Raiff Celebrates Mariah's 20 Years in Music: 2006

Posted by Raiff on Monday, 31-May-2010, 12:01PM EDT

A newly emancipated Mariah Carey was on top of the world. Hot off of a celebratory New Years' Eve performance in Times Square, Mariah was headed someplace she hadn't been in several years: The Grammys. The Emancipation of Mimi garnered an incredible 8 Grammy nominations: Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year ("We Belong Together"), Song Of The Year ("We Belong Together"), Best Pop Female Vocal Performance ("It's Like That"), Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("We Belong Together"), Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("Mine Again"), Best R&B Song ("We Belong Together"), and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

On February 8, the 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The last time Mariah had appeared at the Grammys was ten years prior, when she performed "One Sweet Day" with Boyz II Men. With eight nominations for her most successful album yet, this promised to be a big night for her, and it did not disappoint. Mariah took the stage to perform a medley of "We Belong Together" and "Fly Like A Bird," accompanied by Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir. Her voice truly flew like a bird through the arena that night, and her performance was met with a standing ovation. Mariah took home three awards that night: Best Female R&B Vocal, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album. For someone who spent many years incorporating more of her R&B influence into her music, these particular awards meant a lot to her, "Particularly because this album is so personal to me. In all the RnB categories that I was nominated for I won, except Traditional which the Queen of Soul, Mrs. Aretha Franklin won and that's who deserves to win in every category," she said in a backstage interview.

Mariah's other television appearance on Grammy night was in the form of a thirty-second commercial that premiered in between segments of the awards telecast. Mariah had partnered with Intel to create an ad for their Centrino Duo technology. In the spot, Mariah is shown sitting on the lap of a lucky patron singing a line from "Mine Again," symbolizing just one of the many entertainment possibilities of laptops with the Centrino Duo chips package.

In addition to her Grammys, Mariah won several other awards in the beginning part of 2006. Later in February, she appeared on MTV's TRL to receive the "First Lady of TRL" Award, for which she was especially grateful because it came from the fans: "I've never received an MTV award of any sort and this means the most to me because it's from the voters, the fans, and that's what really matters," she said in her acceptance. She also picked up trophies at the Soul Train Awards (Best R&B Soul-Album, Best R&B-Soul song for "We Belong Together") and the NAACP Image Awards (Best Album).

Other television highlights for Mariah included her appearance as a presenter at the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, where she introduced the "Best Original Song" category, The Early Show and a BET pre-Grammy interview special called "Setting The Record Straight."

In March, Mariah sat down with Barbara Walters for her annual pre-Oscars "Barbara Walters Special," in which she interviews people who have been of particular note over the past year. During the course of their discussion, Mariah talked about everything from growing up in an interracial family and her broken marriage to Tommy Mottola to her emotional breakdown and the album that secured her comeback.

On the business side of things, Mariah launched her own jewelry and accessories line in March called "Glamorized by Mariah Carey," which was sold in U.S. Claire's and Icing stores. "Hey Girls, I am so excited to share with you my new jewelry and accessory line," she wrote in a statement. "Wear it and you'll be a hot tamale." Another project that was announced was a global licensing agreement with Elizabeth Arden Inc., for Mariah to develop and market her own line of fragrance products. The release of the first fragrance would happen in 2007. As if all this wasn't enough, Variety announced that Mariah would star in an upcoming Lee Daniels film called Tennessee, which would begin production early the following year.

It had been almost a year since the release of The Emancipation Of Mimi, and while a lot of albums fizzle out by this point, this one was still going strong. "Fly Like A Bird" was sent to Urban and Gospel radio stations, in addition to Top 40 Rhythmic-Crossover and Top 40 Mainstream. Billboard gave the song an enthusiastic review:

"Set against a low-key, organ-spiced groove that recalls mid-'70s R&B, Carey opens with a pretty, wispy vocal and buoyant harmonies throughout the first chorus before she waves her arms, parts the clouds and wails to the heavens as a mile-high wall of gospel background vocals joins in for the crescendo. The flight of 'Bird' from humble call for deliverance into a frenzied ecclesiastic hymn is utterly spine-tingling. A joyful noise."

"Fly Like a Bird" had a very low-profile release, and while it did not chart on the Hot 100, it reached #66 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay.

Next up was "Say Somethin'," which was supposed to have been the first single from The Emancipation of Mimi but was cancelled in favor of "It's Like That." The video for the song was shot in Paris, in which Mariah and her on-screen love interest Pharrell Williams are seen on a romantic day of shopping and sight-seeing before heading home to relax with their dalmation puppies. Mariah and Pharrell visited such landmarks as the Le Pont de Paris bridge and the flagship Louis Vuitton store, which had to be cleared out for the shoot. Snoop Dogg filmed his rap portion separately in Los Angeles. "Say Somethin'" did not go far on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #73. However, the David Morales remix (for which Mariah and her backup singers cut a brand new vocal) was a huge hit, scoring Mariah her 12th #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

Mariah kept herself busy through the months of May through July. On May 20, she attended the annual dinner and live auction for "Operation Smile," a charity that helps children around the world with facial deformities. Next up, she was honored by Gillette; not for her music, but for her legs. That's right, her legs. Mariah was deemed to have the "Celebrity Legs of a Goddess," and a sixteen-foot high replica of her legs was unveiled in a ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall on May 30. Then on June 1, Mariah attended the Fresh Air Fund's "Salute To Heroes" at Tavern on the Green in New York City. Several days later, she taped a public service announcement for "Essence Cares!," a program of the Essence Music Festival that holds seminars and mentoring to help uplift African-American youth. She also made an appearance at the 2006 ESPY Awards in Hollywood, CA, where she presented the "Best Male Athlete" trophy to Lance Armstrong. In addition, she contributed vocals to "It's Only Make Believe," also featuring Vince Gill, for soul legend Sam Moore's upcoming album, Overnight Sensational.

Mariah ushered in the summertime by taking part in another ad campaign; this one being very connected to her music. Along with Mary J. Blige, The All-American Rejects, and other artists, Mariah was part of the "Pepsi Cool Tones & Motorola Phones Promotion." Pepsi and Motorola teamed up to offer access to over 150 original ringtones produced by the artists involved, that would be available for download to mobile phones exclusively through the promotion. Mariah recorded a series of ringtones, including such offerings as "Once In A Lifetime," The Waited-Too-Long Blues" and "Bleakosity (Business Call)." She also created a commercial for the promotion, in which she is seen on the screen on a man's mobile phone, singing one of the ringtones, "Time Of Your Life." Mariah's participation also led her to performing for the "Pepsi Smash" concert series. In a special concert filmed in Los Angeles in July before a packed house, Mariah sang many of her hits, including "Don't Forget About Us," "Heartbreaker," "Vision of Love" and "Hero." Five of the performances would be offered as streaming videos through Yahoo! Music. For someone who had steered clear of marketing initiatives throughout her whole career, this was her fourth in just six months; the others being Intel, Elizabeth Arden and Claire's.

Much to the delight of fans, the Pepsi Smash concert also served as rehearsal for the next project: a concert tour. Mariah made television appearances, including The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel, The Tonight Show, Regis & Kelly, and TRL to promote her next jaunt: The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour. "I just want to go out on the road and enjoy myself with my fans. It's our moment to celebrate, to have an adventure. First, you get emancipated, then you have an adventure," she told Ebony. In preparation for the tour, Mariah filmed a series of tongue-in-cheek vignettes with director Spike Lee that would air during her concerts. In these vignettes, Mariah was portrayed making fun of herself, with nothing off-limits; from her tight dresses to her nervous breakdown. "I want all that stuff in," Mariah said. "Basically, it's NOT taking yourself too seriously."

After two concerts at El Menzah Stadium in Tunisia, the tour officially kicked off on August 5, when Mariah performed to a sold-out crowd at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Her opening act for the tour was raggae/dancehall sensation Sean Paul, who would be replaced by Busta Rhymes in September.

The Adventures of Mimi was very different from its predecessor, the Charmbracelet Tour. The show featured the Spike Lee vignettes, DJ Suss One spinning old-school cuts during two costume changes, and a three-song set by backup singer Trey Lorenz. The show included a generous selection from The Emancipation of Mimi as well as a "snippet" section, which featured Mariah making a "diva entrance" to the song "I Wish You Knew" before introducing a medley of some older songs, including "Can't Let Go," "One Sweet Day" and "Thank God I Found You (Make It Last Remix)." Mariah performed 32 shows in the U.S. and Canada, covering all the major markets and performing in some places, such as East Rutherford, NJ, for the first time.

During the tour, "Mine Again" was sent for adds at the Urban Adult Contemporary radio format. On August 30, Mariah had been presented with six BMI Urban Awards, including two of the top honors: Songwriter of the Year and Song of The Year ("We Belong Together"). She took home five honors at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in September, including Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album. Mariah also received a nomination for Best R&B Video ("Shake It Off") at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Immediately following the North American leg of The Adventures of Mimi, Mariah flew to Japan to perform six sold-out shows; three in Tokyo, two in Osaka, and one in Nagoya. The tour was scheduled to conclude in Hong Kong, China, on October 28. That show was abruptly cancelled not long before it was due to take place (the production crew had already begun to construct the stage). Universal Music Group blamed the cancellation on "unfulfilled contractual obligations by concert organizers," while the promoters, Hong Kong-based One Events, cited "unreasonable last-minute demands." A statement issued by Universal Music South East Asia stated that "[s]he deeply regrets the disappointment caused to them due to unforeseen circumstances beyond her control. For Mariah, this is particularly unfortunate given her recent sold-out, critically acclaimed tours of the United States and Japan."

In November, Mariah made special appearances at two charity events. First was the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Gala, which benefited Margaret's Place. According to the event invitation, Margaret's Place was a "comprehensive program which provides students with a safe room in school where they can meet with a professional counselor trained in domestic violence intervention and prevention." On November 17, Mariah was honored with the Wish Icon Award at the 7th annual Wish Night Awards Gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

After almost two years of promoting the hugely successful The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah capped off 2006 by returning to her favorite holiday vacation destination, Aspen, Colorado, for some rest and relaxation. During her stay, she helped make the season brighter for foster kids from the Denver Department of Human Services. She transformed the inside of a ski lodge into a winter wonderland, and gave the kids the chance to do some skiing and snow tubing. "It's a glamorous place and everything like that but to me it's about giving back and doing something like this with kids that you know, kids that you don't know, just anything that you can do to help make a difference in someone's life," Mariah commented in an interview.

MARIAH QUOTES

"I feel like I shouldn't ever have to prove myself as a musical entity because I never went anywhere. And I'm sorry if 'Glitter' only sold 3 million albums - some people never do that in their entire career. 'Glitter' was only a soundtrack that came out in September 2001. I still think there are some songs on that record that are good and I'm not going to bash it because the world didn't run to the stores and but it in the figures that bought 'Mimi'." Blues & Soul

"I can't try to compete with people that weigh eighty pounds soaking wet when, look, I'm ethnic. I've got a butt, and I want to keep it because I like it. That's what it goes! I'm gonna pull it together and be as thin as I can be for the Grammys, but there's only a certain amount of weight that I wanna lose. The weight-obsessed workout monger is not my role model as a singer. They might be pop stars and icons, but they're not necessarily what I like to call a saaaanger. They ain't saaangin'." Rolling Stone

[On being "Eternally 12"] "I love sleigh rides and Christmas and the Tower of Terror at Disney and silly movies. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that I'm not sixteen. Because sixteen-year-olds are sexually active and promiscuous. I guess because I have a family member who had a baby at fifteen, like, I definitely see myself as younger than that. In my mind, I thought fifteen was old. When I was that age, most of my friends were having sex. But even if I had boyfriends, it was like, 'I'm going on to bigger and better things, and I'm not going to potentially screw my life up.' At twelve, I was also like a grown-up too, because I've been a caretaker since a very early age." Rolling Stone

"I feel great. It was definitely a great way to spend a Wednesday night, and having these three Grammys. And it was, kind of almost a relief that I won the Grammys before I got here 'cause that way you don't really have to do a speech on stage (laughs). I know that sounds bizarre but in its own way, a speech is almost more intimidating than a performance, believe it or not. So it was cool because by the time I got here I already knew I had gotten these and it really meant a lot to me, particularly because this album is so personal to me. In all the RnB categories I was nominated for I won, except Traditional which the Queen of Soul, Mrs. Aretha Franklin won and that is who deserves to win in every category." Backstage at the Grammys

"You go to clubs and you see every girl dresses like they're in a video. And if not, there's no way they're gonna get attention, unless they're strikingly beautiful. I think that a lot of women are just trying to live up to the stereotypes and to the standard that's set on TV and in magazines, which is airbrushed women who weigh 3 pounds. And it's not fair. It's not easy." V Magazine

COLLEAGUES' QUOTES

Randy Jackson: "I'm so happy for her. I was fortunate enough to work on the Emancipation of Mimi record with her. I'm performing on the Grammys with her on Wednesday. She's still one of my best friends in the world - and one of the greatest talents the world has ever seen. As a writer, she's unbelievable - seventeen Number One hits that she's co-written - and as a singer, probably one of the five best singers in the known world. After selling 160 million albums, she's the bomb. I love her. She deserves all of it."

Antonio "L.A." Reid: [On Mariah's Grammy wins] "This is a momentous and well-deserved confirmation of Mariah's artistry and devotion to her music."

Lee Daniels, Producer, Tennessee: "I'm very excited about working with Mariah Carey because she's an underestimated genius... But people didn't see that [other] movie she did, WiseGirls, with Mira Sorvino. She was to die for. I saw that movie and she was brilliant. Everybody wants to point to the bad. We always look to the bad instead of looking to the good. An actor is as good as his or her director. And I think that people want to point fingers and hate. It's instinctive. It's nature. And that does not make for great film makers."

DJ Clue: "Mariah is cool and she's fun to be around, we've been friends for a while now and work well together. She brings Jack [her dog] to the studio all the time. I'm supposed to get with her this weekend to work on something for her new album. Once she has an idea we work quick. It's going to be some hot, hip hop music. I'm hopefully going to do a few tracks on that project. It was a good experience DJ'ing for her Emancipation of Mimi tour because the crowd was hype."

Melody Thornton, Pussycat Dolls: "I'm biding my time... We all see this as a springboard for something else. Some girls have said, 'It's my dream to be in a pop group,' and I'm like, 'OK, because I want to be Mariah Carey.'"

Wentworth Miller: [Plays Mariah's love interest in "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together" videos] "She's lovely, she's lovely. I mean, she's someone who is obviously an icon and I've admired her for a long time. She's also got 60-70-some-odd people swirling around her at any given moment, so it's hard to have a real kind of heart-to-heart, but she did make sure that I was well taken care of and having a good time."

Nelly: "Mariah Carey, she's possibly the best singer I've heard. And you watch someone such as Mariah, who went from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low, and come back like she never missed a beat, and stand up and smack everybody in the face like, 'I'm still here; matter of fact I'm better,' that gives you inspiration. That keeps me going."

Janet Jackson: "You know what, I think people don't give Mariah enough credit. I thought she was wonderful in Glitter, and I thought she just got a really bad rap. And that wasn't what I think they tried to make it out to be."

TV APPEARANCES