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Alicia

2008-02-08T02:42:00.017-08:00

Alicia Keys

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys performing live in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany in 2002
Background information
Birth name	Alicia J. Augello-Cook
Also known as	Lellow
Born	January 25, 1980 (1980-01-25) (age 28)^[1] or January 25, 1981 (1981-01-25) (age 27)^[2] Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Genre(s)	R&B, soul, neo soul, jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, record producer, actress, music video director, philanthropist, author
Instrument(s)	Singing, piano/keyboards
Years active	2001–present
Label(s)	Columbia, J
Influences	Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, Isaac Hayes, Prince, Sade, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, The Notorious B.I.G., D'Angelo, Maxwell, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill
Website	www.aliciakeys.com

Alicia Keys (born Alicia J. Augello-Cook on January 25, 1980^[1] or 1981^[2]) is an American R&B, soul, and neo soul singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, music video director, philanthropist, and author who has sold over forty-one million albums and singles worldwide as of 2007, and has won numerous awards, including nine Grammy Awards, eleven Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards.

Early life

Keys was born in the Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem, in New York City, New York, to Teresa "Terri" Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.^[3] Keys' mother is of Irish, Scottish,^[4] and Italian descent and her father is Jamaican.^[5]

Keys' parents separated during her early childhood, and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, also in Manhattan.^[6] In 1985, Keys and a group of other girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in an episode of The Cosby Show called "Slumber Party".^[7]^a[›] She began playing the piano when she was seven, learning classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, and her favorite, Chopin.^[8]

Keys graduated from the Professional Performing Arts School, a prestigious high school in Manhattan, as valedictorian at the age of sixteen. Although accepted to Columbia University, she decided to drop out and pursue her musical career. Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and his So So Def label, then distributed by Columbia Records. She co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 blockbuster, Men in Black. The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia Records ended quickly. Keys later met Clive Davis, who signed her to Arista Records, which has since disbanded. Following Davis to his newly-formed J Records label, she recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) respectively. Keys then released her debut album, Songs in A Minor.

Music career

Songs in A Minor (2001)

Selling over 235,000 copies in its first week (more than 50,000 of those on its first day), Songs in A Minor, released on June 5, 2001, went on to sell over ten million units worldwide,^[9] and established Keys' popularity both outside and inside the U.S., where she became the best-selling new artist of 2001 (as well as the best-selling R&B artist). The album's first single, "Fallin'", gained radio airplay on many different radio formats and spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Keys performed Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes televised benefit concert following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Another single from Songs in A Minor, "A Woman's Worth", made the top ten in the U.S. as well. Keys and the album won five Grammy Awards in 2002, including "Best New Artist" and "Song of the Year" for "Fallin'". Later, on October 22, 2002, Keys released Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor, a re-issue of Songs in A Minor, which includes eight remixes and seven unplugged versions of some of the songs off her debut album.

Fallin'

Critical reviews of the album were mostly positive.^[10] Keys' work had a sound similar to 1970s soul singers such as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder along with hip hop influences like those apparent in neo soul artists such as Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and D'Angelo.

By that time, Keys wrote, produced, played the piano, and sang background for Christina Aguilera's song "Impossible", from the latter's 2002 album Stripped.

The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)

Main article: The Diary of Alicia Keys

Keys followed up her debut with The Diary of Alicia Keys, released on December 2, 2003. The album was hailed by critics, and debuted at number one in the U.S., selling over 618,000 copies its first week of release, becoming the sixth biggest-selling album by a female artist and the second biggest-selling album by a female R&B artist. To date, it has sold nine million copies worldwide.^[11]

The singles "You Don't Know My Name" and "If I Ain't Got You" both reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and another single, "Diary", entered the top ten. The classical/hip hop-flavored "Karma" was less successful, peaking at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 but more successful on the Top 40 Mainstream peaking at number three. "If I Ain't Got You" became the first single by a female artist to remain on the sixty-three-year-old Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for more than one year, surpassing Mary J. Blige's "Your Child", which had remained on the chart for forty-nine weeks. Keys went on to become the best-selling female R&B artist of 2004.

YOU DON´T KNOW MY NAME

At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Keys won "Best R&B Video" for "If I Ain't Got You", and also led Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder in their version of Wonder's "Higher Ground". In 2005, Keys won her second consecutive award for "Best R&B Video", this time for the video for "Karma".

At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she performed the album's second single, "If I Ain't Got You", and then joined Jamie Foxx and Quincy Jones in a rendition of "Georgia on My Mind", the Hoagy Carmichael song made famous by Ray Charles in 1960. That evening, she won four Grammy Awards: "Best R&B Album" for The Diary of Alicia Keys, "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "If I Ain't Got You", "Best R&B Song" for "You Don't Know My Name", and "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "My Boo" with Usher. She was also nominated for "Album of the Year" for The Diary of Alicia Keys, "Song of the Year" for "If I Ain't Got You", "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "Diary" (featuring Tony! Toni! Toné!), and "Best R&B Song" for "My Boo".

Unplugged (2005)

Keys performed and taped her installment of the MTV Unplugged series on July 14, 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.^[12] During this live session, Keys added brand-new arrangements to her original songs such as "A Woman's Worth" and the funk-driven "Heartburn", and performed a few choice covers. Part of Keys' audience also included her guest performers; she collaborated with rappers Common and Mos Def on "Love It or Leave It Alone", reggae artist Damian Marley on "Welcome to Jamrock", and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine on a cover of The Rolling Stones' 1971 "Wild Horses".

A woman's worth

In addition to a cover of "Every Little Bit Hurts", previously performed by singers such as Aretha Franklin and Brenda Holloway, Keys also premiered two new original songs: "Stolen Moments", which she co-wrote with producer Lamont Green, and "Unbreakable", the album's lead single, which peaked at number four and number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Hot 100 respectively. It was more successful on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, where it stayed at number one for eleven weeks in late 2005.^[13] The session was released on CD and DVD on October 11, 2005. Known simply as Unplugged, the album peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with 196,000 units sold in its first week of release. So far the album has sold one million copies in the United States^[14] and two million copies worldwide.^[9] The debut of Keys' Unplugged was the highest debut for an MTV Unplugged album since Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York and the first Unplugged by a female artist to debut at number one. It was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2006: "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Unbreakable", "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance" for "If I Was Your Woman", "Best R&B Song" for "Unbreakable", and "Best R&B Album". It also won three NAACP Image Awards: "Outstanding Female Artist", "Outstanding Song" for "Unbreakable", and "Outstanding Music Video" for "Unbreakable".^[15]

As I Am (2007)

Since late 2006, Keys worked on her third studio album, As I Am—as confirmed in a red-carpet interview at the 2007 BET Awards on June 26^[16]—, released on November 13, 2007. Keys has talked to MTV about the album: "It's coming together incredibly. I am in love with this album. It's very fresh and new".^[17] Rolling Stone magazine reported in December 2005 that Keys and her long-term songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers would start working seriously on the album in the later half of 2006.^[18]

As I Am debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 742,000 copies, gaining Keys the second largest sales week of 2007 and the largest sales week for a female solo artist since Norah Jones' 2004 album Feels Like Home, and also set a record as Keys' largest sales week of her career. This managed to tie Keys with Britney Spears for the most consecutive number-one debuts on the Billboard 200 by a female artist (four). In addition, the album also debuted at number one on the United World Chart selling 876,000. Since then, As I Am has sold over one million copies in two weeks of its debut, selling 510,000 copies in the second week. The lead single "No One" debuted at number seventy-one on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since peaked at number one, becoming Keys' third number one on the chart, and was also her fifth number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The album's second single, "Like You'll Never See Me Again", was recently released.

No One

Keys sang the outro to John Mayer's song "Gravity" on his album Continuum and in a surprise appearance with him at his sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2007.^[19]

Keys has opened a new recording studio in Long Island, New York called The Oven Studios, which she co-owns with her production and songwriting partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers.^[20] The studio was designed by renowned studio architect John Storyk of WSDG, designer of Jimi Hendrix' Electric Lady Studios. Keys and Brothers are the co-founders of KrucialKeys Enterprises,^[18] a production and songwriting team who assisted Keys in creating her award-winning albums as well as create music for other artists.

Film and television career

During the early 2000s, Keys made small cameos in such television series as Charmed and American Dreams. In early October 2006, she played the voice of Mommy Martian in the "Mission to Mars" episode of the children's television series The Backyardigans, in which she sang the song "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here". Keys guest starred as herself in the "One Man Is an Island" episode of the drama series Cane, first aired on November 6, 2007.

Keys made her big-screen debut in early 2007 in the crime film Smokin' Aces, co-starring as an assassin named Georgia Sykes opposite Ben Affleck, Ray Liotta, Common, Andy Garcia, Taraji P. Henson, Jeremy Piven and Ryan Reynolds. Keys received much praise from her co-stars in the film; Reynolds said that Keys had "natural" acting ability as he was surprised she had not starred in films before.^[21]

Keys earned further praise for her second film outing, The Nanny Diaries—based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus—, released on August 24, 2007, in which she co-stars alongside Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans as Lynette, Johansson's character Annie's best friend. Brooklyn's Kingsborough Community College was used to film the college graduation scene for the film.^[22]

Keys and her long-term manager Jeff Robinson have signed a first-look film production deal to develop live-action and animated projects with Disney, Variety reports. Their first film, a remake of the 1958 comedy Bell, Book and Candle, will star Keys as a witch who casts a love spell to lure a rival's fiancé.^[23] Keys and Robinson have also formed a television production company called Big Pita.^[24] Their first project will be a CW Network TV series inspired by Keys' experiences as a biracial child growing up in New York, similar to the network's Everybody Hates Chris.^[5] Keys has been tapped to executively produce an upcoming TV drama. The title and airing date are presently unconfirmed.^[25] Keys and Robinson said they will develop live-action and animated projects at their company, Big Pita, Little Pita, with Keys participating as producer, thesp, banner spearheading soundtrack, and music supervision.

Keys has signed to star in a film adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's acclaimed 2003 bestseller The Secret Life of Bees alongside Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah, expected to be released in 2008 via Fox Searchlight. Gina Prince-Bythewood will direct the film, whose filming is to begin in January in North Carolina.^[26] ^[27] ^[28]

Keys will also play 1940s biracial piano child prodigy Philippa Schuyler in an upcoming film entitled Composition in Black and White.^[29] It is based on the 1995 biographical book of the same name by Kathryn Talalay and follows the story of Philippa Schuyler. "The challenge, in order to actually be able to play classical piano as a woman of mixed race, was by far more than I could ever imagine", Keys said. "That's what intrigued me about that role". The biopic will tell the difficult tale of Schuyler's controversial career, love-hate relationship with her mother, and the black community, her second career as a writer, and her eventual death in a helicopter accident. "Her story is very deep, even up to the point where the relationship between her and her mother gets very strained and she chooses to go to Europe and pass as a Spanish woman in order to be able to play, in order to be able to live a more normal life", Keys said, adding that she and Halle Berry hope to start shooting in early 2008. "As of right now, we're still in the first, second draft of the script", she said. "So a little bit of time—at least a year".

Philanthropy

The Keep a Child Alive logo

Besides being a musician, Keys is also a philanthropist. She is a spokeswoman for Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides life-saving AIDS medicines directly to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Africa. Keys and U2 lead singer Bono recorded a cover version of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's "Don't Give Up", in recognition of World AIDS Day 2006. Keys and Bono's version of the song was retitled "Don't Give Up (Africa)" to show the two musicians' support for helping to raise awareness of people living with HIV and AIDS and acknowledging the twenty-five million Africans (forty million people worldwide) living with the disease. Cingular Wireless announced the debut of an exclusive Music Tone ringtone available only through the Cingular Sounds music program. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the ringtone sales will go to Keep a Child Alive.

Keys has visited African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa^[30]^[31] to promote care for children affected by AIDS. Keys, the global ambassador and co-founder of Keep a Child Alive, jet in on a four-day working visit in Masaka, Uganda on April 10, 2006 to bolster the HIV/AIDS crusade and give a ray of hope to families and children devastated by the scourge.^[32] Keys visited sites funded by the organization "and brought footage home to the American public to encourage them to do more to help", according to a KACA statement. Throughout her visit, a film crew followed and documented the progress at both of these facilities for American news outlets.

Keys is also a spokewoman for Frum tha Ground Up, a charity devoted to inspiring, encouraging, and motivating American youths to achieve success on all levels. Keys also participated in other humanitarian efforts in 2005 by performing at several exclusive concerts and television shows. On July 2, Keys performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the worldwide Live 8 concerts. The mission of the concerts was to raise awareness of the on-going poverty in Africa and to pressure the G8 leaders to take action by doubling aid, canceling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa. In August 2005, Keys performed on ReAct Now: Music & Relief, a benefit program shown on music video channels to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The following month, Keys performed at Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast, another Hurricane Katrina benefit concert.

Keys is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

On July 7, 2007, Keys and Keith Urban performed The Rolling Stones' 1969 hit "Gimme Shelter" at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the American leg of the Live Earth concerts.

Keys participated at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert which took place at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2007, together with a variety of artists. The concert was broadcast to over one hundred countries.^[33]

Personal life

The press reported in 2005 that Keys was attempting to reconcile with her father.^[34] However, Keys denied this and said her words were misinterpreted.^[35]

Mentions in popular culture

Keys was referenced in Bob Dylan's song "Thunder on the Mountain", from his 2006 album Modern Times. The second verse of the song has the following lines:

I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee

Discography

Main article: Alicia Keys discography

Albums

Number-one singles

The following singles reached number one in the United States, the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the U.S. Pop 100, the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play, Canada, Europe and/or the United World Chart. For a full singles discography, see Alicia Keys discography.

Year	Single	Chart positions
Year	Single	U.S.	U.S. R&B	U.S. pop	U.S. dance	CAN	EUR	WOR
2001	"Fallin'"	1	1	—	—	24	2	2
2003	"You Don't Know My Name"	3	1	—	—	19	45	5
2004	"If I Ain't Got You"	4	1	—	—	—	52	17
	"Diary" (featuring Tony! Toni! Toné!)	8	2	—	1	—	—	39
	"My Boo" (with Usher)	1	1	—	—	1	6	4
2007	"No One"	1	1	1	—	2	1	1
2007	"Like You'll Never See Me Again"	12	1	51	—	—	—	—
Total number-one hits		3	6	1	1	1	1	1

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role
2007	Smokin' Aces	Georgia Sykes
2007	The Nanny Diaries	Lynette
2008	The Secret Life of Bees	June

Television

Year	Title	Role	Episode
1985	The Cosby Show	Maria	"Slumber Party" (episode 22, season 1)
2001	Charmed	P3 VIP Patron	"Size Matters" (episode 5, season 4)
2003	American Dreams	Fontella Bass	"Rescue Me" (episode 6, season 2)
2006	The Backyardigans	Mommy Martian (voice)	"Mission to Mars" (episode 1, season 2)
2007	Cane	Herself	"One Man Is an Island" (episode 7, season 1)

Books

Keys, Alicia (2001). Songs in A Minor. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0634037765.
Keys, Alicia (2004). The Diary of Alicia Keys. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 0634077643.
Keys, Alicia (2004). Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics. G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0425205606.
Keys, Alicia (2006). Unplugged. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 1423408225.
Keys, Alicia (2006). How Can I Keep from Singing?: Transforming the Lives of African Children and Families Affected by AIDS. Umbrage. ISBN 1884167608.

Tours

2001: American Tour
2001/2002: European Tour
2004: Asian/Australian Tour
2004: Verizon Ladies First Tour (with Beyoncé and Missy Elliott)
2004: European Tour
2005: The Diary Tour (U.S.)
2008: As I Am Tour (Europe and U.S.)

Awards

Main article: List of Alicia Keys awards

mariah

2008-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Mariah Carey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mariah Carey
Carey performing during the video shoot for "I Still Believe" in 1998
Background information
Birth name	Mariah Carey
Born	March 27, 1970 (1970-03-27) (age 37) Huntington, Long Island, New York, United States
Genre(s)	Pop, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active	1990–present
Label(s)	Columbia, Virgin, MonarC/Island, Island
Website	www.mariahcarey.com

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop and 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's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.^[1]

Carey took control over her image and music following her separation from Mottola in 1997, and introduced elements of hip hop into her album work. Her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia in 2001, and she was dropped by Virgin Records the following year following a highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception 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 forefront of pop music in 2005.

Carey was named the best-selling female pop artist of the millennium at the 2000 World Music Awards.^[2] She has recorded the most number-one singles—seventeen—for a female solo artist in the United States, where, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, she is the third best-selling female recording artist.^[3] In addition to her commercial accomplishments, Carey has earned five Grammy Awards, and is well-known for her vocal range, power, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register. However, some critics have said her efforts to showcase her vocal talents have been at the expense of communicating true emotion through song.^[4]^[5]

Life and music career

Childhood and youth

Carey was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She is the third and youngest child of Patricia Hickey, a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish descent, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer of Afro-Venezuelan descent.^[6] Carey's parents divorced when she was three years old.^[7] After the divorce, Carey had little contact with her father, while her mother worked several jobs to support the family. She spent much of her time at home alone, and turned to music as an outlet. She began singing at around the age of three, when her mother began to teach her after Carey imitated her mother practicing Verdi's opera Rigoletto in Italian.^[8]

She graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She was frequently absent due to her work as a demo singer for local recording studios; her classmates consequently gave her the nickname "Mirage".^[9] Her renown in the Long Island music scene gave her opportunities to work with musicians such as Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, with whom she co-wrote material for her demo tape. After moving to New York City, Carey worked part-time jobs to pay the rent and completed five hundred hours of beauty school.^[10] Eventually, she became a backup singer for Puerto Rican freestyle singer Brenda K. Starr.

In 1988, Carey met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party, where Starr gave him Carey's demo tape. Mottola played the tape when leaving 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 surrounding Carey's entrance into the industry.^[11]

1990–1992: Early commercial success

Carey co-wrote the tracks on her 1990 debut album Mariah Carey, and she has continued to co-write the majority 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 make the album more commercially viable.^[12] 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 was less successful in other countries. Critics rated the album highly, and Carey won Grammys for Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance—for her debut single, "Vision of Love".

Carey's 1992 MTV Unplugged concert showed her ability to produce her vocal style outside a studio setting. Audio sample of "Emotions"

Vision Of Love

Carey conceived Emotions, her second album, as a 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 critically nor commercially as successful; Rolling Stone described it as "more of the same, with less interesting material [...] pop-psych love songs played with airless, intimidating expertise".^[13] The title track "Emotions" made Carey the only recording act to have their first five singles reach number one on the U.S. Hot 100 chart, though the album's follow-up singles failed to match this feat. Carey had been lobbying 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".^[14] She began writing and producing for other artists, such as Penny Ford and Daryl Hall, in the coming year.

Emotions

Although Carey performed live occasionally, stage fright prevented her from embarking on a major tour.^{[citation needed]} Her first widely seen appearance was featured on the television show MTV Unplugged in 1992, and she remarked that she felt her performance that night proved her vocal abilities were not, as some had previously speculated, simulated with studio equipment.^[15] 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, whose debut album Carey later co-produced. 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 take her first steps toward growing up?".^[16]

1993–1996: Worldwide popularity

Carey and Tommy Mottola had become involved romantically during the making of her debut album, and in June 1993, they were married.

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds consulted on the album Music Box, which was released later that year and became Carey's most successful worldwide. It yielded her first UK Singles Chart number-one,^{[citation needed]} 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",^[17] but TIME magazine 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."^[18] 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 I can do about it. All I can do is make music I believe in."^[19] Most critics slighted the opening of her subsequent U.S. Music Box Tour.^[20]

Without You

In late 1994, after her duet with Luther Vandross on a cover of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's "Endless Love" became a hit, Carey released the holiday album Merry Christmas. It contained cover material and original compositions such as "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became Carey's biggest single in Japan^{[citation needed]} and, in subsequent years, emerged as one of her most perennially popular songs on U.S. radio.^[21] Critical reception of Merry Christmas was mixed, with All Music Guide calling it an "otherwise vanilla set [...] pretensions to high opera on 'O Holy Night' and a horrid danceclub take on 'Joy to the World'".^[22] It became the most successful Christmas album of all time.^[23]

ENDLESS LOVE

In 1995, Columbia released Carey's fifth 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."^[24] It 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,^{[citation needed]} "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Boyz II Men) spent a record-holding sixteen weeks at number one in the U.S.,^{[citation needed]} and "Always Be My Baby" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) was the most successful on U.S. radio in 1996, according to Billboard magazine.^{[citation needed]} Daydream generated career-best reviews for Carey,^[25] and publications such as The New York Times named it one of 1995's best albums; the Times wrote that its "best cuts bring pop candy-making to a new peak of textural refinement [...] Carey's songwriting has taken a leap forward, becoming more relaxed, sexier and less reliant on thudding clichés".^[26] The short but profitable Daydream World Tour augmented sales of the album, which received six Grammy Award nominations.

1997–2000: New image and independence

Carey in Holland in 1998.

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.^[27] They officially announced their separation in 1997, and their divorce became final 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, contributing to the debut albums of Allure and 7 Mile through her short-lived imprint Crave Records.

Carey's next album, Butterfly (1997), yielded the number-one single "Honey", the lyrics and music video for which presented a more overtly sexual image of her than had been previously seen.^[28] She stated that Butterfly marked the point that she attained full creative control over her music, which continued to move in a hip hop direction with material co-written and co-produced by rappers such as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Missy Elliott. However, she added: "I don't think 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 was going to be a rapper. Personally, this album is about doing whatever the hell I wanted to do."^[29] Reviews were generally positive: LAUNCHcast said Butterfly "pushes the envelope", a move its critic thought "may prove disconcerting to more conservative fans" but praised as "a welcome change".^[30] 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."^[31] The album was a commercial success—though 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.

Honey Live

Towards the turn of the millennium, Carey was developing the film project Glitter, and she wrote songs for the films Men in Black (1997), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).^{[citation needed]} 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.^[32] 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 of rewarding her fans.^[33] 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,^{[citation needed]} 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".^[34] Also that year, she appeared on the first televised VH1 Divas benefit concert program, though her alleged prima donna behavior had already led many to consider her a diva.^[35] By the following year, she had entered a relationship with singer Luis Miguel.

Rainbow, Carey's seventh studio album, was released in 1999 and comprised more R&B/hip hop-oriented songs, 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., and the success of the former made Carey the only act to have a number-one single in each year of the 1990s. A cover of Phil Collins's "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" went to number one in the UK after Carey re-recorded it with boy band Westlife. Media reception of Rainbow was generally enthusiastic, with the Sunday Herald saying the album "sees her impressively tottering between soul ballads and collaborations with R&B heavyweights like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Usher [...] It's a polished collection of pop-soul".^[36] VIBE magazine expressed similar sentiments, writing, "She pulls out all stops [...] Rainbow will garner even more adoration",^[37] but it became Carey's lowest selling album up to that point, and there was a recurring criticism that the tracks were too alike. When the double A-side "Crybaby" (featuring Snoop Dogg)/"Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" became her first single to peak outside the U.S. top twenty, Carey accused Sony of under promoting it: "The political situation in my professional career is not positive [...] I'm getting a lot of negative feedback from certain corporate people", she wrote on her official website.^[38]

Against All Odds

2001–2004: Personal and professional struggles

After receiving Billboard's Artist of the Decade Award and the World Music Award for Best-Selling Female Artist of the Millennium,^[2] Carey parted from Columbia and signed a contract with EMI's Virgin Records worth a reported US$80 million.^{[citation needed]} She often stated that Columbia had regarded her as a commodity, with her separation from Mottola exacerbating her relations with label executives. Just a few months later, in July 2001, it was widely reported that Carey had suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. She had left messages on her website complaining of being overworked,^[39] and her relationship with Luis Miguel was ending. 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 be doing interviews all day long, getting two hours of sleep a night, if that."^[40] During an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, Carey handed out popsicles to the audience and began what was later described as a "strip tease".^[41] By the month's end, she had checked into a hospital, and her publicist announced that Carey was taking a break from public appearances.^[42]

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",^[43] 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."^[44] The lead single, "Loverboy" (featuring Cameo), reached number two on the Hot 100 thanks to a price cut,^[42] but the album's follow-up singles failed to chart.

Columbia released the low-charting compilation album Greatest Hits shortly after the failure of Glitter, and in early 2002, Virgin bought out Carey's contract for $28 million,^{[citation needed]} creating further negative publicity. Carey later said her time at Virgin was "a complete and total stress-fest [...] I made a total snap decision which was based on money, and I never make decisions based on money. I learned a big lesson from that."^[45] Later that year, she signed a $20 million contract with Island Recordsand launched the record label MonarC. To add further to Carey's emotional burdens, her father, with whom she had little contact between childhood and that year, died of cancer.

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.^[40] Sales of Charmbracelet were moderate, and the quality of Carey's vocals came under severe criticism. The Boston Globe declared the album "the worst of her career, revealing a voice no longer capable of either gravity-defying gymnastics or soft coos",^[46] 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."^[47] 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 Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, or Carey herself in favor of younger singers such as Kelly Clarkson or Christina Aguilera, who had vocal styles very similar to Carey's.^[40]

"I Know What You Want", a 2003 Busta Rhymes single on which Carey guest starred, fared considerably better and reached the U.S. top five.Columbia later included it on the remix collection The Remixes, Carey's first album not to receive an RIAA sales certification. That year, she embarked on the Charmbracelet World Tour and was awarded the Chopard Diamond award for selling over 100 million albums worldwide.^[48] 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.

I Know What You Want

2005–present: Return to prominence

Carey performing on stage during The Adventures of Mimi Tour in 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., and The Guardian reviewer defined it as "cool, focused and urban [... some of] the first Mariah Carey tunes in years I wouldn't have to be paid to listen to again".^[50] The album earned Carey 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 (Carey's longest run at the top as a solo lead artist), and "Shake It Off" made Carey the only solo female artist to occupy the Hot 100's top two positions simultaneously.^[51] "Don't Forget About Us" became her seventeenth number-one in the U.S., tying her with Elvis Presley for the most number-ones by a solo act according to Billboard magazine's revised methodology (their statistician Joel Whitburn still credits Presley with an eighteenth).^[52] The Beatles had twenty number-ones. Carey's singles have, collectively, topped the charts for 77 weeks,^{[citation needed]} which places her ahead of The Beatles (59 weeks), and behind Presley, who topped the combined charts for 79 weeks. Carey has also had notable success on international charts, though not to the same degree as her native America. Thus far, she has had two number-one singles in Britain,^[53] two in Australia^{[citation needed]}, and six in Canada^{[citation needed]}. Carey's highest-charting single in Japan peaked at number-two.^[54]

we belong together

Carey began a concert tour in mid-2006, called The Adventures of Mimi Tour, which was the most successful tour of her career, although some dates had to be canceled.^[55] She appeared on the cover of the March 2007 edition of Playboy magazine on a non-nude photo session.^[56] In early 2007, she was featured with Bow Wow on the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony single "Lil' L.O.V.E.". Later in the year, Carey received a "recording star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,^[57] and she has been inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2007. In mid-2006, she had begun working on her eleventh studio album^[58], That Chick, which will be released April 1, 2008.^[59]

Acting career

Carey began to take professional acting lessons in 1997, and in the coming year, she was auditioning for film roles. She made her debut as an opera singer in the romantic comedy The Bachelor (1999), starring Chris O'Donnell and Renée Zellweger. CNN referred derisively to her casting as a talentless diva as "letter-perfect [...] the "can't act" part informs Carey's entire performance".^[60]

Carey's first starring role was in Glitter (2001), in which she played a struggling musician in the 1980s who breaks into the music industry after meeting a disc jockey (Max Beesley). Though Roger Ebert said "[Carey]'s acting ranges from dutiful flirtatiousness to intense sincerity",^[61] most critics panned it: Halliwell's Film Guide called it a "vapid star vehicle for a pop singer with no visible acting ability",^[62] and The Village Voice observed: "When [Carey] tries for an emotion—any emotion—she looks as if she's lost her car keys."^[63] Glitter was a box office failure, and Carey earned a Razzie Award for her role. She later said that the film "started out as a concept with substance, but it ended up being geared to 10-year-olds. It lost a lot of grit [...] I kind of got in over my head."^[40]

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",^[64] 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".^[65] 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.^[66]

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). Her television work has been limited to a January 2002 episode of Ally McBeal. In 2006, Carey joined the cast of the indie film Tennessee (2007), taking the role of a waitress who travels with her two brothers to find their long-lost father.^[67] JoBlo.com reported in June 2007 that Carey would join the cast of Adam Sandler's upcoming film You Don't Mess with the Zohan, playing herself.^[68]

Artistry

Carey has said that from childhood she was influenced by R&B and soul musicians such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Stevie Wonder.^{[citation needed]} Her music contains strong influences of gospel music, and her favorite gospel singers include The Clark Sisters, Shirley Caesar and Edwin Hawkins.^[69] When Carey incorporated hip hop into her sound, speculation arose that she was making an attempt to take advantage of the genre's popularity, but she told Newsweek, "People just don't understand. I grew up with this music".^[70] 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,^[11] with whom she collaborated on the single "The Roof (Back in Time)" (1998).

Carey's debut album received criticism for being too similar in style to the work of Whitney Houston,^{[citation needed]} and during her career, her vocal and musical style, along with her level of success, has been compared to Houston and Celine Dion. Carey and her peers, according to Garry Mulholland, are "the princesses of wails [...] virtuoso vocalists who blend chart-oriented pop with mature MOR torch song".^[71] 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".^[72] 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".^[72] Some have noted that unlike Houston and Dion, Carey co-writes her own songs, and the Guinness Rockopedia (1998) classified her as the "songbird supreme".^[73]

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.^[74]^[75]^[76]

Voice

Carey is said to be able to cover all the notes from the alto vocal range leading to those of a coloratura soprano,^[4]^[77] and her vocal trademark is her ability to sing in the whistle register.^[78] She has cited Minnie Riperton as the greatest influence on her singing technique^[79] and from a very early age, she attempted to emulate Riperton's high notes, to increasing degrees of success as her vocal range expanded. According to most sources, she has a five-octave vocal range, though some credit her with seven or eight octaves.^[72]^[80] In 2003, her voice was ranked first in MTV and Blender magazine's 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."^[81]

Carey's voice has come under considerable scrutiny from critics who believe that she does not communicate the message of her songs effectively. Rolling Stone magazine said in 1992, "Carey has a remarkable vocal gift, but to date, unfortunately, her singing has been far more impressive than expressive [...] at full speed her range is so superhuman that each excessive note erodes the believability of the lyric she is singing."^[5] The New York Daily News wrote that Carey's singing "is ultimately what does her in. For Carey, vocalizing is all about the performance, not the emotions that inspired it [...] Does having a great voice automatically make you a great singer? Hardly."^[4] Some interpreted Carey's decision to utilize what she described as "breathy" vocals in some of her late 1990s and early 2000s work as a sign that her voice was deteriorating, but she has maintained that it "has been here all along".^[82] An article in VIBE magazine indicated that Carey's singing style highlights weaknesses in other aspects of her music, "The impressiveness of her voice—as well as her tendency to oversing—make the blandness of her material all the more flagrant."^[11]

A review on the AllMusicGuide referred to her vocals on Daydream as "remarkably impassioned," which stood in notable contrast to comments that her vocal technique came at the expense of feeling or emotion.

Themes and musical style

Love is the subject of the majority of Carey's lyrics, although she has written about themes such as racism, death, world hunger, and spirituality.She has said that much of her work is partly autobiographical, but TIME magazine wrote: "If only Mariah Carey's music had the drama of her life. Her songs are often sugary and artificial—NutraSweet soul. But her life has passion and conflict."^[83] The Village Voice wrote in 2001 that, in that respect, Carey compared unfavorably with singers such as Mary J. Blige, saying "Carey's Strawberry Shortcake soul still provides the template with which teen-pop cuties draw curlicues around those centerless [Diane] Warren ballads [...] it's largely because of [Blige] that the new r&b demands a greater range of emotional expression, smarter poetry, more from-the-gut testifying, and less unnecessary notes than the squeaky-clean and just plain squeaky Mariah era. Nowadays it's the Christina Aguileras and Jessica Simpsons who awkwardly oversing, while the women with roof-raising lung power keep it in check when tune or lyric demands."^[84]

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.^{[citation needed]} Carey said that she cannot read sheet music^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} Some of her arrangements have been inspired by the work of musicians such as Stevie Wonder,^{[citation needed]} a soul pianist to whom Carey once referred as "the genius of the [twentieth] century",^[11] but she has said, "My voice is my instrument; it always has been."^[85]

Carey began commissioning remixes of her material early in her career and helped to spearhead the practice of recording entirely new vocals for remixes.^[86] Disc jockey David Morales has collaborated with Carey several times, starting with "Dreamlover" (1993), which popularized the tradition of remixing pop songs into house records, and which Slant magazine named one of the greatest dance songs of all time.^[87] 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:^[88] 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 pop/hip hop collaboration trend that has continued into the 2000s through artists such as Ashanti and Beyoncé.^[89]^[86] 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".^[11] She continues to consult on remixes by producers such as Morales, Jermaine Dupri, Junior Vasquez and DJ Clue, and guest performers contribute frequently to them. The popularity in U.S. nightclubs of the dance remixes, which often sound radically different from their album counterparts, has been known to eclipse the mainstream chart success of the original songs.

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",^[90] and she received a Congressional Horizon Award for her youth-related charity work.^[91] 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".^[92] 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.

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,^{[citation needed]} and Carey participated in the 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.^[93] She appeared at the America: A Tribute to Heroes nationally televised fundraiser in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 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,^[94] 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.

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.^[95]^[67] 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".^[96] She signed a licensing deal with the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, and in 2007, she release a fragrance, "M".^[97]^[98] According to Forbes, Carey was the sixth richest woman in entertainment as of January 2007, with an estimated net worth of US $225 million.^[99]

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.^[100]

Discography

Further information: Mariah Carey albums discography

Further information: Mariah Carey singles discography

Tours

Main article: List of Mariah Carey tours

1993: Music Box Tour
1996: Daydream World Tour
1998: Butterfly World Tour
2000: Rainbow World Tour
2003–2004: Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey
2006: The Adventures of Mimi Tour

Filmography

The Bachelor (1999)
Glitter (2001)
Ally McBeal (episode: "Playing with Matches", 2002)
WiseGirls (2002)
Death of a Dynasty (cameo, 2003)
State Property 2 (2005)
Tennessee (2008)
You Don't Mess with the Zohan (filming)

Whitney

2008-02-04T01:27:00.000-08:00

Whitney Houston

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston performing on December 1, 2007 at the Live & Loud Concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Background information
Birth name	Whitney Elizabeth Houston
Also known as	The Voice
Born	August 9, 1963 (1963-08-09) (age 44) Newark, New Jersey, United States
Genre(s)	Pop, R&B, dance-pop, gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, pianist, actress, film producer, model
Instrument(s)	Singing, piano
Voice type(s)	Coloratura soprano
Years active	1977–present
Label(s)	Arista
Website	www.whitneyhouston.com

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American pop and R&B singer, actress, film producer, record producer, songwriter, and former fashion model. Her crossover success opened doors for other African Americans, particularly women, to find success in pop music.^[1]^[2] She has frequently been referred to as "The Voice".^[3]^[4] She is known mainly for her powerful, gospel-influenced voice that is also appealing to the mainstream masses.

During the 1980s, Houston was one the first black artists to receive regular rotation on MTV in the network's early years during a white male rock dominated time.^[5]^[6] Her debut album became the biggest selling debut album of all time for a solo artist (a record that has since been broken), her follow up album became the first album by a female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, and she had a record seven consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Houston continued her success into Hollywood in the 1990s, starting with the box office hit The Bodyguard. The soundtrack would become the best selling soundtrack of all time, and the single "I Will Always Love You" the best selling single by a female artist.^[7] She continued the decade with other successful and culturally significant projects before returning to the studio. Houston is the fourth best-selling female recording artist according to the Recording Industry Association of America^[8] and is the winner of six Grammy Awards and 2 Emmy Awards.

I Will Always Love You

After Houston married former R&B singer Bobby Brown at the height of her career, rumors of drug and spousal abuse started to affect her career. This led to a decline in her public image and her album sales dropped during the 2000s. Her personal troubles and erratic behavior would be talked about more than any of her music, regularly appearing in the tabloid press. Houston underwent two drug rehab programs in 2005 and 2006. After a successful second program in 2006, Houston divorced Brown and gained custody of their only daughter. She has since been working on her 7th studio album with music mogul and close friend and mentor Clive Davis.^[9]

Early life

Whitney Houston was born in a rough neighborhood in the projects of Newark, New Jersey. She is the third and youngest child of John and gospel singer Cissy Houston.^[10] Her mother, along with cousin Dionne Warwick and Godmother Aretha Franklin are all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, and soul genres. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle class area in East Orange, New Jersey when she was four.^[10] While her mother was away touring with Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin as a backup singer, her father would spend most of the time raising the children. Houston did not have many friends and she was picked on because her face was too light or her hair was too long compared to the other black girls.^{[citation needed]} At the age of eleven, Houston began to follow in her mothers footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." When Houston was a teenager, her parents divorced and she continued to live with her mother. She attended a Roman Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she describes as the "sister she never had." Crawford would later become Houston's personal assistant and the two of them would eventually be constantly subjected to lesbian rumors.^{[citation needed]} While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing.^[1] In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Elvis Presley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of which would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.^[11]

Music career

Early career: 1977–1984

Houston spent much of her teenage years touring night clubs with her mother. In 1977, at fourteen years of age, Houston was featured as the lead singer on the Michael Zager Band’s single “Life’s a Party.” Zager subsequently offered to help obtain a recording contract for the young singer, but Cissy declined, wanting her daughter to finish school first. Then in 1979, at age sixteen, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan’s hit single "I'm Every Woman", a song she would later turn into a bigger hit in 1992. In the early 1980s, Houston worked as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in Vogue Magazine^[12] and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of Seventeen magazine^[13] She also appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink commercial. While modeling and touring nightclubs with her mother, she continued her recording career, working with producers Michael Bienhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad “Memories”, which Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard".^[14]

Houston had previously been offered several recording contracts (Michael Zager in 1980 and Elektra Records in 1981). In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City night club and was impressed. He convinced Clive Davis, Arista's label head, to take time to see Houston perform at the nightclub. Davis too was impressed after the performance and offered her a worldwide recording contract, which Houston signed. Later in the year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on the The Merv Griffin Show.

Houston signed with Arista in 1983 but did not began work on her album immediately. Arista put forth the deal to make sure no other label signed the singer from under them. At first, Davis had a hard time finding material for Houston to record. Many major producers passed on her.^[15] Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled “Hold Me,” which appeared on his album, Love Language. The single became a Top 5 R&B hit, and would also appear on her debut album.

Debut: 1985–1986

With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson and Narada Michael Walden, Houston's self-titled 1985 debut album was released in February 1985 and initially sold modestly while failing to make in impact after the lead single, the dance-funk "Someone For Me" failed to chart in both the US and UK. The plan was to first appeal to a black audience, hence the release of the next single, the soulful ballad “You Give Good Love,” which peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 while going #1 on the R&B Charts.^[15] As a result, the album began selling and climbing the charts. With success on the R&B Charts, Davis wanted Houston to crossover to a broader audience. She began performing on popular night shows that usually weren't open to many black acts.^[5] The follow-up singles, the romantic “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know,” which would introduce her to the MTV audience, and “Greatest Love of All” all peaked at number one on the pop singles chart and would help establish a crossover base. By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 14 consecutive weeks.^[16] It became an international success, selling over thirteen million copies in the United States alone —making it the best-selling debut album of all time by a female artist. To date, the album has sold approximately 25 million copies worldwide.^[17] The album received mainly positive reviews. Many praised the new voice with Rolling Stone calling her "one of the most exciting new voices in years".^[18] The same year, Houston launched her first headlining tour called The Greatest Love Tour. The 89 day tour was the sixth highest grossing tour of the year with $20.1 million.^[19] Because of her duet "Hold Me" in 1984, Houston was ineligible for 'Best New Artist' at the 1986 Grammys.^[20] However, she did win her first Grammy award for ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female’ for “Saving All My Love for You”. At the same award show, Houston performed her Grammy-winning hit; the performance won Houston her first and only Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Houston also won two American Music Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. Houston's debut is currently listed as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time^[21] and on The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Definitive 200 list.^[22] Whitney Houston's grand entrance into the music industry was listed as one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years according to USA Today.^[23]

Saving All My Love for You

Continued success: 1987–1991

Houston’s second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987. Following the same formula as her debut, the album featured productions from Masser, Kashif and Walden again, as well as Jellybean Benitez. It became the first album in history by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 in the US and the UK album chart, as well as topping the charts in several countries around the world. The album's first four singles, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn't We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” all peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100—which brought her a total of seven consecutive Hot 100 number-one hits; breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. The album's fifth, and final single, “Love Will Save the Day” also peaked in the Top 10 on the Hot 100. However, unlike her previous album, neither song topped the R&B Charts. Whitney was certified nine times platinum in America, and has sold approximately 20 million worldwide. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album and also felt that Houston was holding back her gospel roots for mainstream pop music.^[5] Rolling Stone said, "the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating."^[24]

Houston won her second Grammy in 1988, for ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’ (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) and embarked on the worldwide The Moment of Truth tour. In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, “One Moment in Time,” which peaked at number five in the U.S., while reaching number one in the UK and Germany.

With the success of her first two albums, Houston was a crossover superstar. However, many black critics complained that her music was "too White" and that she was selling out.^[5] Some noted that her singing on record lacked the soul that was present in her concerts.^[25] At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston's name was called out for a nomination, the audience booed her.^[26] Houston spoke of the criticism and said "If you're gonna have a long career, there's a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I'm not ashamed of it."^[27] However, the pop singer decided to take a more urban direction in her music. I'm Your Baby Tonight, Houston’s third studio album, was released in November 1990 and featured productions from Babyface and Antonio Reid, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. For the album, Houston was given more control; she was co-executive producer along with Clive Davis. The two would work together for the rest of Houston's albums in the 90s. The album showed Houston's versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified four times platinum in the US, selling ten million worldwide. The first two singles, the new jack swing “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and the soul ballad “All The Man That I Need” each hit number one on both the pop and R&B singles charts respectively. The third and fourth singles: “Miracle,” and “My Name Is Not Susan” peaked at numbers nine and twenty, respectively —the fifth single, "I Belong to You", peaked in the Top 10 on the R&B charts, while yet another single, the duet with Stevie Wonder entitled, "We Didn't Know", made the R&B Top 20. Though sales of the album were down drastically compared to her previous efforts, the album was well received by critics. Rolling Stone felt it was her "best and most integrated album".^[28]

Houston performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. Her recording of the song was released as a commercial single, reaching the top twenty on the U.S. Hot 100, and making her the only artist to turn the national anthem into a chart hit. (Ten years later, the song was re-released after the September 11, 2001 attacks, this time peaking becoming a Top 10 hit.) Houston donated her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross. This legendary performance of the national anthem was named number one in the NFL’s 2003 list of Top 25 greatest moments in NFL history.^{[citation needed]} VH1 also listed it as the 12th greatest moment that rocked TV.^[29]

In 1991, Houston embarked I’m Your Baby Tonight World Tour, which Rolling Stone poll voters voted “Worst Tour of the Year.”^[30] The tour didn't sell out as much as her previous tours. She then performed for the Welcome Home Heroes Concert in Norfolk Virginia for the returning soldiers from the Gulf War. The concert was televised on HBO and subsequently released as a home video. All proceeds went to charity.^[31]

Hollywood success: 1992–1998

In November 1992, Houston made her big screen debut, opposite Kevin Costner, in The Bodyguard, which became a huge success at the box office thanks in large part the accompanying soundtrack. Houston performed six songs on the films adjoining soundtrack album, which featured productions from David Foster and Babyface. The album was certified 17x platinum in the United States^[32] (with worldwide sales of 42 million,^[33] according to Whitney's official site) and went onto become the best-selling soundtrack album ever. Houston’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks and topping the charts in nearly every other country including the big markets of the UK, Germany, France and Australia. The song has sold approximately 10 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling single by a female solo artist. Follow-up singles “I'm Every Woman” and “I Have Nothing” also peaked in the top five. The album won Album of the Year and Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Following the success of the film, Houston embarked on another expansive worldwide tour in 1993, which concluded in 1994 with a HBO televised "Concert For A New South Africa" making Houston the first artist to perform in the newly apartheid-free country. With total capacities of over 200,000 and a home video subsequently released, all proceeds went to charity.^[34] During this time, she also recorded “Something in Common,” a duet with new husband Bobby Brown.

In December 1995, Houston co-produced, with Babyface, the critically acclaimed cultural phenomenon Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album. Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she "wanted [it] to be an album of women with vocal distinction" to go along with the film's strong women message.^[35] As a result, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists including Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Brandy, and Mary J Blige. Houston herself contributed three songs including the smash “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”. After debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song spent a record 11 weeks at the #2 spot. Houston also contributed two other songs: the top 10 hit “Count on Me”, a duet with friend Cece Winans and the top 30 hit, “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”. The album debutted at #1 and has sincebeen certified seven times platinum in America, and has sold thirteen million worldwide,^[33] according to her official site. The soundtrack received strong reviews. Entertainment Weekly said "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks....the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"^[36] and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.^[37] Newsday called it "the most significant R&B record of the decade."^[38]

In late 1996, Houston recorded, and co-produced with Mervyn Warren, the gospel The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album, six of the songs were recorded with the Georgia Mass Choir at Greater Rising Star Church in Atlanta. Unlike Houston's previous soundtracks, The Preacher's Wife featured Houston on 14 of the 15 tracks including a collaboration with gospel legend Shirley Caesar. The soundtrack sold six million copies worldwide and scored pop hits with “I Believe in You and Me” and “Step by Step”, becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, like USA Today, noted the presence of an emotional depth not always heard in her previous recordings.^[39] The UK Times said "To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass choir struggling to keep up is to realise, at last, what her phenomenal voice was made for."^[40]

In 1997, Houston performed the 3 night HBO televised "Classic Whitney" concert in Washington DC. The concert saw Houston perform her hits as well as covering classics by idols Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Billie Holliday and Diana Ross.^[41] Later that year, Houston starred in the remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella with fellow singer Brandy. Though no soundtrack was made, Houston sang "Impossible" with Brandy, and "There Is Music In You".

Back to the studio: 1998–2001

After spending much of the early and mid 1990s working on films, with their adjacent soundtrack albums as an outlet for new music, Houston's fourth studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed My Love Is Your Love was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions produced enough new material for a full-length studio album. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album had a more funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, reggae, mid-tempo R&B, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity. The album's first single, the Academy Award-winning "When You Believe" (a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998s The Prince of Egypt soundtrack) didn't do as well as expected and only reached the Top 20 in the U.S. As a result, the album debuted at #13.^[42] However, the next three singles, Heartbreak Hotel, which featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price; “It's Not Right but It's Okay”, which won Houston her sixth Grammy Award, and “My Love Is Your Love” all reached the US Top 5 and became international hits. The album's fifth single, "I Learned from the Best," peaked inside the US top forty, at number twenty-seven. All singles, except "When You Believe", also became number one hits on the U.S. Dance/Clubplay Chart. The album went on to be certified four times platinum in the U.S., with worldwide sales of ten million. The album gave Houston her strongest reviews ever. Rolling Stone said Houston was singing "with a bite in her voice that she's never come close to before"^[43] and the Village Voice called it "Whitney's sharpest and most satisfying so far".^[44] In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1’s Divas’ Live ‘99, alongside Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her worldwide 70 date My Love Is Your Love tour.

Whitney Houston accepts the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

In April 2000, Whitney: The Greatest Hits was released. The double disc set peaked at number five on the Billboard Top 200, and reached number one on the UK chart. While the ballads were left unchanged, the album is notable for featuring house/club remixes of many of Houston’s past up-tempo songs, in place of their original version. Also included on the album were four new songs: “Could I Have This Kiss Forever” (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), “Same Script, Different Cast” (a duet with Deborah Cox), “If I Told You That” (a duet with George Michael), and “Fine”, all of which failed to crack the Billboard Top 40. Along with the album, an accompanying DVD was also released of the music videos to Houston’s greatest hits. The greatest hits album was certified triple platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of ten million. The same year, Houston performed on the televised special commemorating Arista Records twenty-fifth anniversary. Houston was then the first ever reciepient of the BET Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution towards black music. In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract (worth $100 million) to deliver six new albums on which she would also earn royalties. Within weeks Houston's rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" would be re-released after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The single peaked at #6 on the singles chart.^[45] Houston would donate her portion of the proceeds.

Commercial decline: 2002–2005

In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney. The album featured productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott, and Babyface, while marking the first time Houston did not work with Clive Davis. The album received poor reviews upon its release.^[46] Rolling Stone said the album "only shows an artist vainly trying to reach for what her future once could have been."^[47] The album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the highest opening week sales of any album she had ever released, but all of the singles, “Whatchulookinat,” “One of Those Days,” and “Try It on My Own” failed to reach the top forty on the Hot 100 singles chart and the album quickly fell of the Billboard Top 200 due to a disastrous Prime Time interview with Diane Sawyer to promote the album. Just Whitney would be certified platinum in the U.S. with cumulative worldwide sales of over three million, Houston's lowest sales of any studio album. According to Fox News the album was "leaked in its entirety sometime over the weekend to lots of Web sites and downloading services. It is able be burned onto CDs, distributed for free and will likely turn up on street corners before the end of this week" "Interestingly, at the same time, Santana's new album, Shaman, which Arista will release on Tuesday, also seems to be all over the Internet. (Maybe Arista has a problem somewhere in its company with disgruntled employees.)"

In late 2003, Houston released One Wish: The Holiday Album, a specialty album of traditional Christmas songs. The single "One Wish" reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary Chart as the album sold approximately 400,000 copies in the U.S. It eventually became Houston's lowest selling album and the first not to achieve gold status in the US.

In 2004, Houston embarked on an international tour, the Soul Divas tour with Natalie Cole and cousin Dionne Warwick in Europe, before embarking on solo dates in the Middle East, Russia, and Asia. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards, in tribute to long time friend Clive Davis. Houston received a thunderous standing ovation for her performance. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into studio to work on a new album.^[48] However, no further updates would surface and no album was released due to Houston's drug problems.

New beginnings: 2006–present

After a successful rehabilitation period in 2006, Houston began recuperating her career in the public eye by attending the Carousel of Hope Ball in October 2006 and Clive Davis's Pre-Grammy Party in February 2007. Houston recorded the song "Family First" with Dionne Warwick and Cissy Houston for the soundtrack Daddy's Little Girls. Houston also divorced Bobby Brown and gained full parental custody of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina. In July 2007 it was reported that Houston performed her classic duet 'Count On Me' with CeCe Winans at one of Winans' gigs.^{[citation needed]} Houston also made a guest appearance at Swarovski's Fashion Rocks in London. Houston's comeback album release date and title are yet to be determined. Reported producers include will.i.am,^[49] Ne-Yo,^[50] R.Kelly,^[51] and John Legend^[52] among others.^[53] Houston is currently still working on her new album.

On October 29th 2007, Arista released The Ultimate Collection which included, for the first time, all of Houston's hit singles on one CD. It debuted at #5 in the UK, with sales of 37,228. It climbed to #3 in its second week on the chart. On November 5th 2007 this compilation was also released in France with bonus DVD of Houston's music videos including a previously unreleased video of the song "When You Believe" (duet with Mariah Carey).

Houston performed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 1st, accompanied by positive reception.^[54]^[55]^[56] At this concert she performed many of her previous hits including "I Will Always Love You", "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" and "My Love Is Your Love" for a crowd of 10,000 people. Many critics have praised the performance and indicated that Houston's voice is recovering well after her previous drug use. In Jet Magazine, it was announced that Houston's album is due out in April.^{[citation needed]}

It is rumored that Houston will perform at the upcoming Grammy Awards with Alicia Keys, although there are rumours circulating that Whitney is not that keen in sharing the stage with the piano songstress.^[57]

Film and television career

During the early-mid 1980s, as Houston was trying to launch a music career, she auditioned for acting roles; including the part of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which eventually went to Sabrina Le Beauf. In 1984, Houston appeared on an episode of Gimme a Break, and an episode of Silver Spoons in 1985.

With the huge success of her first two albums, movie offers came from Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee, though she felt the time wasn't right.^[58] Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston plays Rachel Marron,a star who is stalked by a crazed fan that hires a bodyguard to protect her. The film was successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide thanks in large part to the success of Houston's soundtrack to the film. It is currently among the top 100 highest grossing films worldwide^[59] and USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years.^[60] The movie is also notable for not mentioning or explaining its interracial aspect. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.^[61] Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's ads intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial aspect. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is—I'm black. You can't hide that fact."^[11] Despite the film's success, the reviews were mixed, and Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking"^[62] and The New York Times said she lacked passion with her co-star.^[63]

In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in the film Waiting to Exhale, about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston plays the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer who moves to Phoenix to find a new man, but ends up in love with a married man. It marked Houston's first time portraying a character who isn't a singer. The movie and its soundtrack struck a chord with African American women and is considered a cultural classic. After opening at #1 and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $82 million worldwide, it proved that a movie targeting black audiences can cross over to a white audience and make money, while paving the way for other all black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that have become popular in the 2000's.^[64]^[65]^[66] The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as oppose to their usual stereotypes.^[67] The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. The New York Times said "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in "The Bodyguard" seem so distant."^[68] Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture, but lost to her co-star Basset.

In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a Reverand. Despite the success of Waiting To Exhale, the movie's star power, and Disney's high budget, many predicted the movie would not be a success due to its all black cast.^[69] The movie was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the US box offices.^[70] Still, the movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and that she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice."^[71]

In 1997, Houston co-produced and starred in (along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters) a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein‘s Cinderella. Houston played the Fairy Godmother. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened and CBS lost interest.^[72] The film featured a multiracial cast and Houston said the ultimate message was that "African-American girls and women are princesses just as much as White girls and those of other ethnicities, and that they too can fulfill their dreams."^[73] An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.^[74]

In 2005, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program Being Bobby Brown, which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown's vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show. The series featured Houston at her most lowest moments and many wondered why she took part in it.^[75] Slant Magazine said "it's just an excuse to get [Whitney] on camera while she's ripped out of her mind."^[76] Hollywood Reporter said it was "undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television"^[77] and The Washington Post said "Their lives seem sad much of the time, yet never rise to the status of tragedy."^[78] Despite the train wreck nature of the show, the series gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot.^[79] The show was canceled after the first season due to low demand after Houston divorced Brown.^[80]

Of late, Houston has served as an executive producer of many successful Hollywood films including the Disney films The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and the Disney made-for-television films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2: When in Spain.

Personal life

Marriage to Bobby Brown

Throughout the 80s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randy Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated.^[81] She was also romantically linked to her long-time friend and female assistant Robyn Crawford, but continuously denied the lesbian rumors.^[11] Houston then met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. Many were surprised at the pairing and felt that the New Edition singer would be a bad influence on Houston. Brown had numerous run-ins with the law and already had 3 kids with different women while Houston was considered a good church girl.^[11] Many felt that the marriage was an attempt for Houston to get street credibility after being under fire from black critics.^[82] Despite their differences in image, Houston gave birth to their child, daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown on March 4, 1993 after a miscarriage the year before.^[83] Throughout the 90s Brown continued to get in trouble with the law including sexual harassment, drunk driving, assault charges and even jail time^[84] while Houston suffered another miscarriage in 1996.^[85] In the 2000s, Brown continued to find trouble while the drug rumors began for Houston. In December 2003 Brown was arrested and charged with battery after an altercation with Houston after it was reported that he hit her.^[86]

With a history of infidelity, scandals, drug and alcohol arrests, and marital problems, Houston finally filed for separation from Brown in September 2006 following trips to rehab. The following month, on October 16, 2006, Houston filed for divorce from Brown.^[87] On February 1, 2007 Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce.^[88] The divorce became finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple's daughter.

On April 26, 2007, Brown filed court papers with the Orange County Superior Court to set aside the divorce judgement that ended his marriage to Houston. In the filing, he claims the marriage was ended under false pretenses and sought child support, possible spousal support, and a change in the judgement that gave full custody of their daughter to Houston. The papers also claim that Brown was essentially homeless at one point and severely depressed during that time. A court hearing was set for June 2007.^[89] At the court hearing on January 4th, 2008, Brown failed to show up at the scheduled court date. As a result of this, the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule Houston's custody terms, leaving Houston will full custody and Brown with no custody or spousal support.^[90] Brown also was fired by his lawyers after a "breakdown of communication", leaving him without an attorney.

Drug and health issues

Houston's appearance at The Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Show in 2001 further spurred rumors of drug and health problems.

Though Houston was seen as a good girl with a perfect image in the 80s and early '90s, during the late '90s many noted a change in her behavior. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots, rehearsals. and canceled concerts and talk-show appearances.^[91]^[92] With the missed performances and weight loss people began to wonder if something was wrong while rumors began that there was drug use with her husband. On January 11, 2000, airport security discovered marijuana in the luggage of both Houston’s and husband Bobby Brown’s luggage at a Hawaiian airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against her and Brown as she later pleaded no contest to a possession charge and was ordered to pay £2,100 to a youth-orientated anti-drug program in place of community service,^[93] but rumors of drug usage among the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston was scheduled to perform and honor the man that helped launch her career, but she canceled ten minutes before the show.^[94] Shortly after, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and long time friend Burt Bacharach. Though her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation, many speculated it was drugs. In Steve Pond's book "The Big Show: High Times And Dirty Dealings Backstage At The Academy Awards," it was revealed that "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant" and that while Houston was to sing "Over The Rainbow," she would start singing a different song.^[95] Houston herself would later admit to being fired.^[96] In an interview with Jane Magazine, Houston reportedly arrived late, seemed unfocused, had trouble keeping her eyes open, and played an imaginary piano.^[97] Later that year, Houston's long time executive assistant and best friend Robyn Crawford resigned from Houston's management company.^[98]

The next year, Houston made an appearance at Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. Her shockingly thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use, anorexia, and bulimia. Her publicist said "Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat."^[99] The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled without explanation.^[100] Shortly after, shocking rumors began that the troubled singer had died of a drug overdose. The rumor was quickly denied by Houston's camp.^[101]

In late 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer. During the prime time special, the defiant and erratic Houston spoke on various topics including her rumored drug abuse and marriage to Bobby Brown. When Sawyer showed Houston the photo of her appearance at the Michael Jackson Show, the singer replied "Well, that's a bad shot."^[102] She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied "First of all, let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let's get that straight. Okay? We don't do crack. We don't do that. Crack is wack."^[103]. The line would become infamous. Houston admitted to using various substances at times and that she partied. When asked if Brown ever hit her, she replied, with Brown by her side "No, he's never hit me, no. I've hit him, in anger."^[104]

Houston entered drug rehabilitation facilities in March 2004, but the following year appeared in Brown's reality TV series displaying more erratic behavior. In March 2005, Houston reentered the same drug rehab successfully completing the program. Though odd reports surface that the singer is still using drugs, her record label insists that Houston is off the drugs.^[105] Recently, the singer has slowly been making her way back into the public eye looking healthy and clean.

John Houston dispute

In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with her father, and one-time manager, John Houston. Houston sued his daughter for $100 million (but lost); stating that she owed his company previously unpaid compensation for helping to guide her career, as well as for helping to manage the various controversies that had surrounded it in recent years.^[106] Both of them appeared on television and disputed the other's claims.^[107] John Houston died in February 2003. The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, after Kevin Skinner, the man who claimed to own John Houston Entertainment, failed to participate in pre-trial discovery.^[108]

Awards

Discography

Main article: Whitney Houston discography

Albums:

Compilations:

2000 Whitney: The Greatest Hits
2001 Love, Whitney
2004 Artist Collection: Whitney Houston
2007 The Ultimate Collection

Videography

Home videos:

1986; Number One Video Hits
1991; Star Spangled Banner
1991; Welcome Home Heroes
1994; Concert for a New South Africa
1999; VH1 Divas Live '99
2000; The Greatest Hits
2000; Fine
2002; Whatchulookinat Video/Whatchulookinat Behind-the-Scenes Footage/Love to Infinity Megamix Video
2004; Artist Collection: Whitney Houston

Feature Films:

1992; The Bodyguard
1995; Waiting to Exhale
1996; The Preacher's Wife
1997; Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella

Number-one songs

The following songs entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100:

1985; “Saving All My Love for You”
1986; “How Will I Know”
1986; “Greatest Love of All”
1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
1987; “Didn't We Almost Have It All”
1988; “So Emotional”
1988; “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”
1990; “I'm Your Baby Tonight”
1991; “All the Man That I Need”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”
1995; “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”

The following songs reached number-one on the UK singles chart”

1985; “Saving All My Love for You”
1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1988; “One Moment in Time”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the U.S. Dance chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1987; “So Emotional”
1988; “Love Will Save the Day”
1993; “I'm Every Woman”
1994; “Queen of the Night”
1998; “Heartbreak Hotel” (featuring Faith Evans & Kelly Price)
1999; “It's Not Right but It's Okay”
1999; “My Love Is Your Love”
2000; “I Learned from the Best”
2002; “Whatchulookinat”
2003; “Try It on My Own”
2004; “Love That Man”

The following songs reached number-one on the Canadian singles chart:

1986; “How Will I Know”
1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”

The following songs reached number-one on the German singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1988; “One Moment in Time”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the French singles chart:

1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Dutch singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Belgium singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Swiss singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”
2000; “Could I Have This Kiss Forever”

The following songs reached number-one on the Swedish singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Spanish singles chart:

1995; “Exhale (Shoop Shoop) ”
1999; “It's Not Right But It's Okay”

The following songs reached number-one on the Australian singles chart:

1986; “The Greatest Love of All”
1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the New Zealand singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”"

The following songs reached number-one on the South African singles chart:

1986; “Greatest Love of All”
1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1991; “All The Man That I Need”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”
1995; “Exhale (Shoop Shoop) ”
1999; “My Love Is Your Love”

The following songs reached number-one on the Zimbabwe singles chart:

1991; “All The Man That I Need”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”
1995; “Exhale (Shoop Shoop) ”

The following songs reached number-one on the Austrian singles chart:

1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Finnish singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”

The following songs reached number-one on the Norway singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Irish singles chart:

1985; “Saving All My Love for You”
1992; “I Will Always Love You”

The following songs reached number-one on the Italian singles chart:

1987; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) ”
1990; “I'm Your Baby Tonight”

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Alicia

Alicia Keys

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Early life

Music career

Songs in A Minor (2001)

The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)

Unplugged (2005)

As I Am (2007)

Film and television career

Philanthropy

Personal life

Mentions in popular culture

Discography

Albums

Number-one singles

Filmography

Films

Television

Books

Tours

Awards

mariah

Mariah Carey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Life and music career

Childhood and youth

1990–1992: Early commercial success

1993–1996: Worldwide popularity

1997–2000: New image and independence

Against All Odds

2001–2004: Personal and professional struggles

I Know What You Want

2005–present: Return to prominence

Acting career

Artistry

Voice

Themes and musical style

Philanthropy and other activities

Discography

Studio albums

Other albums

Videos/DVDs

Tours

Filmography

Whitney

Whitney Houston

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Early life

Music career

Early career: 1977–1984

Debut: 1985–1986

Saving All My Love for You

Continued success: 1987–1991

Hollywood success: 1992–1998

Back to the studio: 1998–2001

Commercial decline: 2002–2005

New beginnings: 2006–present

Film and television career

Personal life

Marriage to Bobby Brown

Drug and health issues

John Houston dispute

Awards

Discography

Videography

Number-one songs