Name	My All
Cover	Myall1.jpg
Artist	Mariah Carey
Album	Butterfly
Released	April 21, 1998
Format	CD single, cassette single, 7" single, 12" single, VHS
Genre	Pop, R&B;, Latin
Length	3:50
Label	Columbia
Writer	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Producer	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Last single	"Breakdown" (1998)
This single	"My All" (1998)
Next single	"Sweetheart" (1998)

"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly (1997). It was released as the album's fifth and second commercial single on April 21, 1998 by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff. "My All" is built around Latin guitar chord melodies, and makes subtle use of Latin percussion in the first chorus, before taking on a more conventional contemporary R&B;-style beat. Carey was inspired to write the song after her trip to Puerto Rico, where she was influenced by the Latin culture. The song's lyrics depict a lonely woman declaring she would give "her all" to have just one more night with her estranged lover.

The music video for the song was recorded in April 1998. It shows many scenes of Carey laying on a submerged vessel in a large body of water, while lamenting her lost lover. Towards the video's climax, Carey and her love interest climb atop a lighthouse and caress each other under the night's sky. "My All" was performed live on various occasions, including the 1998 World Music Awards and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Saturday Night Live, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and various European television and music chart programs. The song was also part of Carey's 1998 Butterfly World Tour, and was performed during many future tours and concerts. House music producer David Morales remixed the song, which was sung in live medley's with the original.

"My All" was well received by contemporary music critics and charted strongly throughout various music markets. In the United States, the song became Carey's thirteenth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Throughout Europe, the song performed moderately, peaking at number four in the UK and in the top ten in Belgium (Wallonia), France, Spain and Switzerland. In France, due to strong sales, the song was certified silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).

Background

Carey began writing and composing themes for Butterly by the end of 1996. She considered this period in time a "redefining moment for herself," where she began writing and recording the music she truly loved, Contemporary R&B; and hip-hop. Additionally, Carey began incorporating other genres of music into her song-writing, assisting her in developing new ideas and melodies. The song is described as having a "lush sound" and featured synthetic guitar arpeggios that were produced in the studio. Larry Flick from Billboard praised the song, calling it an "anthemic gem." Flick also described the song as "sparkling with a house flavor that's mildly reminiscent of Toni Braxton's landmark 'Un-break My Heart'." While reviewing the album, Flick also reviewed the Morales remix, writing "Morales straddles the fence between underground aggression and pop-radio fluff with deceptive ease, crafting a track anchored with a muscular bassline and embellished with vibrant synths. It's 10 minutes of pure disco bliss." Rich Juzwiak from Slant lauded "My All", calling it the "song of her career," and writing "the lyrical strokes are as broad and obvious as they are naked." Juziwak described the song's "central question" as "naive and bare," comparing it to the devastation of a child asking about death.

Chart performance

Although "My All" was the fifth single released from Butterfly, it was only the second commercial release worldwide release. The song became Carey's thirteenth chart topper in the United States, placing her in fourth place for most number ones in the US. "My All" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, and eighteen on the Adult Contemporary chart. It finished number seventeen on the Billboard end of year chart, and ninety-nine on the end of decade chart. In Canada, the song entered the Canadian RPM Chart at number eighty-nine during the week of May 18, 1998. In its fifth week, the song peaked at number twenty-nine, spending sixteen weeks in the chart before exiting the week of August 31.

"My All" performed weakly in Australia, peaking at number thirty-nine while spending only two weeks on the ARIA Top-40. "My All" was certified silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP), denoting shipments of over 200,000 units throughout France. The song performed moderately in Ireland, peaking at number twenty-one, and spending seven weeks on the Irish Singles Chart. In Norway and Sweden, it peaked at numbers fourteen and fifteen, respectively. The song spent eight weeks fluctuating in the singles chart, until the week of August 1, 1998 where it dropped outside the top-100. Sales in the UK are estimated at over 160,000 units.

Remixes and other versions

"My All" features two remixes: the first is a contemporary R&B; version titled, "My All/Stay Awhile" (So So Def Remix). Carey re-recorded her vocals for the song, while building it around a sample from the Loose Ends song "Stay a Little While". Carey's vocal interpolation blends the first verse and chorus of "My All" with the verse and chorus of "Stay a Little While". For the performances in Japan, Carey featured a Latin guitarist and backing vocals. The guitarist was present during the song's recital throughout the entire tour, replacing the orchestra used during her television appearances. Since The Adventures of Mimi tour in 2006, Carey has not performed the full version of the original, substituting it for the dance remix after the second verse. During the shows in the tour, Carey donned a black bikini and matching cape, while featuring one male and two female background singers. Again, the original and dance remix was performed as a medley, featuring the same backup from the previous tour. |align="center"|30 |- |align="left"|Irish Singles Chart |align="center"|17 |- |}

End of decade charts

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (1990–1999) !Position |- | US Billboard Hot 100 | style="text-align:center;"|99 |}

Sales and certifications

See also

List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1998 (U.S.)

References

Further reading

Category:1998 singles Category:Mariah Carey songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Music videos directed by Diane Martel Category:Pop ballads Category:Rhythm and blues ballads Category:Music videos directed by Herb Ritts Category:Songs written by Walter Afanasieff Category:Songs written by Mariah Carey

Name	Mariah Carey
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	March 27, 1970
Birth place	Huntington, New York, United States
Genre	R&B;, pop
Years active	1988–present
Associated acts	Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, model, record producer, actress, film producer
Spouse
Label	Columbia, Virgin, Island
Url

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop/R&B; singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut, in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola, in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia Records' highest-selling act.

Following her separation from Mottola, in 1997, she introduced elements of hip hop into her album work, to much initial success, but her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia, in 2001. She signed a record $80 million dollar deal with Virgin Records, only to be dropped from the label and bought out of her contract in the following year. This radical turn of events was due to the highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception that was given to Glitter, her film and soundtrack project. In 2002, Carey signed with Island Records, and, after a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the top of pop music, in 2005, with her album, The Emancipation of Mimi.

In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million albums, singles and videos worldwide,according to Island Def Jam, which makes her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Carey was cited as the world’s best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the 1998 World Music Awards and was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium by the same award-giving body in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the third-best-selling female artist, with shipments of 63 million albums. In 2008, Carey earned her eighteenth number one single on the Hot 100, the most for any solo artist. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, she has earned five Grammy Awards and is known for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style and use of the whistle register.

Life and career

1970–87: Childhood and youth

Mariah Carey was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia (née Hickey), a former opera singer and vocal coach, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer. Her mother is Irish American and her father is of Afro-Venezuelan and African American descent; her paternal grandfather, Roberto Nuñez, changed his surname to Carey to better assimilate upon moving to the United States from Venezuela. Carey has two sibilings, Morgan and Alison Carey. Carey was named after the song "They Call the Wind Mariah". Carey's parents divorced when she was three years old. While she lived in Huntington, racist neighbors allegedly poisoned the family dog and set fire to her family's car.

Carey graduated from Harborfields High School, in Greenlawn, New York. She was frequently absent, because of her work as a demo singer for local recording studios; her classmates consequently gave her the nickname "Mirage". Her work in the Long Island music scene provided opportunities to work with musicians, such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape. After she moved to New York City, she worked part-time jobs to pay the rent and she completed 500 hours of beauty school. Eventually, she became a backup singer for Puerto Rican freestyle singer Brenda K. Starr.

1988–92: Early career

In 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party, where Starr gave Carey's demo tape to him. Mottola played the tape when he left the party and was impressed. He returned to find Carey but she had left. Nevertheless, Mottola tracked her down and signed her to a recording contract. This Cinderella-like story became part of the standard publicity that surrounded Carey's entrance into the industry.

Carey co-wrote the tracks on her 1990 debut album Mariah Carey and she has co-written most of her material since. During the recording, she expressed dissatisfaction with the contributions of producers such as Ric Wake and Rhett Lawrence, whom the executives at Columbia had enlisted to help to make the album more commercially viable. Critics were generally enthusiastic (See Critical reception section of the album article). Backed by a substantial promotional budget, the album reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for several weeks. It yielded four number-one singles and made Carey a star in the United States but it was less successful in other countries. Critics rated the album highly, which assisted Carey's Grammy wins for Best New Artist, and—for her debut single, "Vision of Love"—Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Mariah Carey was also the best selling album of 1991 in the United States.

Carey conceived Emotions, her second album, as an homage to Motown soul music (see Motown Sound), and she worked with Walter Afanasieff and Clivillés & Cole (from the dance group C+C Music Factory) on the record. It was released soon after her debut album — in late 1991 — but was neither as critically or commercially successful (See Promotion and reception section of the album article). The title track "Emotions" made Carey into the only recording act whose first five singles have reached number one on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, although the album's follow-up singles failed to match this feat. Carey had lobbied to produce her own songs and, beginning with Emotions, she has co-produced most of her material. "I didn't want [Emotions] to be somebody else's vision of me," she said. "There's more of me on this album."

Although Carey performed live occasionally, stage fright prevented her from embarking on a major tour. Her first widely seen appearance was featured on the television show MTV Unplugged in 1992, and she remarked that she felt that her performance that night proved her vocal abilities were not, as some had previously speculated, simulated with studio equipment. Alongside acoustic versions of some of her earlier songs, Carey premiered a cover of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", with her back-up singer Trey Lorenz. The duet was released as a single, reached number one in the U.S. and led to a record deal for Lorenz, Because of high ratings for the Unplugged television special, the concert's set list was released on the EP MTV Unplugged, which Entertainment Weekly called "the strongest, most genuinely musical record she has ever made [...] Did this live performance help her to take her first steps toward growing up?."

1993–96: First marriage, and international success

Carey and Tommy Mottola became romantically involved during the making of her debut album and were married in June, 1993. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds consulted on the album Music Box, which was released later that year and became Carey's most successful worldwide. The album maintained a presence on the Billboard 200 for a staggering 128 weeks. It yielded her first UK Singles Chart number-one, a cover of Badfinger's "Without You", and the U.S. number-ones "Dreamlover" and "Hero". Billboard magazine proclaimed it "heart-piercing [...] easily the most elemental of Carey's releases, her vocal eurythmics in natural sync with the songs", but TIME magazine's Christopher John Farley lamented Carey's attempt at a mellower work, "[Music Box] seems perfunctory and almost passionless [...] Carey could be a pop-soul great; instead, she has once again settled for Salieri-like mediocrity." AllMusic adds, "Carey sounds detached on several selections. She scored a couple of huge hits, "Hero" and "Dreamlover", where she did inject some personality and intensity into the leads. Most other times, Carey blended into the background and allowed the tracks guide her, instead of pushing and exploding through them. It was wise for Carey to display other elements of her approach but, sometimes, excessive spirit is preferable to an absence of passion", and Rolling Stone expressed mixed sentiments and said, "Some of the songs appear to be strongly influenced by other hits. "Hero," with its message of self-sufficiency, aims for the inspirational grandeur of "Greatest Love of All", while "Just to Hold You Once Again" and "All I've Ever Wanted" chase the tail of "I Will Always Love You." In fact, Music Box is so precisely calculated to be a blockbuster that its impact is ultimately a little unnerving." In response to such comments, Carey said, "As soon as you have a big success, a lot of people don't like that. There's nothing that I can do about it. All I can do is to make music that I believe in." Most critics slighted the opening of her subsequent U.S. Music Box Tour. Farley balanced his critique with some positive observations: "The gospel flavored 'Anytime You Need A Friend' demonstrates Carey's vocal power, although too fleetingly. And the title cut is one of Carey's loveliest songs to date..." and, in subsequent years, emerged as one of her most perennially popular songs on U.S. radio. Critical reception of Merry Christmas was mixed, with Allmusic calling it an "otherwise vanilla set [...] pretensions to high opera on 'O Holy Night' and a horrid danceclub take on 'Joy to the World'." It became one of the most successful Christmas albums of all time.

In 1995, Columbia released Carey's fourth studio album, Daydream, which combined the pop sensibilities of Music Box with downbeat R&B; and hip hop influences. A remix of "Fantasy", its first single, featured rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Carey said that Columbia reacted negatively to her intentions for the album: "Everybody was like 'What, are you crazy?'. They're very nervous about breaking the formula." The New Yorker noted that "It became standard for R&B; stars, like Missy Eliott and Beyoncé, to combine melodies with rapped verses." John Norris of MTV News has stated that the remix was "responsible for, I would argue, an entire wave of music that we've seen since and that is the R&B-hip-hop; collaboration. You could argue that the 'Fantasy' remix was the single most important recording that she's ever made." Norris echoed the sentiments of TLC's Lisa Lopes, who told MTV that it's because of Mariah that we have "R&B.;" Daydream became her biggest-selling album in the U.S. and its singles achieved similar success — "Fantasy" became the second single to debut at number one in the U.S. and topped the Canadian Singles Chart for twelve weeks; "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Boyz II Men) spent a record-holding sixteen weeks at number one in the U.S.; and "Always Be My Baby" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) was the most successful record on U.S. radio in 1996, according to Billboard magazine. The album also generated career-best reviews for Carey, and publications such as The New York Times named it as one of 1995's best albums; the Times wrote that its "best cuts bring R&B; candy-making to a new peak of textural refinement [...] Carey's songwriting has taken a leap forward and become more relaxed, sexier and less reliant on thudding clichés." and AllMusic adds, "Daydream is her best record to date, and features a consistently strong selection of songs and a remarkably impassioned performance by Carey. A few of the songs are second-rate — particularly the cover of Journey's "Open Arms" — but Daydream demonstrates that Carey continues to perfect her craft and that she has earned her status as an R&B; diva." The short but profitable Daydream World Tour augmented sales of the album. The music industry took note of Carey's success — she won two awards at the American Music Awards for her solo efforts: Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B; Female Artist. Daydream and its tracks were respectively nominated for six categories in the 38th Grammy Awards. Carey, along with Boyz II Men, opened the event with a performance of "One Sweet Day," which was mightily applauded. In contrast, throughout the night, she was not called to the stage to receive even one Grammy. The cameras started to focus on Carey, revealing the fact that it was becoming harder for her to retain a smile. Her disappointment was becoming obvious.

1997–2000: New image, Butterfly and Rainbow

Carey and Mottola officially separated in 1997. Although the public image of the marriage was a happy one, she said that, in reality, she had felt trapped by her relationship with Mottola, whom she often described as controlling. They officially announced their separation in 1997 and their divorce became final in the following year. Soon after the separation, Carey hired an independent publicist and a new attorney and manager. She continued to write and produce for other artists during this period and contributedto the debut albums of Allure and 7 Mile through her short-lived imprint Crave Records.

" video in 1998.]] Carey's next album, Butterfly (1997), yielded the number-one single "Honey", the lyrics and music video which presented a more overtly sexual image of her than had been previously seen. She stated that Butterfly marked the point when she attained full creative control over her music. However, she added, "I don't think that it's that much of a departure from what I've done in the past [...] It's not like I went psycho and thought I would be a rapper. Personally, this album is about doing whatever the hell I wanted to do." Reviews were generally positive: Rolling Stone wrote, "Carey couldn't have wished for a better start than "Honey," [...] it's an undeniably catchy pop record that revamps her sound and image. It's not as if Carey has totally dispensed with her old saccharine, Houston-style balladry [...] but the predominant mood of Butterfly is one of coolly erotic reverie. [... Except "Outside" the album sounds] very 1997. [...] Carey has spread her wings and she's ready to fly", LAUNCHcast said Butterfly "pushes the envelope", a move that its critic thought "may prove disconcerting to more conservative fans" but praised as "a welcome change." The Los Angeles Times wrote, "[Butterfly] is easily the most personal, confessional-sounding record she's ever done [...] Carey-bashing just might become a thing of the past." and AllMusic adds "Carey's vocals are sultrier and more controlled than ever, and that helps "Butterfly," "Break Down," "Babydoll," and the Prince cover, "The Beautiful Ones," rank among her best; also, the ballads do have a stronger urban feel than before. Even though Butterfly doesn't have as many strong singles as Daydream, it's one of her best records and illustrates that Carey continues to improve and refine her music, which makes her a rarity among her '90s peers." The album was a commercial success—although not to the degree of her previous three albums—and "My All" (her thirteenth Hot 100 number-one) gave her the record for the most U.S. number-ones by a female artist.

Toward the turn of the millennium, Carey developed the film project Glitter and wrote songs for the films Men in Black (1997) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). During the production of Butterfly, Carey became romantically involved with New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter. Their relationship ended in 1998, with both parties citing media interference as the main reason for the split. The same year, Columbia released the album #1's, a collection of Carey's U.S. number-one singles alongside new material, which, she said, was a way to reward her fans. The song "When You Believe", a duet with Whitney Houston, was recorded for the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt (1998) and won an Academy Award. #1's sold above expectations but a review in NME labeled Carey "a purveyor of saccharine bilge like 'Hero', whose message seems wholesome enough: that if you vacate your mind of all intelligent thought, flutter your eyelashes and wish hard, sweet babies and honey will follow." Also that year, she appeared on the first televised VH1 Divas benefit concert program, although her alleged prima donna behavior had already led many to consider her a diva.

Rainbow, Carey's sixth studio album, was released in 1999 and comprised more R&B;/hip hop–oriented songs, with many of them co-created with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Heartbreaker" and "Thank God I Found You" (the former featuring Jay-Z, the latter featuring Joe and boy band 98 Degrees) reached number one in the U.S. VIBE magazine expressed similar sentiments, writing, "She pulls out all stops [...] Rainbow will garner even more adoration", but AllMusic states, "It's a bit ballad-heavy, which makes Rainbow seem a little samey. Yet, that's not the only reason why the record has a weird sense of déjà vu, since this follows the same formula as its two predecessors, distinguished primarily by her newfound fondness for flashing flesh. That repetition isn't necessarily a problem, because she does formula very well and manages to appeal to both housewives as well as b-boys. Rainbow proves that she can still pull off that difficult balancing act but it's hard not to be a little disappointed that she'd didn't shake the music up a little bit more — after all, it would have been a more effective album if the heartbreak, sorrow and joy that bubbles underneath the music were brought to the surface." and it became Carey's lowest-selling album up to that point,

2001–04: Glitter, Charmbracelet and personal struggles

After she received Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium, and her relationship with the Latin icon Luis Miguel ended. In an interview the following year, she said, "I was with people who didn't really know me and I had no personal assistant. I'd do interviews all day long and get two hours of sleep a night, if that." During an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, to which she showed up unannounced and to the apparent bewilderment of host Carson Daly, Carey handed out popsicles to the audience and began what was later described as a "striptease". By the month's end, she had checked into a hospital and her publicist announced that Carey would take a break from public appearances.

Critics panned Glitter, Carey's much delayed semi-autobiographical film and it was a box office failure. The accompanying soundtrack album, Glitter, was inspired by the music of the 1980s and featured collaborations with Rick James and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; it generated Carey's worst showing on the U.S. chart. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch dismissed it as "an absolute mess that'll go down as an annoying blemish on a career that, while not always critically heralded, was at least nearly consistently successful", while Blender magazine opined, "After years of trading her signature flourishes for a radio-ready purr, Carey's left with almost no presence at all." The lead single, "Loverboy" (which features Cameo), reached number two on the Hot 100, due to the release of the physical single, Later that year, she signed a contract with Island Records, valued at more than $22.5 million, and launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact since childhood, died of cancer that year.

Carey, Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters co-starred as waitresses at a mobster-operated restaurant in the independent film WiseGirls (2002), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but went straight to cable in the U.S. Critics commended Carey for her efforts — The Hollywood Reporter predicted, "Those scathing notices for Glitter will be a forgotten memory for the singer once people warm up to Raychel", and Roger Friedman, referring to her as "a Thelma Ritter for the new millennium", said, "Her line delivery is sharp and she manages to get the right laughs". WiseGirls producer Anthony Esposito cast Carey in The Sweet Science (2006), a film about an unknown female boxer recruited by a boxing manager, but it never entered production.

In 2002, she performed the American national anthem in front of an audience at the Super Bowl XXXVI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Following a well-received supporting role in the 2002 film WiseGirls, Carey released the album Charmbracelet, which, she said, marked "a new lease on life" for her. and Rolling Stone commented, "Carey needs bold songs that help her use the power and range for which she is famous. Charmbracelet is like a stream of watercolors that bleed into a puddle of brown." Allmusic expressed similar sentiments and said, "There are no good songs on this record, outside of Def Leppard's power ballad classic "Bringin on the Heartbreak," which isn't even covered all that well. What is a greater problem is that Mariah's voice is shot, sounding in tatters throughout the record. Whenever she sings, there's a raspy whistle behind her thin voice and she strains to make notes throughout the record. She cannot coo or softly croon nor can she perform her trademark gravity-defying vocal runs. Her voice is damaged and there's not a moment where it sounds strong or inviting. That, alone, would be disturbing but, because the songs are formless and the production bland — another reason why the hip-hop announces itself, even though it's nowhere near as pronounced as it has been since Butterfly — her tired voice becomes the only thing to concentrate on and it's a sad, ugly thing, which makes an album - that would merely have been her worst - into something tragic." The album's only charting single in America, "Through the Rain", was a failure on pop radio, which had become less open to maturing "diva" stylists, such as Celine Dion, or Carey, herself, in favor of younger singers such as Christina Aguilera, who had vocal styles very similar to Carey's. She was featured on rapper Jadakiss's 2004 single "U Make Me Wanna", which reached the top ten on Billboard's R&B;/Hip-Hop chart.

Carey was one of several musicians who appeared in the independently produced Damon Dash films Death of a Dynasty (2003) and State Property 2 (2005).

2005–07: Return to prominence with The Emancipation of Mimi

, in Florida August 7, 2006.]] Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), contained contributions from producers such as The Neptunes, Kanye West and Carey's longtime collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. Carey said it was "very much like a party record [...] the process of putting on makeup and getting ready to go out [...] I wanted to make a record that was reflective of that." The Emancipation of Mimi became 2005's best-selling album in the U.S. The Guardian reviewer defined it as "cool, focused and urban [... some of] the first Mariah Carey tunes in years which I wouldn't have to be paid to listen to again"., but New York Daily News states, "Carey has brought back that trademark dog-whistle that she exploited in the callow part of her career with a vengeance and used it on 11 of the CD's 14 tracks. For Carey, vocalizing is all about the performance, not the emotions that inspired it. Singing, to her, represents a physical challenge, not an emotional unburdening. If no one can question the scope of Carey's voice, it's too bad that she has again used it to say nothing." The album earned a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B; Album and the single "We Belong Together" won Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance and Best R&B; Song. "We Belong Together" held the Hot 100's number-one position for fourteen weeks, her longest run at the top as a solo lead artist. Subsequently, the single "Shake It Off" reached number two for a week, which made Carey the first female lead vocalist to have simultaneously held the Hot 100's top two positions. (While it topped the charts in 2002, Ashanti was the "featured" singer on the number two single.) 2005 proved to be a good year for Carey, as "We Belong Together" reached number one on Billboard's year end chart for Hot 100 singles, and The Emancipation of Mimi is classed as the best selling album of 2005 by Nielsen SoundScan.

In mid-2006, Carey began The Adventures of Mimi Tour, which was the most successful of her career, although some dates had to be canceled. She appeared on the cover of the March, 2007, edition of Playboy magazine in a non-nude photo session. Around this time, she made a legal threat against porn star Mary Carey, believing their names were too similar.

In 2006, Carey joined the cast of the indie film Tennessee (2008), taking the role of an aspiring singer who flees her controlling husband and joins two brothers on a journey to find their long-lost father. The movie received mixed reviews, but most of them raved about Carey's performance and praised it as "understated and very effective."

2007–09: E=MC², second marriage, and Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

By spring 2007, she had begun to work on her eleventh studio album, E=MC². Asked about the album title's meaning, Carey said "Einstein's theory? Physics? Me? Hello! ...Of course I'm poking fun." She characterized the project as "Emancipation of Mimi to the second power", and said that she was "freer" on this album than any other. Like her previous one, this album mainly concentrates on pop and R&B; but borrows hip hop, gospel and even reggae ("Cruise Control") elements. Although E=MC² was well received by most critics, some of them criticized it for being "a clone of The Emancipation of Mimi". Bleu Magazine's critic said that the "facsimiles aren't terrible, they're just boring and forgettable at this point." Two weeks before the album's release, on April 2, 2008, "Touch My Body", her first single from the album, became Carey's eighteenth number-one single on the Hot 100, pushing her past Elvis Presley into second place for the most number-one singles among all artists in the rock era, according to Billboard magazine's revised methodology. Carey is now second only to The Beatles, who have twenty number-one singles. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 463,000 copies sold, making it the biggest opening week sales of her career.

Carey's singles have collectively topped the charts for seventy-nine weeks, which places her just behind Presley, who topped the charts for a combined eighty weeks. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked her at number six on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists", making Carey the second most successful female artist (behind Madonna) in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Carey has also had notable success on international charts, though not to the same degree as in the United States. Thus far, she has had two number-one singles in Britain, two in Australia, and six in Canada. Her highest-charting single in Japan peaked at number two. Carey and actor/comedian/rapper Nick Cannon met while they shot Carey's music video for her second single "Bye Bye" on a private island of the coast of Antigua. On April 30, 2008, Carey married Cannon at her private estate on Windermere Island in The Bahamas. In October 2008, Carey was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Carey had a cameo appearance in Adam Sandler's 2008 film You Don't Mess with the Zohan, playing herself.

Carey performed "Hero" at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in as America's first African-American president on January 20, 2009. On July 7, 2009, Carey – alongside Trey Lorenz – performed her version of the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There" at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in the Los Angeles Staples Center. Carey was featured on "My Love", the second single from singer-songwriter The-Dream's album Love vs. Money. In 2009, she appeared as a social worker in Precious, the movie adaptation of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film has garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, as has Carey's performance. Variety described her acting as "pitch-perfect". So far Precious has won awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, receiving top awards there. In January 2010, Carey won the Breakthrough Actress Performance award for her role in Precious at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Carey's twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel was released on September 25, 2009. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. John Bush of Allmusic called it "her most interesting album in a decade", while Jon Caramanica from The New York Times criticized Carey's vocal performances, decrying her overuse of her softer vocal registers at the expense of her more powerful lower and mid registers. Commercially, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and became the lowest-selling studio album of her career. The album's lead single, "Obsessed", became her 40th entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and her highest debut on the chart since "My All" in 1998. The song debuted at number eleven and peaked at number seven on the chart and became Carey's 27th US top-ten hit, tying her with Elton John and Janet Jackson as the fifth most top-ten hits. Within hours after the song's release, various outlets speculated that its target was rapper Eminem, in response to his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad," in which he taunted Carey's husband, Nick Cannon by telling him to back off and that Carey is his. According to MTV, Carey alludes to drug problems in "Obsessed," which Eminem opened up about on his sixth studio album, Relapse. The album's follow-up singles failed to achieve commercial success. The second single, a cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is", peaked at number 60 and the third single, "H.A.T.E.U.", failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. On December 31, 2009, Carey embarked her seventh concert tour, Angels Advocate Tour, which visited the United States and Canada. Later it was announced that Carey would release two remix albums of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel; titled Angels Advocate (an R&B; remix album featuring a collection of newly remixed duets with some of Carey's favorite artists) and MC vs JS (a dance album entirely remixed by the Jump Smokers). In January 2010, "Up Out My Face" featuring Nicki Minaj and "Angels Cry" featuring Ne-Yo were released as the lead singles from Angels Advocate. Both albums were slated for a March 2010 release, but were eventually cancelled.

2010–present: Merry Christmas II You and pregnancy

on December 3, 2010]] Following the cancellation of the remix albums, it was announced that Carey will go back to the studio to start work on her second Christmas album and her 13th studio album. Fashion photographer David LaChapelle told The Times on April 24, 2010, that he shot the album's artwork. Long time collaborators for the project include Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. Dupri stated that a single will be released by the end of 2010. Johntá Austin and Randy Jackson are also contributing to the project.

In May 2010, Carey, citing medical reasons, dropped out of her planned appearance in For Colored Girls, the film adaptation of the play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

During a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2010, Island Def Jam executive Matt Voss announced that the Christmas album would be out in November 2 and will include six new songs and a remix of her all time classic hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You". The album will be titled Merry Christmas II You, a follow-up to her 1994 multiplatinum album Merry Christmas. An accompanying DVD was released alongside the CD. Carey has produced and recorded tracks with the Broadway producer Marc Shaiman for the album. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 56,000 copies, surpassing the opening week sales of Carey's previous holiday album Merry Christmas of 45,000 copies 16 years prior, and making Merry Christmas II You Carey's 16th top 10 album. The album also debuted at #1 on the R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart, and also hit number #1 on the Holiday Albums Chart.

After much media spectulation, on October 28, 2010, Carey confirmed that she and Cannon are expecting a baby, and that it is due in the spring of 2011. Carey stated that she struggled to keep the news a secret. She also revealed that they have yet to find out the gender of the baby and that she conceived naturally. She added that she had been pregnant shortly after her wedding with Nick Cannon, but that she miscarried. Carey and Cannon decided to keep the matter private. Following allegations that Mariah accidentally revealed that the couple were expecting twins during an radio interview by referring to the child as 'they', Nick stated that Carey is due one child, not twins. However, Nick refused to say how many babies his wife was expecting to E! News, but admitted that by saying 'they', Mariah 'wasn't wrong'. On December 16, 2010, Nick Cannon announced that he and Mariah were in fact going to have twins.

On December 12, 2010, Carey was the featured performer on the annual television special Christmas in Washington, airing live on pay-per-view in select cities worldwide. The U.S. network television premiere was December 17 via the TNT network.

Artistry

Carey has said that from childhood she has been influenced by R&B; and soul musicians such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin. Her music contains strong influences of gospel music, she attends an Episcopal church and her favorite gospel singers include The Clark Sisters, Shirley Caesar and Edwin Hawkins. She has expressed appreciation for rappers such as The Sugarhill Gang, Eric B. & Rakim, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep, In She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul (2002), writer Lucy O'Brien attributed the comeback of Barbra Streisand's "old-fashioned showgirl" to Carey and Dion, and described them and Houston as "groomed, airbrushed and overblown to perfection". Carey's musical transition and use of more revealing clothing during the late 1990s were, in part, initiated to distance herself from this image, and she subsequently said that most of her early work was "schmaltzy MOR". Despite the fact that Carey is often credited with co-writing her material, she has also been accused of plagiarism on several occasions. Many of these cases were eventually settled out of court.

Voice

Mariah Carey possesses a five-octave vocal range, and was ranked first in a 2003 MTV and Blender magazine countdown of the 22 Greatest Voices in Music, as voted by fans and readers in an online poll. Carey said of the poll, "What it really means is voice of the MTV generation. Of course, it's an enormous compliment, but I don't feel that way about myself." She also placed second in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists". Regarding her voice, Carey states,

"I have nodules on my vocal cords. My mother says I've had them since I was a kid. That's why I have the high register and the belting register and I can still be husky. The only thing that really affects my voice is sleep. Sometimes if I'm exhausted, I can't hit the really high notes." "My doctors showed me my vocal cords and why I can hit those high notes. It's a certain part of the cord that not many people use—the very top. My natural voice is low. I have a raspy voice. I'm really more of an alto. But my airy voice can be high if I'm rested. [...] When I was little, I'd talk in this really high whisper, and my mom would be like, "You're being ridiculous." I thought if I can talk like that I can sing like that. So I started [she goes higher and higher and higher] just messing around with it. I'd practice and practice, and she'd be like, "You're gonna hurt yourself." I'd tell her, It doesn’t hurt/ If I were to try and belt two octaves lower than that, that would be a strain."

She also explains that it was Minnie Riperton who influenced her to use the whistle register. The medium is "pleasurable and possesses an ample vibrato." Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker adds her timbre possesses various colors, saying, "Carey's sound changes with nearly every line, mutating from a steely tone to a vibrating growl and then to a humid, breathy coo." Her wide vocal range allows Carey to take melodies from alto bottom notes to coloratura soprano upper register,

Voice experts praise Carey's vocal technique, like Stephen Holden who said, "[s]he can deliver very accurate staccatos as well as tricky melismas, and she possesses a beautiful and solid trill in upper register". Rolling Stone expressed similar sentiments, saying, "Carey has a remarkable vocal gift, but to date, unfortunately, her singing has been far more impressive than expressive", "She wails notes that don't need emphasizing, then whispers what would ordinarily be climactic phrases, and the outcome doesn't make emotional or musical sense." New York Daily News continues in the same direction, saying, "For Carey, vocalizing is all about the performance, not the emotions that inspired it. Singing, to her, represents a physical challenge, not an emotional unburdening. If no one can question the scope of Carey's voice it's too bad she has again used it to say nothing."

Carey's output makes use of electronic instruments such as drum machines, keyboards and synthesizers. Many of her songs contain piano music, and she was given piano lessons when she was six years old. Carey said that she cannot read sheet music and prefers to collaborate with a pianist when composing her material, but feels that it is easier to experiment with faster and less conventional melodies and chord progressions using this technique. Some of her arrangements have been inspired by the work of musicians such as Stevie Wonder, a soul pianist to whom Carey once referred as "the genius of the [twentieth] century",

Carey began commissioning remixes of her material early in her career and helped to spearhead the practice of recording entirely new vocals for remixes. Disc jockey David Morales has collaborated with Carey several times, starting with "Dreamlover" (1993), which popularized the tradition of remixing R&B; songs into house records, and which Slant magazine named one of the greatest dance songs of all time. From "Fantasy" (1995) onward, Carey enlisted both hip hop and house producers to re-imagine her album compositions. Entertainment Weekly included two remixes of "Fantasy" on a list of Carey's greatest recordings compiled in 2005: a National Dance Music Award-winning remix produced by Morales, and a Sean Combs production featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. The latter has been credited with popularizing the R&B;/hip hop collaboration trend that has continued into the 2000s through artists such as Ashanti and Beyoncé. Combs said that Carey "knows the importance of mixes, so you feel like you're with an artist who appreciates your work—an artist who wants to come up with something with you". According to Rolling Stone, "Her mastery of melisma, the fluttering strings of notes that decorate songs like "Vision of Love," inspired the entire American Idol vocal school, for better or worse, and virtually every other female R&B; singer since the Nineties." Beyoncé Knowles credits Carey's singing and her song "Vision of Love," as influencing her to begin practicing vocal "runs" as a child, as well as helping her pursue a career as a musician. Carey is also credited for introducing R&B; and hip-hop into mainstream pop culture, and for popularizing rap as a featuring act through her post-1995 songs. Philip Brasor, editor of "The Japan Times," expressed how Carey's vocal and melismatic style even influenced Asian singers. He wrote regarding Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru, "Utada sang what she heard, from the diaphragm and with her own take on the kind of melisma that became de rigueur in American pop after the ascendance of Mariah Carey."

" video in 1998.]] In a career spanning over 20 years, Carey has sold over 200 million albums, singles, and videos worldwide, making her one of the biggest-selling artists in music history. Carey is ranked as the best-selling female artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, with over 52 million copies sold. Possessing a five-octave vocal range, Carey was ranked first in MTV and Blender magazine's 2003 countdown of the 22 Greatest Voices in Music, and was placed second in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists". Aside from her voice, she has become known for her songwriting. Yahoo Music editor, Jason Ankeny wrote, "She earned frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion, but did them both one better by composing all of her own material." According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States. At the 2000 World Music Awards, Carey was given a Legend Award for being the "best-selling female pop artist of the millennium," as well as the "Best-selling artist of the 90s" in the United States, after releasing a series of albums of multi-platinum status in Asia and Europe, such as Music Box and Number 1's. She is also a recipient of the Chopard Diamond Award in 2003, recognizing sales of over 100 million albums worldwide. In Japan, Carey has the top four highest-selling albums of all time by a non-Asian artist.

Carey has spent a record 79 weeks at the number-one position on Billboard Hot 100, becoming the artist with the most weeks at number-one in U.S. chart history. On that same chart, she has accumulated 18 number-one singles, making her the solo artist with the most number-one singles in the chart's history. It also produced the successful single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the U.S. In Japan, Number 1's has sold over 3,250,000 copies and is the best-selling album of all time in Japan by a non-Asian artist. Her hit single "One Sweet Day", which featured Boyz II Men, spent sixteen consecutive weeks at the top of Billboards Hot 100 chart in 1996, setting the record for the most weeks atop the Hot 100 chart in history. In 2008, Billboard magazine listed "We Belong Together" ninth on The Billboard: All-Time Hot 100 Top Songs and the most successful song of the first decade of the 21st century. In 2009, Carey's song Obsessed became her 12th Platinum single, the most by any female artist. Also in 2009, Carey's cover of Foreigner's classic, "I Want to Know What Love Is" became the longest-running number-one song in Brazilian singles chart history, spending 27 consecutive weeks at number-one. Additionally, Carey has had three songs debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100: "Fantasy", "One Sweet Day" and "Honey", making her the artist with the most number-one debuts in the chart's 52 year history. Also, she is the first female artist to debut at number 1 in the U.S. with "Fantasy". In 2010, Careys 13th and second christmas album,Merry Christmas II You debuted at #1 on the R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart.

Philanthropy and other activities

Carey is a philanthropist who has donated time and money to organizations such as the Fresh Air Fund. She became associated with the Fund in the early 1990s, and is the co-founder of a camp located in Fishkill, New York, that enables inner-city youth to embrace the arts and introduces them to career opportunities. The camp was called Camp Mariah "for her generous support and dedication to Fresh Air children", and she received a Congressional Horizon Award for her youth-related charity work. She is well-known nationally for her work with the Make-a-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, and in November 2006 she was awarded the Foundation's Wish Idol for her "extraordinary generosity and her many wish granting achievements". Carey has volunteered for the New York City Police Athletic League and contributed to the obstetrics department of New York Presbyterian Hospital Cornell Medical Center. A percentage of the sales of MTV Unplugged was donated to various other charities. In 2008, Carey was named Hunger Ambassador of the World Hunger Relief Movement. She is giving a free download of her song, "Love Story", to customers who donate to the organization at participating restaurants. In February 2010, the song, "100%", which was originally written and recorded for the film, , was used as one of the theme songs for the 2010 Winter Olympics, with all money proceeds going to Team USA.

One of Carey's most high-profile benefit concert appearances was on VH1's 1998 Divas Live special, during which she performed alongside other female singers in support of the Save the Music Foundation. The concert was a ratings success, and Carey participated in the Divas 2000 special. In 2007, the Save the Music Foundation honored Carey at their tenth gala event for her support towards the foundation since its inception. She appeared at the nationally televised fundraiser in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and in December 2001, she performed before peacekeeping troops in Kosovo. Carey hosted the CBS television special At Home for the Holidays, which documented real-life stories of adopted children and foster families, and she has worked with the New York City Administration for Children's Services. In 2005, Carey performed for Live 8 in London and at the Hurricane Katrina relief telethon "Shelter from the Storm". In August 2008, Carey and other singers recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On September 5, the singers performed it live on TV.

Declining offers to appear in commercials in the United States during her early career, Carey was not involved in brand marketing initiatives until 2006, when she participated in endorsements for Intel Centrino personal computers and launched a jewelry and accessories line for teenagers, Glamorized, in American Claire's and Icing stores. During this period, as part of a partnership with Pepsi and Motorola, Carey recorded and promoted a series of exclusive ringtones, including "Time of Your Life". She signed a licensing deal with the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, and in 2007, she released her own fragrance, "M". According to Forbes, Carey was the sixth richest woman in entertainment , with an estimated net worth of US $225 million. Carey directed or co-directed several of the music videos for her singles during the 1990s. Slant magazine named the video for "The Roof (Back in Time)", which Carey co-directed with Diane Martel, one of the twenty greatest music videos of all time. In 2008, Carey made Time's annual list of 100 most Influential people. In January 2010, Carey announced via Twitter that she is launching a new rosé champagne brand called Angel Champagne.Supporting Actress of the Year at the Capri Hollywood International Film FestivalNominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress & Best Ensemble. Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2002 | Ally McBeal | Candy Cushnip | "" (Season 5, episode 8) |- | 2003 | The Proud Family | Herself | Voice role |}

Discography

1990: Mariah Carey

1991: Emotions

1993: Music Box

1994: Merry Christmas

1995: Daydream

1997: Butterfly

1999: Rainbow

2001: Glitter

2002: Charmbracelet

2005: The Emancipation of Mimi

2008: E=MC²

2009: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

2010: Merry Christmas II You

See also

List of best-selling music artists

List of best selling music artists in U.S.

List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart

List of awards received by Mariah Carey

List of Mariah Carey tours

Notes

References

External links

Official website

[ Mariah Carey] at Allmusic

Mariah Carey at Billboard.com

Mariah Carey at LAUNCHcast

}}

Category:1970 births Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York Category:African American actors Category:African American female singers Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:African American musicians Category:African American songwriters Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American film actors Category:American female singers Category:American music video directors Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:Hip hop singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American sopranos Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:Island Records artists Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from Long Island Category:Spanish-language singers Category:American people of Venezuelan descent Category:World Music Awards winners Category:American philanthropists

Name	Sibel Redzep
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sibel Redzep
Alias	Sibel
Born	December 12, 1987Radoviš, Macedonia
Origin	Kristianstad, Sweden
Instrument	Singing
Genre	Pop, Rock, Ambient
Occupation	Singer
Years active	2008–present
Label	Warner Bros. Records, Warner Music Sweden (2008–present)
Associated acts	Agnes Carlsson, Sebastian Karlsson, Måns Zelmerlöw, Ola Svensson, Ashley Tisdale
Url	Official Site

Sibel Redzep, () (born 12 December 1987 in Radoviš, Republic of Macedonia) is a Macedonian-born Swedish pop singer of Turkish descent. She is known from the Swedish television show Idol 2005, where she was the second runner up. She was also a semifinalist of Idol 2004, where she placed fourth in her group but didn't make it to the finals.

Before she joined the show she lived in Kristianstad, Sweden. Sibel speaks Swedish, Turkish, English, French and a little Chinese and German. She was in the background vocals for the 2009 hit single "It's Alright, It's OK" by Ashley Tisdale.

Early life

In 2004 16-year old Sibel Redzep, burst onto Swedish TV screens auditioning for “Idol” singing Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful' reducing the usually hard faced judge Peter Swartling to tears. The following year she was beaten to the final by Agnes Carlsson and Sebastian Karlsson. She was born in Radoviš, in the mountains of south-eastern Macedonia. Her family lived in the nearby small Turkish community group.

Career

Sibel's management team includes "Idol" judge Peter Swartling, who immediately after the loss of Sibel in the penultimate round of Idol 2005. Swartling stood to his word and in the summer of 2006, he started work with Sibel in the studio with songwriter/producer Christian Antblad in Dublin. With Sibel at the microphone it was decided that they would work with big ballads for her voice. One of the ballads, "How I Tried To Let You Go" was originally a small idea for a chorus sung by Sibel over the phone, which was taken to the studio where Christian and Peter immediately fell for it. With a total of about thirty songs recorded, Sibel returned to the home town of Kristianstad to graduate from high school.

Melodifestivalen 2008

Redzep participated in Melodifestivalen 2008 with the ballad "That Is Where I'll Go", in the last semifinal, where she advanced to "Andra chansen" (second chance), and subsequently made it to the finals. In hope of representing Sweden at Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. She was lost to Charlotte Perrelli, who later represented Sweden in the Eurovision 2008.

Since the show Sibel has released her album The Diving Belle and two singles, "That Is Where I'll Go" and "Make Believe. There are plans to release her debut album in her native language, Turkish.

Melodifestivalen 2010

Redzep participated in Melodifestivalen 2010 with the song "Stop". She performed in semifinal 4, held on 27 February. The song was written by Mikaela Stenström and Dimitri Stassos. Redzep competed for the chance to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest, but she failed, as she only placed 7th. The 2010 contest was held in Oslo, Norway on 29 May 2010.

Discography

Artist	Sibel Redzep
Studio	1
Music videos	2
Singles	2
Option	1
Option name	B-sides
Option color	crimson
1option name	Other Charted Songs
1option color	chartreuse
2option name	Collaborations
2option color	violet
3option name	Tours
3option color	orange
Ref link	Notes and references

Albums

Singles

Also contributes at

October 19, 2005 - My Own Idol - Idol 2005

References

External links

Official site

MySpace site

Fan site

Sibel Redzep from TV4

Sibel Acoustic Performances on YouTube

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Swedish people of Macedonian descent Category:Swedish people of Turkish descent Category:Macedonian people of Turkish descent Category:Swedish female singers Category:Swedish Idol participants Category:Idol (Sweden) 2005 Category:Melodifestivalen contestants

Name	Kirk Franklin
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kirk Dwayne Franklin
Born	January 26, 1970
Origin	Fort Worth, Texas,United States
Occupation	Songwriter, record producer, music director, singer, pianist, rapper
Genre	Christian hip hop, gospel
Years active	1992–present
Label	Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, Zomba, GospoCentric, Sparrow
Associated acts	The FamilyGod's Property 1NC
Url	www.kirkfranklin.us

Kirk Dwayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music singer and author, and is most notably known as the leader of urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew (1NC).

Early years

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Franklin was raised by his great aunt Gertrude, having been abandoned as a baby by his mother. Gertrude collected and resold aluminum cans to raise money for Kirk to take piano lessons from the age of 4. Kirk excelled in music, able to read and write music by ear.

He received his first contract offer at the age of seven, which his aunt turned down. Franklin returned to the church, where he began to direct the choir once again. He also co-founded a gospel group, The Humble Hearts, which recorded one of Franklin's compositions and got the attention of gospel music legend Milton Bigham. Impressed, Bigham enlisted him to lead the DFW Mass Choir in a recording of Franklin's song "Every Day with Jesus." This led to Bigham hiring Franklin, just 20 years old at the time, to lead the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, a major industry gathering.

The Nu Nation Project was released in 1998. The first single, an interpretation of the Bill Withers song "Lean on Me" and produced by Franklin and pop producer Dan Shea, controversially featured several mainstream artists, including R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige and Bono of U2. Together with Crystal Lewis, and the Family, "Lean On Me" and the second single "Revolution" (featuring Rodney Jerkins) were considerable hits, and the album contained a version of another Withers song "Gonna Be a Lovely Day". The Nu Nation Project went on to top the Billboard Contemporary Christian Albums chart for 23 weeks and the Billboard Gospel Albums chart for 49 weeks, and brought Franklin his third Grammy.

In, 2000, The Family filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit for royalties for their work on The Nu Nation Project against Franklin and GospoCentric Records. This saw the end of the "Kirk Franklin & The Family" records, as Kirk went on to become a solo artist, except for his CD Kirk Franklin presents 1NC, which he did in collaboration with 1NC, and was released that same year.

On January 16, 2010 at the 25th Annual Stellar Awards show taping, in Nashville, Tennessee, Kirk Franklin & The Family reunited briefly on stage to perform songs made popular by them in the 1990s.

Solo artist (2000–present)

In 2001, Franklin ventured into new territory, scoring and producing the soundtrack for the film Kingdom Come. The soundtrack featured gospel artists Mary Mary, Crystal Lewis, and 1NC, as well as secular artists Az Yet, Jill Scott, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men and others. A notable song from the soundtrack was "Thank You" (Kirk Franklin feat Mary Mary).

2002's The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin topped the Gospel Albums chart for 29 weeks, was #1 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum. The album featured collaborations with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Shirley Caesar, Tobymac, Crystal Lewis, Jaci Velasquez, Papa San, Alvin Slaughter, and Yolanda Adams. This was Kirk's first major release not to garner him a Grammy Award.

On October 4, 2005, Hero was released in the United States. The album was certified Gold on and Platinum on by the Recording Industry Association of America. It made #1 on both the Billboard Top Christian and Top Gospel albums. The first single, "Looking for You", was a hit, as was the follow-up "Imagine Me", which made it onto the R&B; Charts. In December 2006, Kirk Franklin won two 2007 Grammy Awards for Hero. Additionally, Hero was the 2007 Stellar Awards CD of the Year.

Kirk Franklin's 10th album, The Fight of My Life, was released in the United States on . The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #33 with 74,000 copies sold in the first week. It reached #1 on both the Billboard Top Gospel and Top Christian albums charts, and also peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first single, "Declaration (This is It)," was released on and peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. It is reported that Kirk is working on a new album, due in Spring 2011.

Personal life

On January 20, 1996, Franklin married long-time friend Tammy Collins. As a couple, they have two children: Kennedy, born in 1997, and Caziah, born in 2000. In 2006, Franklin appeared with his wife on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." During the show, entitled "Famous Gospel Singer Admits His Addiction to Porn," he admitted to struggling with a porn addiction for many years. Kirk stated in the interview that he sought help through Christian counseling and finally became free of the addiction. As of the interview, he had been walking in sexual integrity for over seven years.

Discography

Billboard chart history

Albums

Singles

Awards

References

Further reading

External links

Official website

Kirk Franklin Biography

Another Kirk Franklin's Biography

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:African American musicians Category:American Christians Category:Musicians from Texas Category:People from Fort Worth, Texas Category:Interscope Records artists Category:American gospel singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Performers of Christian hip hop music Category:GospoCentric artists

Name	Cody Simpson
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Cody Robert Simpson
Born	January 11, 1997Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Origin	Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Instrument	Vocals, guitar
Genre	Pop, R&B;
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2009–present
Label	AtlanticPoe Boy
Associated acts
Url	codysimpson.com

Cody Robert Simpson (born 11 January 1997) is an Australian pop/R&B; singer-songwriter from Gold Coast, Queensland, who is currently signed to U.S. record labels Atlantic Records and Poe Boy Music Group.

Early life

Simpson was born to parents Brad and Angie Simpson. He has two younger siblings, Tom and Alli. He is also a talented swimmer, winning two gold medals at the Queensland Swimming Championships. Simpson trains at the Miami Swimming Club under coach Ken Nixon. Simpson's mother Angie works as a volunteer at the club.

Simpson began to record songs in his bedroom during the summer of 2009 on YouTube, performing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz, "Cry Me a River" and "Señorita" by Justin Timberlake, "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5, and his own songs, "One" and "Perfect." He was subsequently discovered on YouTube by Shawn Campbell, a Grammy-nominated record producer who has produced for Jay-Z and other artists.

Music career

Simpson's rise to recognition was featured on The 7.30 Report in December 2009. He released his debut single, "iYiYi" (which features American rapper Flo Rida) on 15 May 2010. It was digitally released on 30 May 2010. The music video for "iYiYi" was released on 30 June 2010. The music video for Simpson's second single, "Summertime", was released on 20 September 2010.

Simpson moved to Los Angeles in June 2010 to record his songs with Atlantic Records and his producer Campbell. That same month, Simpson appeared on Sunrise. On 22 June 2010, it was announced that Simpson would participate in the Camplified 2010 Tour, along with other artists, touring across the United States. The tour began on 5 July 2010 and ended on 14 August 2010. It was also Simpson's first public tour. While on tour, Simpson performed a song called "Love So Strong." In an interview with Popstar Magazine, Simpson stated that his inspiration for the song was "A girl, back home. That's all I can say."

On 4 December 2010, it was announced on Simpson's official website that an EP entitled 4 U would be released through iTunes on 21 December 2010. The EP will include 5 tracks in total, 4 of them being previously un-released.

Touring

Simpson has been on tour recently promoting his new EP, making stops at various locations in the United States. Most notably, Cody participated in the "Camplified 2010" tour in June. Other tours include a middle school tour that took place from October-November 2010 and covered 9 U.S States.

Discography

Extended plays

4 U (2010)

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Category:1997 births Category:2010s singers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Australian child singers Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian pop singers Category:Australian rhythm and blues singers Category:Australian singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:People from the Gold Coast, Queensland

Name	Anthony Callea
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Anthony Cosmo Callea
Born	December 13, 1982
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musical theatre actor
Years active	2004–present
Label	Sony Music Australia
Url	Official Website
Partner	Tim Campbell

Anthony Callea (born 13 December 1982 in Melbourne) is an ARIA Award-winning Australian singer songwriter who rose to prominence in the 2004 season of Australian Idol when he became runner up. Anthony's debut single "The Prayer" was named the highest & fastest selling Australian Artist single of all time, and still holds the record as the fastest selling single of all time in Australia, and the second highest selling single of the last decade. Callea has accumulated a string of awards including an Aria Award, Channel V Artist of the Year, Pop Republic Artist of the Year, MTV Viewers' Choice Award, Variety's Young Entertainer of the Year, MO Award and a Gospel Music Award and is known for his powerful trained voice and his versatility in a range of genres in releases and live performances. All but one of the tracks on his second album A New Chapter were co-written by Callea, and his albums, singles and DVD have all achieved Top 20 status.

Biography

Early years

Callea, credited as Anthony De Fazio, appeared in an episode of Funky Squad, "The Wrong Side of the Tracks", in 1995.

Australian Idol

Callea began entering talent contests as a child and trained with the Johnny Young Talent School. He auditioned and was selected for the final 30 in the television series Australian Idol in 2004. Based on viewer votes, he did not make it through the first round of competition, but was invited back as a "Judge's Choice Wildcard", where his performance earned him a place in the final twelve.

Over the weeks of the competition, his popularity with the Australian public grew. During his run on the show, he gave several performances that earned him high praise from the judges, including his rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water", Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" and Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion's duet "The Prayer." Judge Ian 'Dicko' Dickson said Callea's performance of the latter was the finest he had seen during his two years with the show. The competition concluded in November 2004 with Callea finishing as runner-up to Casey Donovan. He cited Cosima De Vito as his favourite contestant of the first series of Australian Idol. Callea was the first idol contestant in the competition that had never been included in the bottom three for the contestants who had the lowest votes each week.

Australian Idol performances

Melbourne Auditions: "Wishes" by Human Nature

Top 30: "Angels" by Robbie Williams

Wildcard: "The Reason" by Hoobastank

Top 12: Australian Made - "Heaven Knows" by Rick Price

Top 11: Pop Night - "Ignition" by R. Kelly

Top 10: 60's Night - "Gimme Some Lovin'" - Spencer Davis Group

Top 9: Disco Night - "Car Wash" by Rose Royce

Top 8: Idol's Choice - "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion

Top 7: Beatles Night - "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles

Top 6: 80's Night - "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner

Top 5: R'n'B Night - "Back at One" by Brian McKnight

Top 4: Big Band Night - "Fever" and "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" by Nat King Cole

Top 3: 70's Night - "Hold the Line" by Toto and "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel

Top 2: "Listen with Your Heart" (Winner's Single) by Diane Warren, "Walking Away" by Craig David and "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera

Grand Final: "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion

Post-Idol Career

2005-2006: Anthony Callea

Callea was immediately signed to Sony/BMG Records, and his first single,"The Prayer" was released in December 2004. It debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number one, and remained there for five consecutive weeks. Within seven weeks, it was reported it had become the highest-selling Australian single at that time, as it was certified four times platinum, selling in excess of 280,000 copies. His next single, the double A-side "Rain / Bridge over Troubled Water" spent two weeks at number one. His self-titled album Anthony Callea (album) debuted at number one on the week of 4 April 2005, and remained at the top of the chart for three weeks. His third single "Hurts So Bad" debuted at number ten on the ARIA Charts, while the album's final single, "Per Sempre (For Always)" debuted at number five.

Callea's DVD Live in Concert was released on 7 November 2005. It debuted at #3 in the ARIA DVD Chart and awarded Platinum status.

2006-2007: A New Chapter

Callea released the single "Live for Love" on 4 November 2006, the first from his second album A New Chapter, the only song on the album which he did not co-write. Both the single and the album, released on 25 November 2006, debuted at number 9. The album contains a mix of genres characteristic to Callea, including power ballads and more up-tempo songs. Callea also contributed his version of the Brian McKnight song, "Home", to the compilation album , which was released in order to raise funds for BeyondBlue, an anti-depression organisation. The second single "Addicted to You" debuted at no. 19 when released in February 2007.

2010: Third Studio Album

ALL NEW Anthony Callea Album Coming In 2010 Currently recording in L.A.

Charity work

Callea has been involved with many charities. He was part of the Tsunami Relief Telethon and was invited to perform at the Red Cross Ball in the presence of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark. Callea has worked with The Starlight Foundation, the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital, The Mirabel Foundation and The Salvation Army. More recently, Callea was the ambassador for the 2007 Perth Telethon for the Royal Children's Hospital and in November 2007 was appointed the official ambassador for Vision Australia. For the second year Anthony has been appointed the official ambassador for 2009's Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight. This will be the sixth year in a row Callea has performed at this event and cites this as one of the highlights of the year.

Tours

Headlining tours

In July 2005, Callea embarked on an extensive east coast of Australia tour adding dates along the way during his Anthony Callea Tour 2005. Supporting Callea on tour was Tina Cousins. From July to September 2007, Callea embarked on his A New Chapter Tour with his four-piece band. Callea performed the songs in his album A New Chapter as well as some of his classic songs, playing eighteen shows across the country.

On 6 December 2008, Anthony Callea took a night off from his successful run in ‘Wicked’ and returns to the music stage for an exclusive Australian show at The Palms at Crown in Melbourne.

Musicians combined tours

At the Tattoo Spectacular 2007, Callea performed his songs with accompaniment by the massed bands and the Tattoo Choir. The event combined a cast and crew of almost 900 musicians, performers, dancers and singers.

Callea and several other leading Australian performers have been invited to perform with the Sydney Symphony at the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House. The performance has been described as a tribute to the greatest film songs ever written and is scheduled from the 7th to 10 May 2008.

Supporting tours

During the Australian leg of Diana Ross's I Love You 2006 tour, Callea performed as her support act. During the Australian leg of Westlife's Face To Face Tour, Callea performed as their support act, Westlife's Arena Tour in February 2007. On 26 March 2008, Celine Dion commenced the Australian leg of her Taking Chances world tour. Callea performed as the special guest support act.

Anthony Callea had been announced as the Special Guest of the Australian leg of Whitney Houston's Nothing but Love World Tour opening in Brisbane on 22 February 2010. The arena tour played in Brisbane, Hope Estate Hunter Valley, Sydney, Melbourne, and finishing in Adelaide.

Band

BV's; Susie Ahern

MD and keys; Mark Amato

Drums; Jason Heerah

Bass and BV's; Andrew de Silva, formerly from CDB

Television Work

It Takes Two series 2

In 2007, Callea was one of the professional voices on the Seven Network's weekly musical competition program, It Takes Two, in which celebrities from non-musical fields were teamed with professional singers to perform a duet each week. Callea was paired with radio DJ Jo Stanley and finished in second place, competing against Jolene Anderson and David Campbell at the finals.

Performances

Week One: The Veronicas - "4ever" (Pop)

Week Two: Chaka Khan - "I Say a Little Prayer" (Songs from the Movies)

Week Three: Kelly Clarkson - "Because of You" (Ballad)

Week Four: Blondie - "Call Me" (No. 1 Hits)

Week Five: Peaches & Herb - "Shake Your Groove Thing" (Disco)

Week Six: ABBA - "SOS" (70's & 80's)

Week Seven: Diana Ross - "You Are Everything" (Motown)

Week Eight: Judy Garland - "Get Happy" (Swing) & Joan Jett - "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Rock)

Week Nine: Anthony Callea - "The Prayer" (A song their mentor was famous for) & Chuck Berry - "Johnny B. Goode" (Rock & Roll)

Week Ten (Finale): Encore performances of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You", Judy Garland's "Get Happy", and a new performance of Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What a Feeling"

It Takes Two series 3

In 2008, Callea again performed as one of the professional voices on the Seven Network's weekly musical competition program, It Takes Two, in which celebrities from non-musical fields are teamed with professional singers to perform a duet each week. Callea's partner for season three was ironwoman Candice Falzon. The third series began airing on 12 February 2008. Callea and Falzon were eliminated in week seven, finishing in fifth place.

Performances

Week One: Mentors Group Performance: "Get Ready"

Week One: KT Tunstall - "Suddenly I See" (Pop)

Week Two: Thelma Houston - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (R&B;/Soul)

Week Three: Faith Hill - "This Kiss" (Country)

Week Four: Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston - "When You Believe" (Ballad)

Week Four: Mentors Group Performance: "Born to Hand Jive" from Grease

Week Five: Roxette - "The Look" (80's)

Week Six: CeCe Peniston - "Finally" (Disco)

Week Seven: The Veronicas - "Hook Me Up" (Rock)

Week Ten Grand Final: Cast Medley: Roxette - "The Look" (80's)

Week Ten Grand Final: Mentors Group Performance: Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. - "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)"

Ultimate School Musical:Fame

In January 2010 it was confirmed that Callea joined the cast of Foxtel's Ultimate School Musical: Fame filming the series alongside Ruby Rose and others in Melbourne.

Ultimate School Musical: Fame features school children attempting to put on a professional musical in just six weeks. Callea is the series' voice coach.

After an extensive audition process across high schools throughout Australia, the students of Essendon Keilor College in Melbourne won the much sought after opportunity to be cast in Ultimate School Musical – FAME, a 10-part series to premiere exclusively on FOX8 under the guidance of director Eddie Perfect,theatre producer John Frost, choreographer Kelley Abbey and singer Callea

Theatre/Musicals

Dead Man Walking

In September 2007, in his first musical production, Callea played a supporting role in Dead Man Walking, the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, an unconventional nun, who accompanies murderer Joe de Rocher to his death by execution. It explores the opposing desires for vengeance and forgiveness in this extreme situation, and the commitment required to love or to hate a fellow human being.

Rent

In November 2007, Callea played the lead role Mark Cohen, a filmmaker and video artist, and Roger's roommate, in the Perth production of the critically acclaimed American Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Rent. Based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème, the musical centers on a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Alphabet City in the last days of the Bohemian East Village, under the shadow of AIDS.

This was Callea's second musical production. He starred alongside his now-partner, Tim Campbell.

Wicked

On 12 February 2008, it was announced that Callea would originate the role of Boq in the Australian premiere production of the Broadway musical Wicked, which opened in July 2008 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne. Callea played his final performance 11 January 2009.

Personal life

On 27 March 2007, after speculation and tabloid rumours dating back to his Idol appearances, Callea publicly acknowledged that he was gay by issuing a statement confirming his sexuality and thanking his fans and his then-partner, Paul.

"Yes, I am gay," Callea said. "I have no issue with my sexuality now, but it's taken time to become confident with who I am and happy with who I am. I'm comfortable enough to come clean now. It's a weight off my shoulders".

On 30 March 2007, Michael Kirby, then a judge of the High Court of Australia, described Callea as an "admirable Australian" for coming out. Justice Kirby added, "In terms of influencing popular culture and understanding of the reality of human sexual diversity, I would trade ten judges for one popular singer."

Callea has also admitted to suffering from depression in his teenage years, saying, "I went through major depression. I hated myself. I had to see a psychologist. I wasn't talking to anybody. My parents didn't know what was wrong with me." Callea has since supported beyondblue, an Australian initiative against depression, by contributing his version of a Brian McKnight song, "Home", to a compilation album, by various Australian artists to raise funds and bring attention to the organisation and its cause.

In February 2008 he and actor/singer Tim Campbell confirmed that they were in a relationship.

Discography

Artist	Anthony Callea
Studio	2
Video	1
Music videos	7
Singles	7
Option	4
Option name	B-sides
Option color	crimson
1option	totally
1option name	Remix albums
1option color	chartreuse
2option name	Collaborations
2option color	violet
3option	3
3option name	Tours
3option color	orange
Ref link	Notes and references

The following is a complete discography of every album and single released by Australian pop music artist Anthony Callea.

Albums

Singles

Other

"I Wanna Know What Love Is" (studio recording Track 3 of Australian Idol: The Final 12 2004)

"Listen with Your Heart" (released as bonus CD to a limited number of debut albums)

"Wanna Be the One" (B-side to "Rain/Bridge Over Troubled Water" CDS)

"Don't Tell Me" (B-side to "Rain/Bridge Over Troubled Water" CDS)

"The Healing of a Heart" (Bambi 2 soundtrack)

"Meant for Love" (B-side to "Addicted to You")

"Try" (B-side to "Addicted to You")

"Whatever It Takes" (iTunes exclusive cover made by Edyta Gorniak)

"Home" (on compilation)

"The Christmas Song" (on The Spirit of Christmas 2005 compilation)

"Far from Over" (iTunes special)

Videography

DVD

Anthony Callea: Per Sempre (For Always) (DVD single)

Music videos

The Prayer

The Prayer (Live on Idol Top 8)

Rain

Bridge over Troubled Water (LIVE on Idol)

Hurts So Bad (LIVE)

Per Sempre (for Always)

Live for Love

Addicted to You

Awards

References

External links

Harbour Agency

Sony Bandit.fm Breathe profile

Daily News

Category:1982 births Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Australian Idol participants Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian pop singers Category:Idol series runners-up Category:Australian people of Italian descent Category:Australian singers of Italian descent Category:LGBT musicians from Australia Category:Living people Category:Singers from Melbourne Category:Sony BMG artists