“I just want to encourage everyone out there to believe in yourself. Love and respect yourself. Be a diva, be a boss, be anything you wanna be. But be iconic while you’re doing it.”
― Mariah Carey
This is for all of you out there tonight, reaching for a dream – don’t ever give up! Never ever listen to anyone, when they try to discourage you, because they do that, believe me!
― Mariah Carey
Forget the image, forget the ensemble, forget the rumors, forget the short skirts, the big hair, whatever! I owe this to the fans and I will never forget you so I want to accept this award on behalf of all of you. We’ve come a long way and I feel like I’m just getting started. Because as an artist, and most importantly as a person, I am genuinely happy to finally be free to be who I am. Thank you.
― Mariah Carey
There is a light at the end of the tunnel . . . hopefully it’s not a freight train!
― Mariah Carey
Music is what I love and it’s what I feel and it’s in me and to know that I can do something that I enjoy and hopefully bring some enjoyment to other people through what I do is an incrediable feeling and I am just really thankful for it
― Mariah Carey
One person could say, “‘Hero’ is a schmaltzy piece of garbage’, but another person can write me a letter and say, “I’ve considered committing suicide every day of my life for the last ten years until I heard that song and I realized after all I can be my own hero”. And that, that’s an unexplainable feeling, like I’ve done something with my life, ya know?
― Mariah Carey
A lot of the time they form the idea in listeners’ minds. Calling me a “pop diva” without listening to my work so when I come out with an urban song it’s like, “Pop diva goes black”. I mean, puh-lease.
― Mariah Carey
Butterflies are always following me, everywhere I go.
― Mariah Carey
I’m not one of those people that goes into details of my personal life on national TV to get attention. Some things are better left unsaid.
― Mariah Carey
A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don’t think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time.― Mariah Carey
I’m not vain, I’m insecure.
― Mariah Carey
I decided to make my own ski-wear range after I found there were no fashion outfits for me to wear on the piste. ― Mariah Carey
It’s hard to be someone that people talk about and write about, you know? They don’t know me.
― Mariah Carey
I prayed very hard for this to happen and it happened. I don’t even think about what I’ve achieved, I haven’t focused on it and I wish I had, because I really want to enjoy it, and I don’t know if I am enjoying it, because I am going through my life like a bulldozer. I still haven’t marveled at it. I don’t mind being compared to Whitney Houston, there are people miles worse to be compared to, but if you really listen there’s a difference.
― Mariah Carey
People all of a sudden just see me and hear me having hit records and it seems to have come out of the blue. But really I have been working towards this my whole life, and this is what I say when people say I haven’t paid my dues.
― Mariah Carey
What I write is all from my imagination. Fact is, I haven’t had time to experience all that, but that doesn’t mean to say that I don’t write from the heart, because I do. I put myself in other women’s shoes, I can feel their pain and joy when I think about it. It’s all the same, we’re all women.
― Mariah Carey
There’s never been anything else in my life that inspired me at all. It’s crazy, but I’ve always loved music and I’ve always known this was what I wanted to do. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a singer.
― Mariah Carey
Someone said I never paid any dues. I feel my whole life was struggling, because we were poor. We were alone, we had nothing–no security. I feel I have paid my dues. I’ve been paying my dues all my life.
― Mariah Carey
They went through some very hard times before I was born. They had their dogs poisoned, their cars set on fire and blown up. It put a strain on their relationship that never quit. There was always this tension. They just fought all the time.
― Mariah Carey
I’ve always said that my father is half black and half Venezuelan and my mother is Irish. But people don’t understand. They can’t fathom that I’m African-American, Venezuelan and Irish.
― Mariah Carey
And maybe there are some people out there who think a quarter Venezuelan is not a lot . . . Well, I may be only one quarter, but it’s a strong quarter.
― Mariah Carey
There was a time when all I was allowed to do was go to gay clubs, because my quote-unquote husband was so afraid of me being around straight people.
― Mariah Carey
Raquel Welch, Ursula Andress–I liked their little ensembles . . . You’ve got to throw Farrah Fawcett in there, too. I had the Farrah doll. She was my little style inspiration.
― Mariah Carey
I don’t know why, but everybody thinks that I’m short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be obliged to raise their head.
― Mariah Carey
I rarely go to bed before 5 or 6 am. I am a girl of the night. I hate getting up before 2 pm. And when I get up, I don’t have breakfast, just a slice of pizza. I’m composing my songs in bed, because I’m getting inspired when I’m about to sink into sleep. The night inspires me.
― Mariah Carey
I’d humbly like to become an inspiration to the biracial kids, who are the population of the new millennium. I’m everything and nothing at the same time: white, black and Latino. If I’ve managed to be accepted, the others can do it, too.
― Mariah Carey
I can remember when I told myself for the first time, “I’m going to be rich and famous”. I was about 5 or 6. I was in my mother’s car, an old green dirty car. My sister was there, too. She was humming; she was about 15, she had just gotten married because she was pregnant. We were on a supermarket parking lot, and I was looking at the wealthy people through the window; I told myself, “I am going to be a star and I’ll buy all these things for us”.
― Mariah Carey
I was the world’s worst waitress.
― Mariah Carey
I would feel violated . . . I know that’s a kind of weird thing to say, but that’s how I am . . . It’s hard to have kids in this world. I don’t think I could properly educate a child right now. Maybe in the future, but I actually haven’t thought about it. For now I enjoy my dog Jack’s company. It’s definitely because of childhood traumatic stuff. The whole not wanting to have a baby as a baby.
― Mariah Carey
George Michael, you were such an inspiration. I’m honored to have not only been your fan, but a friend as well. Rest in peace.
― Mariah Carey
It’s true. The two lowest octaves are probably there because of the smoking. But of course it’s not good to smoke. I always had a cold and constant throatache. One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.
― Mariah Carey
If you believe in yourself enough and know what you want, you’re gonna make it happen.
― Mariah Carey
I just want one day off when I can go swimming and eat ice cream and look at rainbows.
― Mariah Carey
I know I can be diva-ish sometimes, but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is.
― Mariah Carey
Whatever you’re going through in your life, don’t ever give up.
― Mariah Carey
It’s not easy that everything you do, everybody has to come in and critique it and give their opinion. Sometimes it does help me and sometimes it hurts me as a person. That’s life. I have feelings.
― Mariah Carey
“Time has shown me there is no benefit in trying to protect people who never tried to protect me.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Everybody out there, don’t ever take anybody for granted, ’cause you never know when you might lose them and you may never get the chance to tell them how you really feel.”
― Mariah Carey
“It’s in my genes. My mother was an opera singer. I’m clearly dramatic.”
― Mariah Carey
“I can still count on one hand the number of men I`ve slept with.”
― Mariah Carey
“I’ve been working on my craft for a long time. People never want to let go of the whole ‘Glitter,’… I’m like, ‘It’s eight years later, people. Let’s move on.”
― Mariah Carey
“In the beginning of our time together I was walking on eggshells. Then it became a bed of nails, and then a minefield. I never knew when or what would make him blow, and the anxiety was relentless.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Sometimes, life can kinda be like a rollercoaster ride. It’s like you’re going along and everything seems cool. And it’s not like you’re looking down, but you’re not necessarily looking up to see who’s really in control. When I was little, I used to be so scared of rollercoasters, but eventually, you have to face your fears. Obviously, it’s no big secret that my life has always been kinda like a rollercoaster. I’ve had my ups and downs and I’ve had moments when it felt like I was being twisted and turned, when my life seemed to be upside down and inside out and every which way. And just when I thought the scariest part was over, something even more horrifying would happen. But then, after all the hysteria, everything stopped. There was a moment of peace. I had gained a deeper kind of faith and I knew it was all part of God’s bigger plan for me. So, if whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I guess I’m strong. It’s kinda like being on a rollercoaster. If you don’t get on the ride, you won’t experience the adventure.”
― Mariah Carey
“Protect your dreams.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Don’t say she takes it all for granted I’m well aware of all I have Don’t think that I am disenchanted Please understand”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“My father taught me that words have meaning and thus, they have power.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“together and I heard it play, it was mind blowing. I couldn’t believe I was working with her and she was my friend, not to mention that she had given me my biggest gig to date. Yet I said, “I know I don’t have anything big going on yet, but I’m sorry, I have to keep these songs. These songs are the ones I wrote for me.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“being teased for being poor felt like a different kind of cruel.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Some of us need to be rescued, but everyone wants to be seen.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“thoughtful scrapbook for me, in which they gathered little notes of love and appreciation from other artists or celebrities they worked with or saw in their travels. Joey Lawrence (remember Joey from Blossom?), who was such a heartthrob at the time, apparently left a significantly sweet message. Well, Tommy saw the lovefest of a book, ripped it up, and burned it in the fireplace before I was able to see it—a childish act of cruelty, especially to Billy and Syd, who went through all that effort to prove to me how big I was even among the stars.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“And there is a lot of respect due to him. He was a visionary music executive who fearlessly and ferociously dragged his visions into reality. He believed in me, ruthlessly. “You’re the most talented person I’ve ever met,” he would say to me. “You can be as big as Michael Jackson.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was barely conscious but my standards were still awake.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“In the beginning, Tommy protected me. Even though I was breathing a bit easier, with some early breaks and a clear path to success, the traumas and insecurities of my childhood—and pressure from my brother and other people trying to take advantage of me—were still right at my back, haunting my every move. I never stopped looking over my shoulder. Tommy shielded me from all the people who thought I owed them something or who wanted to use me. That meant Tommy also protected me from my own family.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was a fish out of water, and though I survived it, I knew that no one there really cared about me, and I certainly knew I wasn’t staying.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I know life can be so tough And you feel like giving up But you must be strong Baby just hold on You’ll never find the answers if you throw your life away I used to feel the way you do Still I had to keep on going.”
― Mariah Carey, Make It Happen (Emotions Album)
“I had no idea how to handle what was going on. It was all of them against me. They had planned it. They fooled me into thinking they actually liked me.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was a wayward child With the weight of the world That I held deep inside. Life was a winding road And I learned many things Little ones shouldn’t know”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was into it. After all, I sincerely thought I would be with Tommy forever and that the home we would make together would be just as timeless, everlasting, and spectacular as the music we were creating—behind which, of course, I was also the creative force. And spectacular it was. We even had a ballroom. I was in my early twenties, with my own ballroom!”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was asked to write something for the movie Hero, starring Dustin Hoffman and Geena Davis. Tommy had agreed I would submit a song for the film, to be sung by Gloria Estefan, who was on Epic Records (Sony, Tommy’s label, was the parent company). I knew that Luther Vandross was also writing a song for the soundtrack, so I would be in great company.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“was the third and youngest child, and our parents were divorced by the time I was three.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Underneath the shine, however, I had some inkling that there was a darker energy that came with him—a price to pay for his protection. But at nineteen, I was willing to pay”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Those people who have hurt me, over and over, whom I have escaped or walled off, are deeply significant in my story, but they are not central to my existence.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was too excited to be self-conscious—at that point in life, my ambition was stronger than my shame. Who cared if I arrived a little hungry and a little shabby?”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“After a childhood of being uprooted and plopped into all kinds of precarious living arrangements, I finally had the chance to build my own, from the foundation. I got excited. I got into it.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Children can be mean, but when ordinary meanness is combined with racism, it takes on a peculiar brutality, one very often sanctioned by (and learned from) adults.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“The first time Tommy called, he hung up. But he didn’t give up. He called back and this time left a curt and serious-sounding message: “Tommy Mottola. CBS. Sony Records.” He left a number. “Call me back.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“despite that huge accomplishment, I had yet to learn that in reality, I’d just provided the design inspiration, and put up half the money, to build my own prison.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“My beauty school class was made up of mostly Italian girls. There were mean girls, there were shy girls, there were regular girls, and then there were the girls.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“The Thanksgiving special was titled Here Is Mariah Carey, and I was going to debut three new songs from Music Box: “Dreamlover,” “Anytime You Need a Friend,” and “Hero,” along with some of my known hits—“Emotions,” “Make It Happen,” and of course, “Vision of Love.” I had always written songs from an honest place, using my own lived experiences and dreams as a source. I also pushed my vocals to their extreme. I was also going to debut “Hero.” It’s always a risk to debut songs at a live show that people have not had the opportunity to connect with through radio repetition. Even though I wrote “Hero,” it wasn’t originally intended for me to perform.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Nothing feels like family when you are under surveillance, which I always was.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“And I miss you, dandelion And even love you And I wish there was a way For me to trust you But it hurts me every time I try to touch you”
― Mariah Carey, Petals (Rainbow Album)
“My siblings and my mother wouldn’t communicate for most of the year, so by Christmas dinner my brother and sister would come stuffed with hurt and anger, starving for attention. Eventually, inevitably, they would all explode in a torrent of verbal abuse. I would sit there in the center of the chaos, crying and wishing: wishing they would stop screaming, wishing my mother could stop them from screaming and cursing. Wishing I could be somewhere safe and merry—somewhere that felt like Christmas”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I noticed the cops too, standing there, unfazed, in the pulsing midst of the energy and excitement. It was one thing to be informed, but quite another to see with my own eyes, hear with my own ears, and feel in my soul the reaction from real people to me and my music. What I felt that night in Schenectady was not idol worship, it was love. It was the kind of love that comes from honest connection and recognition.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“For most of my childhood I was caught between my brother’s fury and my mother’s sad searching.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“The conversation drifted to Puffy aka Sean aka P. Diddy, who had recently left Uptown Records, where he’d started as an intern, eventually becoming head of A&R. Now he already had his own record label, Bad Boy, and his star artist, the Notorious B.I.G., was all over the radio and beginning to spread all over a generation.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I also insisted on paying half of all the costs. I wanted it to be my house.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Little did I know, giving in to Tommy’s demands would gradually swallow my privacy and begin to erase my identity.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Most record executives just didn’t know how they would work my record. They weren’t sure it could “cross over.” But for the record, Teena Marie never cared about crossing over. And I didn’t want to cross over either. I wanted to transcend.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“But I closed my eyes Steadied my feet on the ground Raised my head to the sky And the times rolled by Still I feel like a child As I look at the moon Maybe I grew up A little too soon.”
― Mariah Carey, Close My Eyes (Butterfly Album)
“I was spending less and less time at my Chelsea apartment and began spending most nights with him. Soon, I felt pressure from Tommy to give up my place, and against my better instincts, I gave”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“For me, my wedding wasn’t for all those rich and famous people I barely knew. It wasn’t for my distant, dysfunctional family (though I do fondly remember my grandfather, by then in the grips of dementia, lovingly yelling my name like he was on the block: “Mariah! Mariah!”) To me, the wedding spectacle was mostly for the fans, and we gave them the fabulous moment they deserved.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Still vibrating with rage, he slammed his fist on the table and announced, “I just want everybody to know that THANKSGIVING IS CANCELLED!”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Strange how death can make people forgive those who trespassed against them and their children.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“It was the first time I felt safe enough to go back and peek in on Mariah, the little one, and recognize what she had survived. And suddenly, the first verse and chorus of “Close My Eyes” came to me:”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“But I was not swept off my feet, and trust and believe me, Tommy Mottola was no Prince Charming.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“Tommy and I were completely different, and the Black part of myself caused him confusion. From the moment Tommy signed me, he tried to wash the “urban” (translation: Black) off of me.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“More than my personal happiness, I needed my career as an artist to survive. Happiness was secondary. Happiness was a fleeting bonus. I married Tommy because I thought it was the only way for me to survive in that relationship. I saw the power he could put behind my music, and he saw the power my music could give him. Our holy matrimony was built on creativity and vulnerability.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was too excited to be self-conscious—at that point in life, my ambition was stronger than my shame. Who cared if I arrived a little hungry and a little shabby?”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“truly believed that I was not worthy of both happiness and success.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“If there was any perception of a fairy-tale marriage or life, it was absolutely smoke and mirrors. The ironclad safety that Tommy provided from my family turned into an ironclad dungeon. The control and imbalance of power in our relationship accelerated.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“I was easy to manipulate, but the dynamic of my relationship with Tommy was complex. In many ways, Tommy protected me from my dysfunctional family, but he went to the extreme: he controlled and patrolled me.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey
“on January 20, 2009, I had the unthinkable, unparalleled honor of singing it at the Inaugural Ball of the first African American president of the United States of America.”
― Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey