She was born in New York as the youngest child to her mother, a former opera singer and vocal coach and her father an aeronautical engineer of African-American/Afro-Venezuelan lineage. Mariah started singing at the age of 3 often imitating her mother's take on Verdi's oper Rigoletto. Mariah took vocal lessons and wrote lyrics during her High School days and she was often absent due to her work as a demo singer. In December 1988 she handed producer and head of a record company Tommy Mottola her demo-tape and she was then signed to his label. She released her debut album named after her in 1990 and after a slow start it peaked at #1 for 11 weeks and sold over 6 million times in the USA alone. It also peaked at #1 in Canada and #6 in the UK and Australia. It was certified 9-times platinum in the USA, 7-times in Canada, 4-times in Australia and New Zealand among other places. 4 singles of the album peaked at #1 in the US single charts. Mariah won 2 Grammy Awards that year for "Best Newcomer" and the single "Vision of Love". It sold over 15 million times worldwide.

In 1991 she released her 2nd album "Emotions", which peaked at #4 in the USA and the UK. The title track of the album became her 5th #1 song in her homecountry, making her the first artist to reach the top with her first 5 singles. Her 6th #1 song then came after an MTV Unplugged show, where she covered "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5's. In 1993 Mariah released her 3rd studio album "Music Box" which reached #1 in the USA and was certified diamond (a rare certification). It sold over 8 million times in the USA and 28 million times worldwide. topping the charts in Germany, France, Australia and the UK among other places. 2 more singles peaked at #1 in the US Billboard single charts, while her cover of "Without You" became her first charttopper in the UK.

In 1994 Mariah released a Christmas album including the single "All I Want For Christmas Is You" which became one of the most played songs during that time of year for the next 25 years plus. In 1995 she released her next album "Daydream" which became her 3rd #1 album in the USA. It also sold very well across the world with over 20 million units. 3 more songs topped the US single charts, including her collab with Boyz II Men called "One Sweet Day" which peaked for a record--breaking 16 weeks on top. The album once again received the rare Diamond certificate in her homecountry.

In 1997 she released her next album "Butterfly" - another #1 album in the USA including 2 #1 singles. It sold over 10 million times worldwide and was acclaimed by critics. Mariah Carey considers this her Magnum Opus. In 1998 she released a Best Of album called "#1's" including a duet with Whitney Houston. The last album under the label of her now ex-husband was released in 1999 called "Rainbow". 2 more song of the album peaked at #1, giving her 15 #1 singles in her homecountry.

After an unsuccessful album called "Glitter" and hospital stays due to exhaustion Mariah released her next album "Charmbracelet" in 2002. It peaked at #3 in the USA but was commercially not very successful. In 2005 Mariah released her 10th album "The Emancipation of Mimi" and reached #1 again - her 5th album and her first after Butterfly to do so. It carried 2 more #1 singles in the USA, giving her 17 charttoppers. The album won 3 Grammy Awards.

Mariah's next album "E=MC²" peaked at #1 again in the USA and included her 18th #1 song, which tied the record for most #1 songs by a solo artist with Elvis Presley. In 2009 she released her 12th album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" which peaked at #3 in the USA. In 2010 a 2nd Christmas album followed and in 2014 her next album "Me, I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse" was released - another #3 album in the USA. In 2018 she released her last album so far called "Caution". It peaked at 5 in the US Billboard album charts.

In 2019 her song from 1994 "All I Want For Christmas Is You" finally broke through and became her 19th #1 single, giving her 2nd place alone all-time behind The Beatles 20 charttoppers. She also was inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2020.

Here now are my Top 20 song of her so far, hope you enjoy! What are your faves? Write in the comments and discuss this ranking. But please keep it civil, thank you!

No copyright infringement intended you can buy and stream all these songs in your favorite store in full length. No money is made with these videos, they are simply a hobby to celebrate music.

To support Mariah Carey go to her official sites, buy and stream her songs. Thank you!
http://mariahcarey.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mariahcarey
https://twitter.com/MariahCarey
https://www.youtube.com/user/mariahcarey