Mariah Carey: The Queen Of Hits

How Much is Mariah Carey Worth?

Hey there, let’s talk about Mariah Carey, the queen of pop with a net worth of $350 million. This powerhouse has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, making her one of the 15 best-selling musical artists in history. She holds the title of the second-best selling female artist, right behind Madonna. With an impressive record of more #1 hits than any other female writer/producer in U.S. chart history, Mariah has taken the music world by storm. Over the years, she’s been celebrated with five Grammys, 10 American Music Awards, and 15 Billboard Music Awards. Her journey to fame wasn’t easy, but her talent and determination have made her a global icon.

Back in the '80s, Mariah was struggling to make ends meet while working multiple jobs in New York City. She recorded a demo, hoping someone would give her a chance. Lucky for her, pop singer Brenda K. Starr introduced her to the right people. During a party, Mariah handed her demo to Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. After two weeks of searching, Tommy finally tracked her down and signed her instantly. Her debut album skyrocketed to the top, staying at #1 for eleven weeks. Her second album, rushed through production, didn’t perform as well, but her "MTV Unplugged" performance went triple-platinum. Mariah continued to release successful albums, including the legendary "One Sweet Day" with Boyz II Men, which held the #1 spot for sixteen weeks—a record that still stands today.

However, challenges arose. Her next two albums, while successful, weren’t the pop hits of her early career. She craved more creative control, but the label wasn’t ready to give it to her. As her relationship with Columbia Records deteriorated, so did her marriage to Tommy Mottola. By the early 2000s, Mariah parted ways with both the label and her husband. She signed with Virgin Records in 2001, but things only got worse. During this time, she faced a breakdown, was hospitalized, and disappeared for a while. Her only project with Virgin, "Glitter," was a critical and commercial failure. Thankfully, she signed with Island/Def Jam a few years later, and they carefully guided her through a career comeback. Her tenth album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," became the top-selling album by a female in 2005, selling nearly 8 million copies worldwide. Since then, Mariah has remained a beloved figure in the music industry.

Read also:

Top Casino Games With The Best Winning Odds

Early Days of a Legend

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York. Her heritage is a blend of African American, Afro-Venezuelan, and Irish. Her father's family adopted the last name "Carey" when they moved to New York, changing it from Nunez. Her mother, a former opera singer and vocal coach, played a significant role in shaping Mariah’s musical talents. Unfortunately, her parents separated when she was just three years old.

From a young age, Mariah was drawn to music and the arts. While attending Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, she began writing poems and early songs. She graduated in 1987, and during her time there, she befriended Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies. Together, they started composing full songs with lyrics and music. After graduation, Mariah moved to New York City, where she continued working with Gavin and Ben to create a full-length demo.

Her demo eventually caught the attention of pop singer Brenda K. Starr, who introduced Mariah to various music industry events. At one gala, the demo tape was handed to Tommy Mottola, the head of Columbia Records. He listened to it in his car on the way home and was convinced that Mariah Carey would become a star after hearing just the first two songs. It took two weeks to track her down, but when he did, Tommy signed Mariah to a record deal. He envisioned Mariah as Columbia’s answer to Arista Records’ Whitney Houston.

Rise to Fame

Mariah's self-titled debut album was released on June 12, 1990. Columbia reportedly invested $1 million in promoting the record. Sales were slow at first, but eventually, the album was certified 9X platinum in the U.S. alone, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide. It reached number one on the Billboard charts and earned her a Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Mariah’s next album, 1991’s "Emotions," was also a massive success. However, it was her third album, 1993’s "Music Box," that truly skyrocketed her career. "Music Box" spent 128 weeks on the Billboard chart and sold an astonishing 28 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Her success didn’t stop there. Her Christmas album, "Merry Christmas," was another blockbuster, selling more than 15 million copies globally. Her next three albums sold 20 million, 10 million, and 8 million copies worldwide, respectively. Mariah Carey wasn’t just a fleeting star; she was here to stay.

Read also:

Celebritythemed Slots A Fun Journey Through Pop Culture

The Christmas Classic

Mariah’s Christmas album is most famous for the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which has become one of the best-selling and most-profitable singles of all time. With global sales of 16 million and counting, this song is featured in countless Christmas movies and is a massive hit on streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. Surprisingly, it reportedly took only 15 minutes to write. Mariah and producer Walter Afanasieff earn an estimated $600,000 per year in royalties from this timeless classic. To date, the song has generated over $60 million in gross royalties.

The Virgin Contract

In April 2001, Mariah left Columbia Records and signed what was then a record-breaking $100 million, five-album contract with Virgin Music. Adjusted for inflation, that’s equivalent to $150 million. It was the largest contract in music history at the time.

Mariah’s first album with Virgin, "Glitter," was released on August 18, 2001. The album was a soundtrack for a movie of the same name, which was a semi-biographical fictionalized version of Mariah. Unfortunately, both the album and the film were released on September 21, 2001, just 10 days after the 9/11 terror attacks. Critics and audiences panned the movie, and it became one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time. Even before the movie’s release, Mariah had to be hospitalized due to extreme exhaustion and a physical and emotional breakdown.

Despite these challenges, the album eventually sold 3 million copies. While this would have been impressive for any other artist, it was a disaster given Mariah’s reputation and Virgin’s $100 million investment. Virgin was so desperate to get out of the contract that they paid her $28 million to end it early. In the end, Mariah was paid nearly $50 million to produce one album for Virgin.

Return to Glory

After parting ways with Virgin, Mariah signed a $24 million, five-album deal with Island Records. Her albums under Island sold moderately well, with her biggest hit being 2005’s "The Emancipation of Mimi," which sold 10 million copies worldwide.

Mariah released one album under Def Jam and then signed with Epic Records in 2015, where she remains today. In 2012, she earned $18 million to appear on one season of American Idol. In 2015, she signed a $30 million contract for a two-year Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace, helping her become one of the highest-earning women in music that year with $27 million in total earnings.

Personal Life

In 1993, Mariah married music manager/producer Tommy Mottola. They divorced in 1998. She was married to actor Nick Cannon from 2008 to 2016. Together, they have two children—twins, a boy and a girl, born in April 2011. Mariah was briefly engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer in 2016 and dated singer Luis Miguel between 1998 and 2001.

Real Estate Empire

Mariah splits her time between a rented home in Beverly Hills and a triplex apartment in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. In the mid-1990s, while married to Tommy Mottola, they lived on a 51-acre property in Westchester County, New York, featuring a 33,000-square-foot mansion. They sold this home in 1998 to financier Nelson Peltz, who is the father of Nicola Peltz and father-in-law of Brooklyn Beckham. Tragically, the home was destroyed in a fire just a year later.

Mariah owns a vacation property in the Bahamas. In November 2021, she paid $5.65 million for a 4.2-acre property with a 16,000-square-foot Colonial mansion in the Sandy Springs suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. She listed the home for sale in September 2022 for $6.5 million but ultimately accepted $4.3 million, marking a $1.35 million loss, in May 2023.

Setting the Record Straight on Mariah Carey's Net Worth

Despite what many sites report, Mariah Carey is not worth $520 million. During her 2015 divorce proceedings, her legal filings revealed that when she entered her marriage to Nick Cannon in 2008, she had a net worth of $150 million. At the time, Nick was worth less than $500,000. The filings also showed that Mariah earned $6.3 million in 2014, while Nick earned $2.7 million. As part of their settlement, Nick was given