances were off the hook. Not to mention, she was pregnant. I didn't hear this last performance, but I heard the ones she did at Rockefeller and they were awesome. I loved those vocals. So, why does yet again, another performance, a couple days later change everything so drastically? Mariah's an insomniac who's a workaholic. Add kids and mix. I think it's insane to expect her to sound like she's 20. It's normal to expect some wear and tear, but the point is "some". Everyone obsesses over her less stellar performances, but ignore the good ones while they drama queen (no, I'm not referring to you here). The Carlyle performance was only last year. Her 4th of July performances was just 6 months ago and she did great at Rockefeller Center a few days ago. (Monday 9 December 2013; 3:14)

Re: Lamby from HongKong (40,130) by Terna from Nigeria Your post really struck a chord with me, kinda mirroring everything I have been feeling about her latetly. I've been a lamb since I was in my early teens and the Mariah I fell in love with is just not the one I see today. I'm losing faith in her talent and interest also. Something indeed changed her, maybe Tommy Mottola. But I also agree "he was a great filter". I recall he was even the one who encouraged her to keep "Hero" for herself. A song that can now be considered her signature song, and with Tommy still in the picture, such crap like "Triumphant" where you're featured on your own song never saw the light of day. He may have been controlling, but that man knew his job. (Monday 9 December 2013; 2:31)

It is what it is (40,129) by Will from Australia Considering Mariah did minimal promotional performances of AIWFCIY from 1995 - 2009 it's obvious that she's grasping onto the only thing that keeps her topical, which is Christmas, by committing to way too many public performances that have left her voice shattered. The tree lighting performance is the worst performance I've ever heard from her, a million times worse than MJ's memorial and I'm sad for her. But hey, she'll move on from it and so must we. Talking about retirement is ridiculous, I just watched her in Sydney less than a year ago and she was amazing and surprised me. This site is for debating so I'd wish the know it alls would just let people give their opinion without getting their backs up, let it go. (Monday 9 December 2013; 1:07)

[...] (40,128) by Tony from Ireland I agree, we are human beings and none of us is perfect. When she was about to release TAOLG, she did said that the song was written in a way that everybody could related with it. Negativity? Where? She is singing about letting the pain and bad memories go. And c'mon, all of us are grown-up and we are no longer dying to find a dream lover, or some can feel tired to give them all to somebody, as the years gone by, we all want to find the way to real love, to real emotions. I do think Mariah has been writing some of her more realistic and down to earth songs, I'm still remember how she brought me to tears with Inseparable,or how TAOLG was touching my soul in so many different ways. Mariah is a mean person. Mariah has been negative. [...] I just have to recognize how disgusted I feel knowing that some people can think like that about her. And no, I don't know her personally, but I do know what lots of artist says about her, and I do love her. Amazing voice, amazing personality, funny and she [...]. (Monday 9 December 2013; 1:00)

Mariah's voice (40,127) by Marc Charles from UK A lot of people are questioning Mariah's voice. So I'll put what I think has happened as I know a lot about the voice and how it works etc. Her way of singing is [...] demanding on the vocal chords. After 22+ years of singing ofcourse it's going to change and what has almost certainly happened is that her voice has buckled (plus other factors). Buckling affects mostly the control and [...] much the belting side of things. When a voice buckles it becomes [...] harder to control as the two vocal folds have had extreme pressure over the years. Belting (especially high belts) after a while bend the vocal folds where the tissue cant regenerate its elasticity. When you get older it naturally becomes weaker and that's just to a normal voice, happens to everyone. (Hence why old people when they speak or sing it's very wobbly.) But Mariah has pushed her voice much, it's happening while she's in her 40's. Also when a woman becomes pregnant, the voice changes like it changes when puberty occurs. Not so much as that but it becomes weaker. So this, plus her nodules, play a part in its current condition. It's irreversible. Plus on top of that, when a singer is on vocal rest, it's healthier for a singer to speak very quiet and actually use the chords than it is to whisper and not use them. Air being pushed through the chords while not vibrating can damage them in the long term (whispering/breathy singing a lot will make the voice hoarse as it drys the vocal chords while pushing though them). But Mariah and her whistle notes/breathy singing are exactly that. The whistles cause a ton of pressure on the chords and muscles. So all these factors come together in the long run and caused the damage. The voice is very very tough. but it will come to an end. And with the amount Mariah has done, just think about all those live performances, her style, the singing in the studio, the re-takes, talking, shouting, whistling etc etc it's inevitable. The only thing she can do to get something back is surgery, which is by far the last option as it's all or nothing. It could completely remove the whistle and the tone could completely change if the muscles are tightened. But would you risk that? Also when is the point where it will be the only option as the voice just isn't there any more. Yeah you can go on vocal rest for a ton of time, but that will make it sound okay and have better resonance and control for a short period. But that will only last until it's tired again. It will get tired [...] fast compared to her previous recovery time. But it won't help the belts as the muscles won't re elasticize. I love her. and got into the knowledge on the voice because I was [...] by how hers worked. I saw this coming after TEOM, the voice was still strong (vocal folds were still strong when healthy), then E=MC2 live performances were where it really started to deteriorate. MOAIA was the final cut. (Belt voice I'm talking mostly on.) Some people say she went down hill since 2000's, but only one or two areas of damage was there. Now all of the damage has come together. Now you notice even under studio fixs Mariah's songs in the studio are heavily edited. Tones of the belts and the runs sound very different to the TEOM and E=MC2. That part is just my opinion as I've got a sharp ear. Maybe you notice. Maybe you don't. But after I've said all this, I fully mean when I say I love her. I love her. Mariah will always be number one in my book as after all this time. I admire [...] she's done. So nothings changed for me. I'm just happy her art is here. (Monday 9 December 2013; 0:41)

Lee from the UK (40,124) by Lamb_O_Chop from Australia Sweetheart, people are not "making excuses". MC didn't just forget how to sing, so evidently something or somethings have affected her voice. And yes nodules, alcohol consumption, the weather, over singing etc. are all factual factors that affect the condition of the voice. MC always had a sensitive voice, and many of her peers have suffered from vocal nodules and were fortunate enough to have them successfully removed. None of us know what she's going through in this issue so it is not fair to blast her for something that may be out of her control at this point. Mariah is not a robot, she's human and last time I checked humans weren't perfect. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 23:34)

AIWFCIY performance (40,123) by Ms. Giselle from USA It wasn't that bad. It wasn't that great either. Someone mentioned her Rockefeller performance was bad. You my dear need your ears cleaned. Both performances were amazing. Even non die hard fans liked it. I believe the problem is, she performed earlier in the week, Now she performed again. Plus she's probably in the studio. her voice needs proper rest and she needs to really give up the bubbly. I know I say that a lot, but it's true. People don't realize wine etc isn't good on your voice. I also think she should do more of a Babs kind of route. She hardly ever does one off performances. I think the Rockefeller should have been enough for the season. Plus she did the Buble concert coming up. I don't get all these performances. If I were her, I take from today to summer/fall 2014 off. Rest up and do some soul searching. I love TAOLG, but marriage and kids should have had more of an effect on her writing. Why is she still singing about letting go of the "ex"? (Sunday 8 December 2013; 23:26)

Losing love for MC (40,122) by Lamby from Hong Kong I've been the biggest fan for almost 20 years. I feel so sad recently. I always had so much hope in MC, I never imagined one day I'd dislike her. Now the songs are always her complaints about someone or some things. I actually feel bad for Mottola. I so eagerly waited for the new single and it's about how she suffered when she was with him. Seriously, it's almost 20 years ago. Tommy is well into his 60s, had 2 new babies and so has Mariah. Listening to yet another song about how bad Tommy treated her in the 1990s, actually makes me think of Mariah as a mean person, as if she wants to extend the hatred to the next generation. The melody is fine, but the lyrics. I heard it once, never want to hear it again as they are so full of negativity. She chose to obey those limitations back then, and to be honest, Tommy was the best thing that happened to MC. He was a great filter, I love the image (hair, clothes, art) he filtered for MC in that era, make her seemed sophisticated. Her own taste in clothes and fashion, I still can't take it, especially the TAOLG cover art, it's horrible. MC is a natural beauty, why can't she deal with her insecurity issues and stop the heavy photoshop? (Sunday 8 December 2013; 21:24)

Re Lee / performances (40,121) by Joe from United Kingdom I have to agree with you on most of what you said, especially the part about later added in whistles or high note back tracks. I'll always support Mariah, but there are times in her live performances where these super high whistles will just make an appearance out of nowhere in a performance and I honestly just think so I wonder when you recorded that one because I have a hard time believing it's live. Whistles alone are not going to save a performance, especially if you're not actually doing them. I am not trying to be really critical, it's just I know Mariah still has a great voice left in her and every [...] she does shows that, but I wish she played to her strengths more when performing live. Leave all the back tracks, 3 takes put together peformances behind. Just you and a piano and arrange how you're going to sing the song in a live setting. She can put a different spin on any of her songs yet still sound great. Just a more relaxed setting rather then be at the mic stand trying or pretending to hit every note. In recent times she's shown she still got it, although it has changed quite abit it's still there. Just my thought. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 21:16)

Mariah's performance (40,120) by Jeff from United States I really didn't see the big of a deal over this performance. When her voice gave off, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Watch Tamar Braxton live on Soul Train Awards earlier this week for some perspective on live performances. Even Ariana Grande in her debut year made a public announcement that she hurt her voice. Adele almost damaged her voice. Mariah held on to her "perfect" vocals for six solid years. For all the criticism on Mariah's personal habits, at least she quit smoking before entering the industry as Adele was not able to. I do feel anxious when hearing Mariah will perform live since you never know how it will turn out. But with twins (when Mariah was single, she had the luxury to sleep for 15 hours in a steam room) and a record label who doesn't care to promote you, Mariah is probably exhausted. The fights behind the scenes will come to light one day and we can look back with more perspective. Remember in 2009 when people complained about her live performances? Mariah did not mention her miscarriage then. The Butterfly era inaugurated Mariah's "vocal decline", but that was the era when she had to fight the most for her ideas. She was up against a board room of executives who wanted to control her. I respect that Mariah stood her ground, but fighting against a corporation is exhausting. Look at Kanye's recent interviews and you'll see the anger artists feel behind the scenes. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 20:21)

Future (40,119) by Sasha from Nomansland This performance showed us the real state of her voice without artifice. She once said that she considers herself more as a songwriter than a singer, so maybe it's time for her to retire a bit from the spotlight and start to write and produce for others artists. She's creative and clever, there's so many other stuff she could do in the music business. Now that she has a family, she should stay away from the star system and keep her children away from the media, it's not healthy. Unfortunately I'm not sure she could live without being in the spotlight and that's a her major issue. She had a really tough year and her credibility as a vocalist has been damaged and she's digging her own grave by pretending nothing has changed. Of course it's just my opinion. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 19:48)

Where did she said that?? (40,118) by Tony from Ireland I'm still wondering where did anybody hear about her issues with her voice, apart from the fact that some performances are really bad. But then there are wonderful moments like the Jimmy piano moment. How can anybody say that she was drunk? Hahaha. Who says that? Please. I really want her to put out some new music with the proper promotion and some nice videos. I don't care any longer if she doesn't hit the number one on Billboard, as long as she will give us something she believes in. She rocks and will rock for years to come. Let her make mistakes without making any excuses. I was horrified with that performance, but one out of thousands doesn't change my mind about her. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 19:15)

TAOLG (40,117) by Jeremey Carey from United States I do believe that Mariah and Jermaine have a number one hit up their sleeve. There was a lot of reference to we belong together on one of her interviews for TAOLG. So I do believe they have a We Belong Together 3.0 version. I think they'll release the single in January and the album in February. I do believe that Mariah is phenomenal when rested, like in Australia earlier this year. And the fan recordings of JTTW and AIWFCIY. I just think her last two performances were too close together, she needs to rest and drink some tea with honey and lemon like in Glitter. Lol. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 17:00)

Obama tree lighting (40,116) by Chicago Lamb from USA She was drunk. Isn't it obvious? Not an excuse. Her tone was nice, just her pitch was wobbly and her falsetto horrid. Let's get over it and look forward to a great 2014. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 16:30)

What did Mariah say? (40,115) by Martyn from England, UK I've seen a lot of people say that Mariah made a comment after the performance, but I can't make out what she says from the YouTube clip. Can somebody transcribe for me? (Sunday 8 December 2013; 15:44)

New album (40,114) by B from USA If Mariah wants a hit without giving into the electronic dance music craze, she should work with Bruno, his team The Smeezingtons, and Happy Perez. A song written by Mariah and Bruno would sound heavenly. Please JD, make this happen. If she did so, she would have the hit she desperately needs. She should start over, from scratch, but keep the old school Motown feel of #Beautiful and TAOLG. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 15:06)

Stop making ridiculous excuses for Mariah's vocals (40,113) by Lee from UK What's with all the BS excuses for Mariah's bad vocal performances? It was cold, she was drunk, she has nodules, yadda yadda. In spite of the circumstances, she should still be able to sing her own songs. It sounded awful; It's bad luck and try again next time. I would much prefer to hear these underwhelming performances than to hear one that has been edited to within an inch of its life with parts from one performance overdubbed with parts of another performance. I really don't care for post editing, superimposed whistles and high notes either. These tricks may fool older people in the general public, but when your a fan who knows the little tricks of the trade it's a little patronising to assume you can get away it. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 13:24)

Tree lighting (40,111) by Billy from Greece The first half of the song was pretty fine. In fact, it started impressively with the intro, especially in the "there is just one thing I need" part. That was a full, confident belt in "there". I think the key was too high, and there is no need for the song to be in the original key since she currently (and I stress the "currently") has a glorious mid/lower register. That's why I liked that she changed the "make my wish come true" (from the intro again) which at times it has been lipped. I know moments like in the climax makes us worry, but has anyone not heard her vocals in Australia, especially the improvisations? C'mon. It's not an either/or, all or nothing situation. It's just that she has a very sensitive voice, in addition to her ever-growing stage insecurity. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 12:23)

The lastest AIWFCIY live (40,110) by Gloria from Hong Kong I re-watch the live performance and I don't think it was the worst one. Can someone seriously say that? More than two third of it was going ok (unacceptable to some demanding fans, I guess), the problem was the aridity of her voice that made her sounded husky and hoarse on higher notes. Maybe think of this way: she was enjoying the festive moment. She realised in the beginning that she didn't hit every high notes, yet when it came to the chorus, she really tried her hard to mend it. "What more can I do?" she sang. If you only look at her flaws and keep expressing your disappointment, you have my respect, but I also feel sorry for you. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 11:58)

The voice (40,109) by Will from England It's amazing how very different it sounds compared to her first live performance post pregnancy (Plot Your Escape 2012). She sounded so fresh, confident and her voice packed a punch. Her Christmas special was vocally fantastic and showed she could still belt. What the hell has happened since then? Has she spent such much time in the studio belting, whistling etc. that it's taken its toll on her voice? I know, she has practically lived in the studio etc. but if that was the case, shouldn't her voice be more than warmed up, especially after all the recording she has done? I'm not an expert on vocal cords so any clarity on the matter would help. I've noticed she can barely hold a belting note, often sounding out of breath or her voice breaking or it sounding a bit thin at the end or struggle to reach those notes. I'll give the National Tree Lighting performance a C- because she knew it was a bad and that she's capable of much better, so I'm hoping it's the wake up call she needs to bring her A++ game to the next one. It certainly hasn't been the year for stellar Mariah Carey performances. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 11:06)

Tree lighting (40,108) by Tory from Australia Sad. Just real sad, but I'm honestly not surprised. This is the first time in how long, we've heard her sing 100% live. People can talk about the weather, the cold etc, none of us really know what's going on with her voice. I know a lot of people criticize Mariah for overdubbing or lipsynching, but this just shows us why she does it. Did everyone just forget how much crap Whitney Houston got a couple of years ago for her live concerts? The reception was absolutely horrible. A legendary singer who was once on top of the world, now would struggle competing at your local karaoke bar. I'm hoping the media doesn't make a big deal out of this performance, because it could really damage her career and reputation even further. Then again, you can only protect/hide your flaws for so long before it gets exposed. It looks terrible when you hear her hitting the notes and belting in studio, but in front of a live audience it is a different story. However looking at the silver lining, this was one performance, if she can deliver another live performance and really bring it then people will forget about it. I think Mariah has a lot to prove in this time of her career, a whole lot to prove. I love her and will always root for her. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 7:37)

Ditto Randy / re Nikki (40,107) by Tony from US I pretty much agree with everything Randy said. One great (not just okay) 100% live performance (done in one take) from "The Voice" is not too much to ask. Weather or alcohol consumption aren't excuses, as MC is not the only singer to have a drink in any of the four seasons. Having a bad day of singing is understandable, but a decade's worth is something different. Whatever the reason, there's a problem that needs to be fixed. Nikki, I'm sure the video not being available on YouTube has less to do with Sony ATV, and more with the fact that it was a horrendous performance that MC doesn't want to be seen, especially with a new album coming. Why would I assume that? Well, with all her live performances of AIWFCIY online I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden Sony decided out of the blue to claim copyright infringement on just this one performance, and it can't be the White House, since everyone else's performances are still up. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 7:00)

Obama event (40,106) by Chicago Lamb from USA Ok lambs, here it is and I think I'll hit it on the head. She was clearly more tipsy than we've ever heard her during a performance. She's having a good time on stage but yes it's not a stellar vocal performance. The high note may have been better had the temperature been higher with more humidity in the air. Completely forgivable but maybe she shouldn't have had so much to drink beforehand. This is just an anomaly, settle down! (Sunday 8 December 2013; 6:11)

Should Mariah retire? (40,105) by RadChad from United States It has been obvious that something "happened" to her voice since 97 and it has declined since then over the years (with occasional ups but more downs in recent years), so her announcing her vocal issues wouldn't even matter at this point, because anybody who's a fan like us can figure out what happened. Having said all that, I'm thinking MC should just go ahead and retire at this point. I mean she's been struggling live for years now, many of the fans do even appreciate her latest efforts, she has already proven herself in every way possible. She has children to raise, her life is very full and fulfilled at this point. Now I know she enjoys being in the studio and creating music and I personally would love for her to keep releasing "A class" music, but I doubt she enjoys singing live, and I'm certain she's fully aware of her vocals and is probably more hard on herself than we are. I just hate to see her suffer through songs and feel embarrassed or insecure. So I say as fans instead of being disappointed, acting confused, or going in on her voice, we should just appreciate all the great music and vocals she has given us over the years, because she has truly gone far and beyond for us. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 6:08)

The lighting tree performance (40,104) by Manny from U.S. You can watch Mariah's performance below or on thenationaltree.org. You go to the tab that says "watch live". The high part did sound like she has vocal damage. I hope she does take care of herself and voice. The ability to hit the whistle notes came from getting those nodules. In essence she changed her anatomy to change the physiology of the cords. Her cords are sensitive and anything can affect it. It's a double edge sword. She acquired the angelic range but has the nodules. I would advise fans to look up more info on nodules. There are interesting videos of them on YouTube. (Sunday 8 December 2013; 4:37)

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