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My take on Mariah's voice (38,556) by Chase from USA Mariah exhibited incredible vocal command in virtually every televised performance from 1990 to 1996. During the Daydream era, her voice sounded thinner and higher, though it was still very powerful. During promotion for Butterfly in 1997 and 1998, it was clear something had changed. Mariah may have suffered vocal hemorrhage, like Adele during her tour. That may explain the sudden change. If not vocal hemorrhage, then perhaps over-singing with nodes took its toll by 1997. Maybe the changes resulted because she was enjoying late nights with "splashes" of champagne at smoky clubs, which she hadn't done before. That said, she is still one of the best singers in entertainment. She sounded phenomenal on tour in 2003 and again during her Christmas special in 2010, and her TEOM and Butterfly eras weren't too shabby. That bodes well for the future. No matter what, I believe she will always handle vocal struggles privately, and she has every right to do that. If she ever has vocal surgery, I believe it will be kept secret. (Thursday 4 July 2013; 1:50)

What happened? I'll tell you (38,555) by Giselle #1 Mariah Critic from USA I'm still shocked a lot of fans and critics don't know. Everyone keeps saying in 1997 it changed. Yes and no. Look at early 1997, her voice was still good. Her voice went down hill when she divorced Tommy Mottolla. It's known that when she was in the "Tommy years" aka golden years, he made her take care of her voice, she had a vocal coach, took care of it good, but most important she didn't drink like she does now. When she divorced him, she started to go out more and stay out all hours of the night and started going to bed during the day (which still happens). Whitney messed up her voice with drugs, Mariah messed hers up by partying and drinking and not properly taking care of her voice. In every recent picture, what is she holding? A glass of splash lol. Which I'm starting to think Eminem was right, she does have a problem. In the limo ride to the Hot 97 performance, she wasn't drinking hot tea, she was drinking wine/champagne. Her voice was at its best when she was pregnant, look at her performances during those months. She cut the drinking out and was getting rest. She needs to face facts and get rid of the booze and hire a vocal coach. Also bring the key down and she also needs to study Whitney/Aretha performance videos and get better at commanding the stage. Stop posing/be afraid to move. (Thursday 4 July 2013; 1:27)

Myles / deteriorating voice (38,554) by CDC from CA There could be a myriad of reasons why Mariah's voice declined in 1997. The first, and probably most debated, are the nodules on her vocal folds. Mariah has said herself that she has had them since childhood, but you cannot sing with them forever. The second could be the notion of how a lyric voice pushes itself to do things that are more appropriate for dramatic voices. I'm primarily a violinist, but I have also dabbled in a bit of singing when I attended an art based high school many many years ago. I reengaged with an old friend from that very school some time ago (I believe the latest album Mariah had released at that time was Charmbracelet), who told me that it is likely the nodules that declined her voice. However, since the nodules were present years before 1997, then we would have heard a regression from the very start of her career. What I find so mysterious that her voice declined merely months after her peak when her voice and technique were so healthy and free. Something strange happened to Mariah between 1996/1997, but unless Mariah herself tells us what happened, I don't think we'll ever know. (Thursday 4 July 2013; 0:46)

What happened? (38,553) by Edward from USA I think I will die with this question unanswered: What the hell could've happened in 1997 that changed Mariah's voice forever? On 1996 she was killing every performance, but on 1997 she was always gasping for air and struggling on live performances. I personally don't buy the nodules theory only. (Thursday 4 July 2013; 0:06)

It's Mariah Carey, she's an entertainer, get off suicide watch (38,552) by Geronimo from USA What is a fan? What is a critic? Even though the roles overlap sometimes, is there a difference between the two? Yes. Is a fan someone who never criticizes the artist whose fan they are? Of course not. Is a critic someone who never generously praises and admires the artist(s) whose cultural contribution they are paid to assess? No. But clearly, these two are two different roles. I come to this site because it is a fan-site where admiration of and curiosity about Mariah could make up the bulk of comments and on-going conversation. When I am interested in critiques of Mariah's general cultural and commercial relevance, analyzing her vocal condition, judging whether she does or does not mime her TV performances well or at all with time cues referencing the precise second of a tell-tale hand wave or a similarity to her own recording, when I'm seeking out that kind of conversation, I do not usually seek out a fan-site. I go to YouTube. Lately, MCA is not much different. Still, I'm curious if fans who come to this site are interested in dealing with the artist that Mariah actually is right now and has been for 13 years? How much whining about irrelevant expectations can one engage in before realizing that the artist is about no more and no less than what they are doing this millennium? The first single to her album is great. There is one nice remix. The song is a worldwide success. Mariah looks great. Her album is going to be awesome. This is entertainment. Love it or leave it. (Thursday 4 July 2013; 0:04)

A deteriorating voice (38,551) by Myles from CT, USA I once heard that Barbra Streisand refused to get a nose job because she was afraid it would ruin the quality of her voice. It just seemed like in 1996 Mariah had a voice that could soar. 1997 hit and it just changed, overnight almost. Has Mariah's rhinoplasties affected the quality of her voice? I am not a specialist and have no idea, I am wondering. Can someone fill me in? (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 22:22)

#Beautiful remixes (38,550) by Badr from USA First of all, I really think parts of the song were sung live during the BET Awards. I really think people are too harsh, and they forget Mariah is a human being trying to balance family and work. I admire her ability to stay relevant after 23 years; I haven't heard a Mariah song on the radio so many times since "Obsessed". I also really liked the hip-hop remix, and the Spanglish version is growing on me. I just need to comment that "culo" might be a little too strong for native Spanish speakers. I hope these remixes and the TV appearances push the song to the top 10. This song is so great, it deserves to shine. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 20:42)

Mariah's video (38,549) by Hana from UK I absolutely hate the new #Hermosa video. Why is it so choppy? Why does she look like she is try so hard to look sexy? It looks really awkward and unnatural. Somebody mentioned on YouTube that Rita Ora also came out with a similar video with Snoop Lion on the same day she released hers, and I agree with that person when they say it's better than Mariah's. Not sure what is up with her team, even the remixes are poor. Very sad. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 19:42)

#Beautiful (38,548) by Myles from CT, USA I have been a reader of this messageboard for quite sometime and today I decided to finally post something. Why haven't we acknowledged that #Beautiful is her biggest radio hit in years? It is seriously on the radio here in CT 3 times an hour. It is amazing that someone can still have such a massive radio hit 23 years after their debut. Whitney didn't, Celine couldn't and let's not even discuss Madonna. Through all the bullshit we can at least agree that #Beautiful is doing wonderful on radio, even with all the bad press Mariah is getting. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 17:14)

Paul / #Beautiful remixes (38,547) by Edward from USA The remixes are close to the original because, according to Billboard new rules, if they sounded completely different from the original, they would chart as a complete different song. I'm not talking about quality here, I'm talking about why the new remixes can't morph into a new different sounding track and with complete different lyrics like the "The Thank God I Found You (Make It Last)" remix. With all the remixes, she's definitely trying to keep #Beautiful alive, since it was in life support. When you stream or buy any of the as of now 8 remixes, they all count towards the original one, hence a higher chance at cracking the top 10. With the clean version she's no. 21 on iTunes, but combined with the explicit version, she's at no. 11. And that's only two versions of the song. Should at least one of the remixes become popular, we should be having a top ten soon. With all this bad press, this opportunity might not present itself again. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 16:51)

Stacey (38,546) by Stephen from London, United Kingdom You know how we like to call a spade a spade, and have been doing so since 1902. Well, isn't it an interesting turn of events that most people are now acknowledging and agreeing with what was said only a matter of weeks ago? Yet we were derided for such opinons. Nevertheless, I understand that it takes some people a while to acknowledge certain things regarding Mariah. It has taken me time to acknowledge things regarding Mariah in the past, especially her voice, so I get why people get fuelled by an opinion that criticises Mariah. With that being said, I wouldn't hurl abuse at someone over it lol. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 16:10)

2006 Grammy Awards performance (38,545) by Gerald from USA by the way of NYC That performance is still a favorite of mine. At the time my family and I were dealing with some serious personal issues and I remember getting extremely emotional during that performance, so for me that moment in Mariah's career holds a special place in my heart. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 14:55)

Am I missing something (38,544) by Paul from Usa The remixes are garbage. Point blank. I just don't see what all the hype is about. It's basically the same song, with done words traded out. I'm serverely disappointed in Mariah. I think she has her head in the clouds. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 8:49)

No judging since it doesn't matter (38,543) by nikki from usa The fact people can't tell the difference between singing lead vocals over a backing track and actual lipsyncing only proves it doesn't matter. MC comes out damn near singing acapella and everyone thinks she's lipping then there's really nothing more for her to do. It's not her problem. You can hear the track come on before Jeezy starts rapping and you can hear the "echo" of the back up and Miguel's part. Mariah's vocals didn't have an "echo". Why? Because her parts were live, she even stopped singing during part of the chorus (because it wasn't her part) and began with "away". MC was already well vindicated with all her fans putting up the various performances from AI. She tells the truth and people don't want to hear it, that's not her beef. "Singers" like J.Lo lip all the time and no one cares. Why? Because she's a "dancer"? No. Because they can't tell the difference. Her next performance will likely be lipsynced and it has nothing to do with her ability to sing live. It's huge, worldwide, and outdoors. Most of these kinds of performances are lipped 99% of the time by everyone. This has more to do with wanting perfect sound for a televised event. There's a lot more technical things that can go wrong in these situations and simply playing a track is a lot less risky and easier to control. I don't care if Mariah recorded new vocals this week or this morning, as long as it's something I haven't heard before and it's her voice, I would pay to see that live. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 4:00)

FLAB 2006 Grammy performance (38,542) by Special K from USA That performance was 100% live. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 3:44)

On a positive note (38,541) by Chase from USA Mariah looks fantastic in her Fourth of July bikini tweet. It is great to see she filmed another video for the #Hermosa remix. That reminds me of the new videos she filmed for remixes of My All, Heartbreaker, etc. (Wednesday 3 July 2013; 3:41)

Grammy's 2006 WBT/FLAB (38,540) by Anonymous from Mariah's performance that night was live. And she deserved that standing ovation from her peers after her performance. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 23:11)

#Beautiful (38,539) by Anonymous from I think that after seeing the positive reaction and reviews she received for this song, she's decided to make a retro would album with songs like Stay The Night, Mine Again, #Beautiful, and Breakdown. Honestly, that's the type of album I want from Mariah. Almost forgot Underneath The Stars and Fourth Of July, and Close My Eyes. She should write the songs with Miguel and her producer so be Happy Perez. I would love for her to work with Bruno Mars and the Smeezington's. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 22:56)

Mariah's voice / reasons for the album being pushed back (38,538) by Bobby A from United States Mariah's voice just needs some rest. She has recorded probably about 100 songs for this new album. She does all of her own vocal layering and background vocals. Wouldn't your voice need some rest as well? Let us not worry, I am pretty sure she knows this and that is why chose a pre-recorded track for the BET Awards. I feel the real reason the album was pushed back is because #Beautiful has not made it into the Top 10. Why would Def Jam release a new album without a major hit to support it? I believe Mariah moving foward is going to be less revealing about who she is in the studio with. I am hoping for a Ryan Tedder or Greg Kursten or Mario Winans collaboration. She needs a major radio #1 song before the label will release the album. I am praying that she gets that WBT moment that will have Def Jam executives jumping up and down. The new album probably won't come out until October. I would love to see her forget about her vocal flaws and give us something organic from her heart that is stripped down to nothing but a piano and some climatic strings. Her voice is still there and people would fall in love with her again if she gives us the old Mariah. That is all we want at this point. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 22:51)

We should prepare for the Fourth of July Special (38,537) by SC from USA Hi guys. I don't mean to sound negative, but I was at the taping of the Fourth of July special and she def lipped the "America The Beautiful" song. I couldn't watch the other ones as we were all kicked out of the field due to extreme weather conditions, but I'm pretty sure she lipped the whole thing. It was pretty clear for attendees and again, she performed the song 3 times, so I'm sure they will copy and past good bits and pieces. Lets hope the editing looks good, otherwise she will come under attack one more time. I'm concerned, mostly surprised that her "team" or someone is not really advising her on the reality of the situation. Who knows, maybe she knows and she doesn't care, but why are these things still happening? She's a global superstar with A+ producers, stylists, dancers, managers, etc. at her finger tips. It hurts me to say this, but all this year's performances have been average and poorly produced. The effort was there, but the execution was absolutely terrible for someone with her status in the music world. I gotta say that non of these things happened during her "Benny Medina days". He now manages J.Lo and look how well she is viewed. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 22:50)

Hmmm Stacey (38,536) by RadChad from United States I don't know about that one now. I've studied that Grammy performance as well and it sounds/ appears all live to me. I've even heard the imperfections/differences between the live notes and album notes. Now I'm not delusional, I know MC has her fair share of half lipped half sung performances (some obviously and some not so obvious), but she still sings (well) totally live sometimes. BET's Blueprint performances is a prime example. Not saying you, but I think what has happened as of the past decade and some change is that people tend to doubt her when she's actually does well singing live. Honestly considering the pattern, I can't fault anyone for that, but I can confidently believe that she still has her stellar moments here and there, when the voice is properly cared for. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 22:24)

Macy's Firework Spectacular (38,535) by Leito from USA Now with this Idol/BET lip-sync drama, people are either not going to tune in to see Mariah, or they will so they can shred her to pieces. They say any press is good press, I'm not too sure about this. Mariah is known for her voice. If she can't prove she can sing live anymore, I don't see much success on a world tour. It may have to be in smaller venues again, like the Angels Advocate Tour, or CB Tour. I've stuck by Mariah since VOL and seen her in concert 5 times. However, I almost don't want to see her perform on TV shows anymore. Like someone mentioned before, she needs to do another unplugged performance to redeem herself. Especially with the new album coming out. Take care and keep the faith. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 21:40)

Terna (38,533) by Stacey from USA I've watched that performance plenty of times. Trust me, lol. But some of the high notes toward the end of FLAB are lipped, not all, just some. They sound too close to the original recording not to be. I've always said I don't mind if a singer lips here and there. All singers do it. It's when the lipping is so obvious is where I have a problem. She doesn't need any kind of bad press, especially when you are preparing for a new album release. That's pretty much where I stand on the issue of lipping. Not much more for me to say. Peace. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 20:51)

Beautiful remix / Spanglish video (38,532) by Anonymous from Ok, so I freaking love the remix. Like 10 times better than the original. I have not purchased the original song, but I will be getting this remix. It feels more complete. The Spanglish song and video is so much better than the English version. Wow. It makes no sense. It feels more complete. I love the the video which makes more sense and is cooler and it's not her flaunting her body for no reason. When she wears a swim suite, she is actually near water instead of on someone's bike in a grass field. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 19:52)

I'm feeling sad (38,531) by Edward from USA I was just watching a performance of Ariana Grande on Ellen singing her Mariahesque track "The Way". I know she can't hold a candle to Mariah, but she made it look so easy, and I remembered when Mariah used to just be able to sing effortlessly. It wasn't about the hair, dress, figure, boobs, legs, it was about her voice. I felt the pain as If I were the one who was going through the same situation. I'm terrible sadden by the thought of what all this is doing to Mariah as a person, so I listened to "Looking In" and I came to the realization that she may look all diva, but she must be terrified inside with everything that is happening, since it's becoming more evident the elephant in the room doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Singing in the studio is easier because you basically piece a song together little by little, but when reality hits, it's really difficult for her to recreate the smoothness we perceive in her recorded tracks nowadays. (Tuesday 2 July 2013; 18:06)

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