Mariah Carey is back in music mode.
And while it may seem like she never left (after all, her legendary status is undeniable), her dalliances with reality TV and other questionable ventures had taken Mimi away from the mic in recent years.
However, in the March 2018 issue of V Magazine, the diva reveals that not only are things back on track, they’re charging ahead with purpose.
Embracing the “say it how I feel it” status she has earned, Carey waxes honest about her challenging year and getting her business together by signing with Roc Nation (and ousting controversial manager Stella Bulochnikov).
In news that’ll no doubt delight fans, she also revealed she’s hard at work on her new album – her first since 2014’s ‘Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse.’
Full story…
On New Music:
“I’m in the studio starting a new album of regular music…
Meaning it’s not a Christmas album [laughs]. I’m kind of restarting, and I’m working with Roc Nation now, so that’s great. I had a really incredible meeting—just a musical, good meeting of the minds—with Jay Brown, Jay-Z, and Tata [Tyran Smith], who’s an incredible person. We all just kind of threw some ideas around, so we’re starting from the musical place rather than, like, what’s the hook? It’s gotta be done that way.”
On Earlier Stages Of Recording:
“I’ve already been in the studio last year and the year before that, just playing around and doing some music, some other things. I don’t want to give away too many people that I’m working with, but there’s a different approach that I’m taking as an artist. I think it’s like a fresh start. A lot of people see that whole other image. They see this diva; they see hair, makeup, bod, clothes, whatever it is—and hand gestures [laughs]—and they’re like, oh. They don’t think songwriter. But I look at myself as a songwriter first, and then a singer. That’s what I love to do the most.”
On Signing With Roc Nation:
“Well, the first time I worked with Jay[-Z] was for the album Rainbow, on the song “Heartbreaker.” We were at Mr Chow’s in New York—this is before everybody in the world knew who he was. But we lovers of hip-hop knew who he was, and were very in awe of him, his talent, where he came from, his whole story and everything. So we talked that night and ended up collaborating. I did something for him once, and then we talked about him doing this for me, so that was the first time we worked together. We just have a history as friends and as collaborators, so it’s kind of a thing that’s already been established.
Now, I’ve been getting to know Jay Brown a lot better: I’ve always known who he was and really respected and admired him so much. The way he does business is just awe-inspiring, you know what I mean? Like, they’ve really done an incredible job together, he and Jay. And they’re both named Jay [laughs]. So we’ve been going back and forth with different writers, different ideas. When I say writers, I mean cowriters, because I am a writer.
On Getting Back To Music – As A Focus:
“[Before,] I was in a different place in terms of who I was working with for the business side of things, which is everything. The whole thing is business, really. I consider myself more of a musician first than a business person, I don’t necessarily think of things that way; it’s music first. That’s the most important thing for me.”
On Staying To Herself & Being Blah About Grammy Snubs:
“In the music business, if you care about the Grammys and submitting your stuff before a certain time frame, you want a single out in the summer, and then you want to have your record [out] before the Grammys [consideration] deadline, which has changed. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I mean, I have five Grammys. That’s cute. There’s people that have been doing this half the time that have twice as many [Grammys]. I won two Grammys the first year I started, but after that, [the Grammys] are like, “We don’t go with the people that are selling a lot of records and are popular; we’re gonna go the opposite way.” So I got screwed out of certain years. I wasn’t bitter about it. I was just like, okay, well, I guess I’m not standing here barefoot onstage singing and trying to go a certain way. I’m just me.”
On Being In A Better Place:
” I’ve gotten to a place where I could move onto the next thing and the next thing. I’ve had to overcome a lot over the past year and those are things that I don’t personally want to talk about, but we’re here now, so that’s good.”
Come through Mimi! We’re elated to hear that she’s back in the lab and working seriously on material with a well-equipped, music-focal team.
Is she about to stage another ‘Emancipation’? Watch this space!
Hopefully her album is everything!!
She had hits — on the last CD — You Don’t know what to do and Faded but she released BAD singles and didn’t promote and blamed the label. No Hunny if your Mariah Carey – you take hold of your career — FADED could have been a radio hit
lmao love her grammy shade. she basically said it don’t matter if you have a million grammys like certain fan bases like to brag about, cuz they basically give em to anybody nowadays lmaoooo
LMAO!! She is the empress of shade and I LOVE it. Legendary diva…legendary shade. Come through Ms. Carey…we’re all waiting with bated breath.
Kind of how you are.
Stop using my picture you psycho
Just pick a troll name and stick with it b I t c h. Are you Jasmine or JOHNVIDAL or S****** Blonde or Latina Chick?
Hey m***** what’s wrong didn’t you get enough bananas today at the Zoo?
Ha! You’re not going to bait me today. You’re not worth the effort. BYE!
I hope that’s a promise
There was a time when Whaleria was one of those ppl though. She’s an insecure mentally unstable mess and that edit job on the pics must’ve been hell. Put some damn clothes on already Miss Piggy. We, the young people, don’t care for your spoilt milk.
You young ppl don’t know what real music is or what it takes to be a true artist. Your opinion doesn’t matter cause it’s bias and comes from an ignorant mind. The fact you are commenting on this proves that ppl (haters and lovers) care about her music
MIMI CAME OFF SO REAL!!!! SHE STOPPED BEING SO EXTRA AND CAME OFF AS AN ARTIST AGAIN! LIKE A BRAND NEW ARTIST! THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER NEW TEAM!
I agree. The Oh Darlin bit is getting tired. Word on the street is she was in rehab for the alcohol problem, good for her if it’s true.
Screaming at her comment about she’s not standing here barefoot on stage. That comment is so real and true. The Grammys really only use to give awards to those kinda of artist. In a way they still only give the big awards to artist that fit their “criteria” and not necessarily the deserving act.
Bish if grammys have lost credibility that has been in the last years, not when mariah was at the top. It was understandable they didn´t give Mariah many because like she says they followed a criteria (mainly focused on talent too) and the othe rpeople winning were also monumental talents like Alanis and the likes. When they have gone to the pits it´s been now, when they have allowed basic people like Taylor Swift be there and even big. Including Rihanna for her features and the crazily many (not main) grammys Beyonce has. Someone far from being a musical genious. So I don´t agree, if anything they have CHANGED their criteria, by allowing mediocre people to win, just for popularity.
Mariah.. we’re all waiting for your comeback! This is going to be exciting. I am positive with the team you’re working with now. Hope to see you here again in Manila. ??❤?
Yes yes yes and her and Beyonce will go after each other’s throats ..bych you crazy if you think my husband’s going to sell your s***….
lmao please, mariah is a legendary icon, roach is just one of her follower lessors. there will be no throat to go after, mimi will just spray some raid on that bish if she steps out of line lmfaoooooo
Yesssssss!!!!! She sounds so focused right now, I love it! And those pics are awesome, she looks amazing!
She really looks awesome for a 50 years old bi-racial ladies.
Queen of music is coming hard,
Please guy let’s support and appreciate our living legend. Mariah is so misunderstood and under appreciated for her caliber.
Let’s give her our roses whilst she is here.
The true Emancipation of Mimi is coming y’all.
Get your coins ready and buy some glue to your wigs ??
I hope so.., she definitely has another couple solid eras in her if her team can control her image from a PR perspective. I know tweens consider her to be old but she’s actually at an age where she should have a lot more to say creatively.
Really enjoyed this interview in particular because MC came off real and very relatable. I have to admit she seems very focused right now which is a step in the right direction. Here is to great things ahead.
There will never be another emancipation of Mimi album … And at this point. I don’t want one. I do feel like this album is about to be DIFFERENT IN a EPIC way. I can’t wait either.. I think she got some fire coming. Yes, come through MC!
Yass Mimi! She looks the best she’s looked in years – every part the multimillion dollar record breaking music legend that she is.
I love how she seems focused on the music again!
Mariah Carey is one the Greatest Musicians of ALL TIME and she never fails to deliver on the music. In the latest stage of her career her music has declined to resonate for other reasons from poor business moves, bad single choices and marketing to her relatability and connection with her audience, inconsistency with Vocal Performances and Intentional Media Sabataging. I hope that she has another Emancipation of Mimi moment as she is truly deserving being that she is one of the GOAT when it comes to music. Roc Nation has a lot to prove.
This is definitely the type of good covers she needs and buzz and stuff she needs. Her talent for music. Also promising that she really thinks what she is cooking is kind of fresh (I don´t expect any big changes, really big ones. But something a little different is a pfucking yes, like what #beautiful was when it was released. People liked it and it was a fresh sound for her at the time).
She looks better in these pics than Madonna looked in her respective pics at that age imo. I´m saying this because both are going the oversexualized image around Mariah´s current age. But there´s nothing wrong with that. They just need to be sure they look good enough for that. I mean, some of Mariah´s photo shots from the last few years have not been the business.
This was overall in the right direction no doubt.
lmao well thats because madonna is a walking plastic surgery advertisement, thats why her pics always look horrible lmao.
With Mariah it’s not about her brand and legacy it’s the current quality of her music and voice. If her voice and tracks are mediocre it won’t sell. The Emancipation was pure fire but she’s tried that same formula needs to evolve her sound a bit, have solid live performances and reign in the over the top diva attitude that turns away casual listeners which make or break an album
i hate this cover. all the hair in her face and the V basically drown her out
“this is before everybody in the world knew who he was.” Did I read that right? The world didn’t know about Jay-Z until “Heartbreaker”? I don’t think that’s true, but I liked the song and still do.
The hiphop community knew of him, but he wasn’t a superstar in the rest of the country and especially worldwide. Mariah gave him his first number1 and his job as the president of Def jam. Their duet became a worldwide hit ?
YES! This sounds awesome!
FLOP
HAS-BEEN
TRIUMPHANT
I love how Mariah knows what ppl think and still doesn’t give a f*** about it. Her honesty and truthfulness to herself as a person is what harms her but she still remains honest. Queen