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About nikki from usa:

Negative Nancy's (39,790) by nikki from usa No, this song isn't for everyone. However, I think there are some overly harsh criticisms due to previously imagined expectations instead of just listening with fresh ears. The way she's singing it sounds more like the freestyle jazz she did at the Carlyle - especially with that "flinging my world around" part. I think that's innovative (the freestyle, I mean). There are some great lyrics in here too. "Your words were merely lies, reverberating in my ears, and the echo won't subside." I don't know anyone who's been through a rough break up (teens) or divorce who wouldn't be able to relate to this. I think this song has sales potential. "Can't do this like MC" was in Don't Forget About Us. It doesn't matter that she said "Mimi" in this - people will just put their own name there or sing "me". I don't think this will go to the top of the charts, but then I thought the same thing about Touch My Body. I'm still shocked Womanizer was a #1 hit. That song didn't even have lyrics. I'm loving this R&B/Jazz fusion with full voice. For those that don't, I'm sure there will be plenty on the album you do like since MC is known for mixing it up. (Thursday 14 November 2013; 3:52)

People magazine released a 90's edition (39,789) by nikki from usa Mariah. Wasn't. Mentioned. Once. There were ode's to Celine Dion, Whitney, pop tarts who came out in '99, even a section for J.Lo, but not Mariah. There was a small section entitled the Decade of Madonna, however that only mentioned 2 movies, a single tour, and an appearance on Lettermen. The woman who had a #1 every year, actually got the Artist of the Decade award, sold 100 million copies that decade, longest running single, most albums sold in a single week, owned half the #1 debuts that ever happened in the history of Billboard, and countless other record breaking feats, isn't mentioned at all. Mariah and Luther, Whitney, Boyz II Men, Babyface, and Allure. Mariah was 90's music, the inventor of Hip Pop, the reason pop music sounds the way it does today is all Mariah. The thing that sucks is the people who didn't last and anyone who was "visual" is called an "innovator", but the one who actually affected the music industry, defined it, remolded it, and ruled it is ignored. (Thursday 14 November 2013; 2:32)

Say what? (39,561) by nikki from usa Drunk? Like listening to a 2 minute snippet of an interview and acting like that's the whole thing? If you listened to all of them, you'd know Mariah answered the question. It's about letting go of people and situations that are bad for you. She didn't want to get too specific because she wants people to be able to interpret it in their own lives. She hasn't fully mastered the "art" yet and is still learning, because there are things she'd like to let go and still struggles with. Clearly, this is personal, symbolic, and abstract as a concept which would make it different for anyone. Were you expecting a step-by-step guide? I don't know how she could've explained it better, but then again you'd have to listen to just more than one of the clips. (Friday 25 October 2013; 19:07)

Tids and bits (39,519) by nikki from usa From what I've heard TAOLG is supposed to be a ballad. No, MC's not cheating, I'm feeling extra presumptuous when tabloids start talking based off of nothing more than, "Look, she's not wearing her wedding ring, they must be getting a divorce." It's not like she broke her arm or anything where inflammation or pain killers could cause swelling. I love how the National Inquirer's headline is them divorcing on the same day Mariah tweets herself half unwrapped for Nick's birthday. Call me paranoid, but all these "guys" MC is supposed to be cheating with are guys she's worked with while single. She didn't hookup with them then, so we're to believe she waited until she was married with kids and then decided to throw everything away? Not even the tabloids foresaw MC and Nick dating, let alone marrying. So, really how good are their "inside sources"? They've been predicting their demise ever since. The tabloids are ticked. But, it's their own fault for referring to the voices inside their heads as "sources". Anyone else stuck on the part, "not just tabloid rumors, legitimate sources too, tabloids and otherwise"? I wonder if the other legitimate sources are whatchamacallit or thingumabob. (Saturday 19 October 2013; 6:19)

Mariah mania (39,411) by nikki from usa I would love if Mariah would release a song now. I'm bored with radio and the "heavyhitters" of today aren't that heavy hitting. If it's even half way decent it'll easily chart. #Beautiful was a "good" song and it did very well, the second she releases something "great" she'll float to the top. I think what people really underestimate about her is the fact her frequent success has been due to her own invention. It's one thing to get a few string of hits, it's another to have a 20 year career due to her own writing and producing skills. That alone alludes to another hidden talent: Mariah clearly has a grasp on the people's "pulse". Sure, she may miss a few beats here and there; but those "misses" only ensure she has a hit just around the corner. No matter the state of Mariah's career, she'll always have one for 2 reasons. 1. She's so rich, she could afford to create her own albums even without a label for the rest of her life and still send her grandchildren to college. 2. Even her "flops" turn a profit. As long as there's money to be had, there will always be a label willing to take on Mariah. In fact, out of the 17 songs in the past 13 years, I can only come up with 4 true flops - the rest have either charted well, sold well, and/or broke records somewhere else. (Sunday 6 October 2013; 4:09)

Evergreens? (39,400) by nikki from usa I honestly don't know how everyone did on a universal level. I do agree on MC's Christmas song as it was huge here and in Asia for sure and I think it did well in Europe. But, as for the rest of MC's hits, it really has to do more with location. Without You did well overseas, but didn't impact much here. I'll Be There did though. On the radio "today" I still here One Sweet Day, Hero, IBT, WBT, Always Be My Baby, Emotions, and believe it or not: Can't Let Go. On the R&B throwbacks they still play Fantasy and Dreamlover. Up north it's still ABMB and I'll Be There. I haven't heard Like A Virgin or Vogue since the '90's. The only Madonna songs that still play are Like A Prayer and Take a Bow. I'm sure that would differ by location around the US and I would assume world wide. I only play the lite fm radio when my daughter's around so she knows who Mariah is and sings ABMB, but she doesn't know who Madonna is. She's also familiar with Whitney, but not Celine. If "evergreens" refer to the history books, MC has many, but if we're referring to "still heard on radio today", it would depend on location. (Friday 4 October 2013; 7:33)

Re: Kelly Price (39,328) by nikki from usa I'm really not that familiar with her, I knew she went on to do her own thing and that's about it. Mariah doesn't seem to have a problem with Trey Lorenz "doing his own thing" and putting out albums, she's even promoted him on her own tours. Also, writing and producing songs for him. I do recall seeing the Price sisters on her Thanksgiving special, I believe it was them, Mariah gave them some time to shine. Most artists don't bring their backup to the center of the stage to sing. (What happened to her sister?) I have a hard time believing Mariah's upset that Kelly has her own success, but I'm kinda wondering how Kelly ended it. We all know how talented Mariah expects her back up to be, finding a replacement would be difficult, especially if Kelly didn't give her any prior notice. I could see MC freaking over that, especially if there was an event coming up where she needed her. Did anyone else pick up on how MC usually had back up singers in 90% of all vocal performances in the '90's, but in the 2000's that back up has become the back track? I've always wondered: is it the expense? Or the dependability? (Thursday 26 September 2013; 19:54)

Re: Billy from Greece (39,288) by nikki from usa Yes, actually it was well documented back in the late 90's where MC publicly addressed vocal issues. For her Hawaii Butterfly tour she had a swollen throat from her cold, where Tonjua (sp?) Twist, was telling Bill Belamy they were using Throat Coat in her spring break special of '98 where MC mentioned she had a cold. (Twister was made for her after what happened.) Mariah has addressed her skin condition to spandex and certain materials where she needs to use specific blends or she breaks out. She has said she sometimes fights Rosacea inherited from her Irish mother. I collected articles and had vhs in the recorder just in case anything MC related ever came on, news or otherwise. She was living out of hotel rooms which she had stated in several interviews. There was something on the tv back in the day where MC's wearing that yellow skirt and light top looking kinda preppy and going in for doctor's appointment and they were talking about her swollen vocals/nodes and the on-going treatment over the past few years. Cindi B. had made a statement addressing stressed induced heart palpitations. MC has been told to take time off for awhile and relax back then. At the time, I had taken the liberty of cross referencing information (some of it's available on this website) but, if it comes from MC or her publicist - I go with it. (Friday 20 September 2013; 2:37)

Mariah's vocals (39,279) by nikki from usa I think it needs to be pointed out that Mariah's voice has changed since her debut, not just then. Mariah's voice was richer and deeper when she came out compared to Daydream's lighter airier version. I don't see a change in Mariah's voice in Butterfly, she's simply not belting all the time. The tour however was in '98, not '97. The biggest change between those two years was homelessness, divorce, and smoke. Mariah had lost the townhome she moved into when she was denied entry into what would be her first house. If you have the Butterfly dvd then you'll notice Japan, Taiwan, and Australia her voice is fine - it's Hawaii where it's raspy and that's because she had a cold. MC suffered from a great deal of illnesses at that time including heart palpitations, skin outbreaks, and vocal inflammation because of stress and the fact she was living out of hotel rooms and traveling kept germs in contact. Mariah has said herself that when she first started hanging around smokey places/people she noticed the next day she couldn't sing, that's what took the biggest toll. I don't buy this "wine" killed her vocals thing, she's been drinking that stuff since she came out. Wine and champagne have the least alcoholic content and the fact she can have a "few splashes of champagne" and be tipsy shows what a lightweight she is. Her divorce was a double whammy causing havoc in her personal and professional life, her stress caused her insomnia to worsen which hurts her voice the worst. (Wednesday 18 September 2013; 5:58)

Mariah's over (39,231) by nikki from usa So over, she managed to go Platinum in America and Australia without any help from her label. It's truly hilarious to hear any fan or critic speculate on Mariah's ability to make hits. I've never really understood this whole "MC's competing with the kids" thing. How? If the "kids" rip off Mariah's formula and use it to get hits, how is that Mariah competing with them, exactly? To be perfectly honest, all of Mariah's singles of the past 6 years have been entirely her own sound and nothing like the music of the moment. Beautiful sounds like nothing else out right now and is a throwback if anything. Triumphant was dance-y and inspirational as was Almost Home. Obsessed was fun and different as was Touch My Body which was a new sound for MC altogether and a new approach. I applaud Mariah for trying new things. The sexy thing she's done since 27, so that's not new. (Sunday 8 September 2013; 0:34)

Re: Brad (39,230) by nikki from usa I don't know if English is native as your post was a bit difficult to understand, but no that's not a rumor. It was well recorded by industry folks and Tommy's ex best friend. The one who was the original CEO of CBS - Tommy went over his head to get his job. It's not ridiculous, it's business and the music industry is cut throat for a reason. The company has to spend a fortune each time they promote a newbie and 90% of newbies and record mates fail - meaning the money they bring in doesn't cover the expenses to promote them. That's why the 10% of the heavy hitters have to be major hits. CBS roster of "hit makers" hadn't made any new music in years and the artists producing minor hits at best weren't selling enough. Tommy convinced the big wigs he could turn it around, that's why he got the job. When MC was hired, they had to cut half the artists on the label just to promote her. Brenda K. Starr concurred that she was fired shortly after Mariah was signed and several more had been cut prior to her pink slip. This all came out in the late 80's and early 90's. (Sunday 8 September 2013; 0:16)

R-e-s-p-e-c-t (39,203) by nikki from usa The reason Mariah isn't respected in the industry or by the general populace is because of Tommy Mottola for 3 main causes. Cause 1: MC's contribution to her own success has been downplayed since day 1. Brenda K. Starr is never mentioned in the original tale nor the bidding war Tommy got in with Warner Bros. over obtaining her. Unless you're a lamb, the general public to this day is unaware she's a songwriter/producer. The cinderella story was promoted to the extreme - Tommy "discovered" her and changed her life - she just got lucky. Cause 2: "We don't see her as a pop-dance artist, we see her as a franchise." Sony nearly went bankrupt not having steady hits. The real reason she didn't tour was because Sony wanted her spinning out hits. This only made people suspicious about her true vocal ability. To this day MC is more scrutinized for her vocals than any other artist. Cause 3: She married the boss. The outside world saw her marry Tommy has major success with Music Box, esp. internationally. Merry Christmas was huge and Daydream legendary. People and industry alike view Mariah as a kept woman who slept her way to the top. Not a woman who spent every waking hour working her ass off. Presenting her this way was important for Tommy, she's a jewel who can churn out hits, a hot commodity. He'd need her to be insecure and doubt herself so she doesn't realize her options. He'd need the world to view her as "his created product" to keep others from sniffing around his goods. (Wednesday 4 September 2013; 6:57)

Re: Randy (39,085) by nikki from usa Although, you could be right about that. I won't give up How Much, Bliss, Did I Do That, or After Tonight for nothing. I'm glad that album was released. Also, after 9/11 I understand why Never Too Far was released, but I feel it wasn't a good move. I sincerely believe everything would've turned around even with Tommy and his J going Lo, if Virgin had released Lead The Way instead. The song is straight forward, beautiful, and simplistic with a climatic ending. Never Too Far was lovely (the ending especially), but low-key throughout, and lyrically was too specific to an individual person. Lead The Way had more universal appeal. It's a shame it was never heard by the masses. (Friday 23 August 2013; 6:43)

RE: Thanks Webmaster (39,070) by nikki from usa Beautiful was getting close to platinum status and I was waiting for it to hit last month. I didn't find any news on this until I searched for it, but I'd like to congratulate Mariah for Beautiful passing the 1 million in sales in the US on July 31. Now, she's officially platinum here and in Australia. (Thursday 22 August 2013; 5:41)

MC without her cast? (39,065) by nikki from usa Is she all better now? She didn't have her cast on, are her ribs healed? I hope this means the new era will be starting next month then. Also, I think the fact that her label wasn't supporting her single is the reason why Mariah pulled the plug on her album release. Island was so preoccupied with Kanye, she didn't want her years of work to be tossed into the masses without 110% of support and promo from her team. (Thursday 22 August 2013; 0:07)

Mariah's "cups" (38,977) by nikki from usa No, this is not about her boobs. I was listening to "cups" from that Pitch Perfect movie that's been blowing up the radio stations lately and it struck me that the feel of it was a lot like Mariah's unreleased track There Goes My Heart Again. It's virtually acapella and all about the lyrics with an understated vocal. I would like a Mariah vocal song without a lot of music. She could sing a melody with her voice alone and with an interesting hook ala ("doo-do-doo-dop" like in ABMB or the la-la-la's from Close My Eyes) where she just sings sounds instead of words that will get into your head until you find a jackhammer to remove them. And major congrats to any of you who managed to follow that random train of thought. (Monday 12 August 2013; 5:24)

Lullaby of Birdland? (38,929) by nikki from usa There will be some peeps with eargasms if that's true, it's about time we got some jazz. Although, wasn't that the song Mariah sang at the Carlyle? I'd rather hear her do her own cover of "Fever". That's a hot track. MC's so into sex appeal, that's the track to let that reign. Randy, I'm almost positive the track that kept MC's "Can't Let Go" from the top was Ace of Base's "Sign". "I saw the sign" or something like that. Are we ever going to get to see this music video Mariah gave her shoulder and ribs for? (Wednesday 7 August 2013; 2:31)

Re: Austin (38,906) by nikki from usa You have to be kidding. After the success of Obsessed, I was banging my head against the wall for her releasing HATEU as the follow-up single. It's cute, but not radio friendly. The sound would be great for AC, but the lyrics aren't. Vice versa for the Pop/Mainstream world. Standing O or More Than Just Friends were solid single material. Standing O was the heart-wrenching ballad type Mariah's known for. It was like Toni Braxton's Un-break My Heart humped Mariah's Heartbreaker and birthed that song. More Than Just Friends has that laid back vibe that Touch My Body had only the lyrics are so much feistier. I could easily see those two hitting the top 20 of Billboard to say the least. (Monday 5 August 2013; 4:56)

Enquirer should inquire (38,850) by nikki from usa Apparently, the tabloid isn't familiar with Nick's Wild n' Out show that's coming out, rather returning by popular demand, and he's being paid millions for it. MC's worried about mixing her marriage with business? Why in the world did she have Nick direct all of those music videos for her then, I wonder? As for the "album cover" - it looks awfully, like a shot taken from her live performance with the pretty pink dress that broke. I am excited though, if they're starting to prepare for its arrival, then it might be out before September. Next single please. (Tuesday 30 July 2013; 3:28)

Re: Blake (38,716) by nikki from usa Benny Medina was with her for the Emancipation era. She was with Chris Lighty until he died and went back to Cindi Berger. (Wednesday 17 July 2013; 2:47)

What MC's people know (38,619) by nikki from usa Everytime Mariah does a performance her spins/sales increase. I hadn't heard Beautiful on the radio in over a week until the BET and Macy performances and now they've picked it back up again. BET was Sunday night and Billboard tabs on Tuesday, so that wasn't enough time to make an impact, but coupled with Macy's I'd be shocked if she didn't rise this week. Even though Mariah fell a single slot down the BB chart, she's raised in Social Media which is important for her album release. Beautiful has been in the top 20 of Billboard for over a month now, so it doesn't make sense to bury what ain't dead. Especially, now that #Beautiful is so close to platinum sales. Her Heartbreaker video costed over 3 million dollars, but these ones are very low budget and are hitting multiple genres. She seems to be spreading out formats instead of putting all her eggs in one basket. This also buys her time to finish her album properly. Ever wonder what Languishing would've sounded like as a finished product if Memoirs wasn't rushed? I'm looking forward to an album filled with songs instead of interludes. (Tuesday 9 July 2013; 2:13)

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)

Re: Edward (38,498) by nikki from usa You can listen to them for free on YouTube, buying them is an option. The point is it's a little extra while you wait. Your version of "quality" is nothing more than your personal taste in music. Selling well and quality are two different things as are your personal tastes in music and Mariah's direction. Some of us do continue to like Mariah's music, but simply because it may not be your cup of tea doesn't reduce it's quality. One fan's dislike is another fan's anthem. (Monday 1 July 2013; 6:54)

Musical sales (38,488) by nikki from usa Clearly MC's trying to push this song as far as it will go. Releasing these remixes to YouTube and itunes as well as performing on BET awards tonight and the 4th of July later this week will definitely help her radio play. It'll be interesting to see if she continues to promote this single next week or she moves on to the next one. Speaking of "rose-colored glasses" and "delusions" there seems to be a great deal of fans looking for AC Mariah as if that sells anymore. Angles Cry, IWTKWLI, Through The Rain are all classic big MC ballads and they went nowhere. What the "hardcore" fanbase likes isn't necessarily what sells. If ballads like that sold Celine Dion would be all the rage. She hasn't had a hit in a decade for a reason. Since no one knows the real reason why MC pushed back this album, nobody's in a position to criticize it. She pushed back Glitter because J.Lo kept stealing her shit. She rushed Memoirs because her label wanted an album. If someone's stealing her stuff, if there's a risk of someone making "leaks", or she simply learned her lesson from rushing her last effort she's doing it for a reason. The albums she's spent the most time on have always done the best. MC, MB, Daydream, Butterfly, and TEOM. I see this as a good thing. Quality music is big any time of the year, if she has to resort to "timing" to get a hit, than it's not that great. (Monday 1 July 2013; 1:28)

Putting the varriage before the horse (38,378) by nikki from usa As "Showbiz" put it, that was his guess, not facts, of which he received none from the people he was trying to contact. I don't see why anyone would claim she had no ballads or big voiced songs when she clearly stated early on that's exactly what she had. We got pictures of her with R.Kelly from last year and she already stated she had plenty of "raw ballads". It may be possible there are conflicts about the dominating genre/tempo of the album. This already sounds like a re-run of Memoirs. She had worked with JD on 7 tracks, she worked with Timbaland, and so many others yet not one of those wound up on the record. It was all Mariah like the label wanted no doubt, and what the fans always claim they want, but then it bombed. Angels Cry couldn't even crack the Hot 100. Her cover only hit #60 and these are all Mariah-esque big ballads in the pop genre. (Isn't it ironic that what did make the top 10 was sassy hip-pop?) I think Mariah played ball with her label last time and she's not willing to do that again. I trust her to find the right "mix" of Mariah, fans, and showbiz blitz without sacrificing her artistic direction. After all, the last time she did that, we got Butterfly. (Wednesday 26 June 2013; 4:22)

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