Raiff Celebrates Mariah's 20 Years In Music: 2009

Posted by Raiff on Thursday, 03-Jun-2010, 12:01PM EDT

After another action-packed year that gave her another #1 album and her 18th #1 single, Mariah Carey rode full-speed ahead into 2009. After celebrating her first holiday season with new husband Nick Cannon in Aspen and in St. Barts, Mariah returned to work and prepared for several new projects.

First on her plate was Columbia/Legacy Recording's release of The Ballads, an appropriately named collection of 19 of Mariah's biggest ballads, including nine #1 songs. The compilation had been released overseas in late 2008, and was called Love Songs in some markets. For the January 20 U.S. release, Mariah re-sang and shot a new video for "Hero," which was offered for streaming exclusively on amazon.com. The Ballads sold enough copies to debut at #10 on the Billboard album chart (where it peaked) and has since sold around a million copies worldwide.

Although Tennessee, which had begun filming two years ago, was still waiting for nationwide distribution, January 2009 brought our first sneak peek into Mariah's next acting role. Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, another Lee Daniels production, would give Mariah's acting career a real "push" gaining her critical acclaim and eventually landing her on the red carpet on the Academy Awards. Push told the story of 16-year old Clarice "Precious" Jones, a mother of two children fathered by her absent father, struggling to survive and prosper under the roof of her abusive mother, portrayed by comedienne Mo'Nique. Mariah played the part of Ms. Weiss, a social worker assigned to Precious' case who meets with her regularly and tries to get her to open up. The role was very different for Mariah, who appears in the film sans makeup, wearing a thick black wig. Push premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 16, where it received a standing ovation. Mariah and the rest of the cast, which included Lenny Kravitz and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, held a press conference the following day in Park City, Utah, where they discussed their experiences making the film. "[I'm] just honored to be a part of it," Mariah said. "It's really something that's so strong and different and I think that it's really going to enlighten a lot of people and help a lot of people." Press reviews from the Sundance screening praised the film and its cast, notably Mariah, who Variety described as "pitch-perfect" in her role.

Less than a week after her rewarding Sundance experience, Mariah was bound for Washington, D.C. to attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. Decked out in a long, black Dolce & Gabbana gown, Mariah opened The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration with a rousing performance of "Hero," dedicated to Obama. Later on in the show, she joined Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige and others in a performance of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered."

Next on Mariah's plate in an already hectic year was a collaboration with The-Dream (who she had previously worked with on "Touch My Body") on "My Love," from his upcoming album Love vs. Money. Mariah and The-Dream filmed the music video, directed by Nick Cannon, in Los Angeles in February. Billboard praised Mariah's part, stating that "[an] extra boost comes from Carey, who sings as if she relates wholeheartedly to the lyric, giving a gutsy, husky performance at the climax. It's a sumptuous love anthem for couples this spring." "My Love" impacted radio in mid-February, where it peaked at #33 in R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

BET J profiled Mariah in March on a special called "Timeless," which chronicled her career through music video and interview clips ranging from 1990's "Vision of Love" to her latest smash, "Touch My Body." Also that month, Mariah was prominently featured on the UK's music channel, 4Music, which aired a timeline of her music videos and a documentary entitled Mariah Carey: The Billion Dollar Babe, which featured an assortment of her musical collaborators from Walter Afanassief to Jay-Z.

Mariah made a trip to South Africa in April, where she attended the opening of Sol Kerzner's One & Only Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. She and husband Nick Cannon attended a luncheon to benefit the Mandela Children's Foundation as part of the celebration. Later that month, the couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary in Las Vegas, with a party at the Moon nightclub. During the celebration, Nick presented a music video that he made set to Mariah's "Love Story," which featured footage from the "Bye Bye" music video, Mariah's 2008 "anniversary" party, and of Nick's proposal to Mariah. While in Las Vegas, they also took in the Pacquiao vs. Hatton Fight at the MGM Grand Boxing Arena.

Soon after Las Vegas, Mariah was off to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival, where Push, which had since been re-named to Precious, would compete in the "Un Certain Regard" section. The film again received rave reviews. The Washington Post noted of Mariah's performance: "Carey's frank, unblinking performance is so free of mannerism and vanity that it literally takes a few moments to realize that it's her on screen." During a post-festival interview at Cannes, Mariah revealed that she and Jermaine Dupri had written and recorded a song called "100 Percent," which would be featured as the theme song to Precious.

Upon her return from France, Mariah made a special announcement via her Twitter page: Her new album, which she had been working on over the course of the past few months, would be called Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. Days later, L.A. Reid premiered a new ballad called "H.A.T.E.U." at the Island Def Jam's Spring Collection at New York's Steven Weiss Studio. At the end of May, Mariah took a break from recording and flew to Turkey, where she performed at the opening of the Mardan Palace Hotel, Europe's most expensive luxury resort. Her four-song set included "Touch My Body" and "Dreamlover."

Back in the US, after returning from Turkey, Mariah attended the Fresh Air Fund's 2009 Salute to American Heroes on June 4. Within the same week, she hit the Apollo Theatre's 75th Anniversary Gala, where she presented Patti Labelle with the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame Award.

In mid-June, Mariah once again took to Twitter to announce the arrival of the first single from Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. She described the song, "Obsessed," as "an uptempo fun summer record" and said that "it's different for me, but clearly, it's SO me!" Mariah and Brett Ratner shot the song's music video at New York's Plaza Hotel. The clip featured Mariah both as herself, seen in the midst of a photo shoot and walking through New York, and dressed in drag as her "obsessed" stalker. She said that playing the stalker was Nick Cannon's idea, and that, despite speculation stating otherwise, she is not portraying Eminem in the music video.

"Obsessed" impacted radio stations worldwide in mid-June. In the U.S., the song received a good response at radio, peaking at #6 on Hot 100 Airplay. "Obsessed" debuted at #11 on the Hot 100 and peaked at #7. giving Mariah her 27th top 10 hit on that chart. Island/Def Jam issued Mariah's first physical CD single since 2003's "Through The Rain," which featured the album version, a remix featuring Gucci Mane, and the music video.

A press release issued by Island/Def Jam days after the single's impact announced an August 25 release date for Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. The majority of the album's tracks were produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, and the record was executive-produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid. Another new song title would be revealed via Mariah's Twitter just days later: "Candy Bling."

As if the excitement for and preparation of the new album wasn't enough, Mariah was gearing up to release her third Elizabeth Arden fragrance: Forever. In a statement, she said "I am in a wonderful place right now, surrounded by all the things I love and Forever captures this moment in time. When I put on this fragrance, I am transformed into feeling glamorous and sophisticated." Mariah shot another Macy's commercial - along with Martha Stewart, Usher and Queen Latifah, among others - to support "Feeding America" for the "Come Together" campaign to help end hunger.

In late June, the world was taken by surprise with the untimely death of entertainment legend Michael Jackson. Mariah released a statement on her Twitter, saying that she was "heartbroken" and that "No artist will ever take his place. His star will shine forever." Mariah and Trey Lorenz gave a very emotional performance of "I'll Be There" in tribute to Jackson at a July 7 memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Another unfortunate loss for Mariah came later in the month of July, with the passing of Bishop Clarence Keaton, who had contributed to "Fly Like A Bird" and "I Wish You Well."

With "Obsessed" taking over the airwaves, the first round of promotion for Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel was announced. Mariah was set to film an episode of VH1's Storytellers on August 6 in New York City and also to perform at "Live on the Plaza" for Today on August 28. Just days after these appearances were announced came another announcement that the album release would be pushed back three weeks. With that delay came the postponement, and eventual cancellation of, Today and Storytellers.

On July 23, Mariah stopped by BET's 106 & Park to premiere the "Obsessed" Remix video featuring Gucci Mane, and to plug her new fragrance, Forever. The regular "Obsessed" video received its premiere on Nick Cannon's NBC show, America's Got Talent, which Mariah returned to in August to perform the song live.

Mariah and Island/Def Jam announced a new innovation in the presentation of the album artwork for Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. The album would feature a 34 page mini-Elle magazine, which would double as the liner notes. The booklet would feature ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Mátier de Beautá and the Bahamas Board of Tourism. Also included would be exclusive photos and commentary from Mariah.

Anticipation for Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel was building, with listening parties held in various places around the world causing buzz about the hot new tracks. At the end of August, the second single hit radio stations in Europe and Australia: "I Want To Know What Love Is," a revival of Foreigner's 1984 hit power ballad. The song went for adds in the U.S. in mid-September. The song was predicted to be a hit, with Entertainment Weekly even saying that "Mariah + Gospel Choir + 'I Want To Know What Love Is' = Ecstacy." Unfortunately, the song did not do well in the US, peaking at #60 on the Hot 100. "I Want To Know What Love Is" fared much better overseas, landing at #3 in Japan and peaking in the top 20 throughout most of Europe, where two of Mariah's biggest hits were her cover songs. "I Want To Know What Love Is" would go on to become a smash hit in Brazil.

As part of the promotional campaign for the new album, Mariah performed a special engagement at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The series of "once-in-a-lifetime, up-close-and-personal performances" debuted on September 11 and 12, with return shows on October 9 and 10. In a concert choreographed by Debbie Allen, Mariah presented a very different setlist from what she had been touring with over the past several years. Gone were show-staples "Dreamlover," "Fantasy" and "I'll Be There" and in their places were album tracks such as "Subtle Invitation" and fan-favorite "Close My Eyes." At the September shows, Mariah debuted two new songs that the audiences had not heard before: "Angels Cry" and "Up Out My Face." In October, she added "H.A.T.E.U." to the show. A streaming video of nine live performances from the September shows was made available to download, exclusively by Iviago.

Immediately following her September shows in Las Vegas, Mariah traveled to Toronto to attend the premiere of Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire during the Toronto International Film Festival. In a Toronto interview, director Lee Daniels revealed that the song "100 Percent" would not be used in the film, because he did not want to use Mariah's music so that she would be noted for her acting.

After that, it was back to New York, where Mariah filmed the music video for "I Want To Know What Love Is" with director Hype Williams, who had previously worked with her on "Sweetheart." On September 18, Mariah and Nick Cannon appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they discussed marriage and Precious before Mariah gave a show-stopping performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" on the Summerstage at Central Park. Finally, on September 29, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel was released. Mariah stopped by NBC's Today to discuss the album and to announce her "Forever" launch event at Macy's later in the day. Three days later, Mariah returned to the Today Show Plaza in Rockefeller Center to perform three new songs from the album, as well as "Make It Happen." Later that day, she appeared on The View for an interview and a performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is." The next day, Mariah and Nick attended a screening of Precious at the New York Film Festival. In addition to all this, Mariah took the time out to appear in an AT&T commercial, in which she appears as the celebrity guest at a hotel, where her accommodations are hooked up by a concierge's clutch 3G smartphone.

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel sold 168,000 copies in its first week, securing a #3 debut on the Billboard charts.

On October 5, Mariah performed an intimate show at the P.C. Richard & Son Theatre in New York. In an exclusive five-song concert that would be aired on iheartradio, she performed three new songs plus "Always Be My Baby" and "We Belong Together." After that, it was off to Las Vegas for the second half of her four-show engagement at the Pearl Concert Theater. The remainder of the month of October saw Mariah off to South Korea to promote Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel with a press conference and a performance on Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook. From Korea, the next stop was Japan, where she performed on Music Station. The month was capped off with a trip to Brazil, where Mariah performed "Obsessed," "Touch My Body" and "Fantasy (Dance Remix)" before the crowd at Oi Fashion Rocks.

Mariah returned to the US in November, where she made appearances on The Jay Leno Show, Larry King Live and Ellen Degeneres. A press conference was held for Precious in Los Angeles, where Mariah also walked the red carpet for the film's screening at the AFI Fest. Precious was released nationwide throughout the month of November, and soared at the box offices, bringing in $585,000 on opening night alone!

While in Los Angeles, Mariah and Brett Ratner shot the music video for "H.A.T.E.U.," which would be the third single from Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. She also filmed a clip for the song in New York, which would be used as a video exclusive to Vevo, a new online music video website which would feature a vast selection of Mariah's videos. Mariah appeared on Late Night With David Letterman to perform "H.A.T.E.U."

Mariah embarked on a promotional tour in Europe, where she hit Italy, United Kingdom and France. While in Europe, she gave radio interviews and performed on major television shows such as Graham Norton, Le Grand Journal, Alan Carr: Chatty Man and X Factor. She also held meet-and-greet events, which fans could win entry into with a qualifying purchase of the "Forever" fragrance.

Back in the US, Mariah and Nick attended the UNICEF Snowflake Ball on December 4, where she presented the "Spirit of Compassion Award" to LA Reid. Several days later, they were in Washington, DC for the TeenNick HALO Awards. Mariah also appeared on Live With Regis & Kelly and on Lopez Tonight where she sat down with comedian George Lopez and also performed "Obsessed" and "It's A Wrap."

With the holiday season approaching, Mariah had a few festive treats up her sleeve. First, she filmed a series of holiday-themed NBA promo spots, featuring "All I Want For Christmas Is You," which would air during the NBA's Christmas Day games. Three brand-new dance remixes of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" were released exclusively to digital outlets online, including Amazon and iTunes. Mariah's signature holiday song had become such a hit that it was declared the world's first double platinum holiday ringtone.

In addition to all this, two exciting new projects were announced. The first was a new double-disc album of remixes for all of the Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel songs. One disc would feature dance remixes, and the other would feature urban remixes. Mariah had already filmed two music videos for the album: "Angels Cry" featuring Ne-Yo, and "Up Out My Face" featuring Nikki Manaj. This would be preceded by the two-month Angels Advocate tour, Mariah's first US tour in over three years was scheduled to start in Atlantic City on January 2 and to conclude in Las Vegas on February 27. The tour would stop in several major markets across the country. The tour would kick off with a special New Year's Eve performance at Madison Square Garden.

After celebrating the holidays in Aspen, Mariah traveled to another one of her favorite spots. In Capri, Italy, she attended the Capri Hollywood International Film Fest, where she received the "Capri Award 09 - Supporting Actress of the Year" for her role in Precious.

After her triumph in Capri, Mariah returned to New York to kick off the new year with several thousand of her fans. Before a packed Madison Square Garden, Mariah descended upon the stage on a sleigh, wearing a short red dress, and opened her show with the remix of "All I Want For Christmas Is You." From there, she kept the energy going with "Shake It Off" and "Touch My Body" before slowing it down with "H.A.T.E.U." There would be many festive moments throughout the show, including Nick Cannon blasting "Migrate" and "More Than Just Friends" from the DJ booth, and Mariah bringing Nick on stage to help her count down to 2010, after which she sang "Auld Lang Syne." Those weren't the only tricks up her sleeve though. The thousands of fans packed into Madison Square Garden were treated to the first live performances of "Emotions" and "Love Hangover/Heartbreaker" in almost ten years. The night ended with a stirring rendition of Mariah's signature closing song, "Hero," after which she left the stage clutching Nick's hand, to go celebrate 2010 in New York City.


MARIAH QUOTES

"I have always been grateful for everything I had, but my personal life was a mess. So many artists just exist for their careers and then burn out quickly. That was me before I met Nick, and he helped me. I always thought that I wouldn't be here at this point. I was thinking, "Okay, I've got another year of life left. This has got to be the end of it." Finally, he was like, "Stop talking like that." I have been obsessed with the whole Marilyn Monroe thing my whole life—all those artists who died young." InTouch "I have had very low self-esteem my whole life. When I was 12 or 13, I remember walking up the driveway, and this guy who was 20—which may have been highly inappropriate—said to me, 'I like your pants,' and I was like 'Oh, that looks good? Oh, OK, I will wear tight pants now.'" Paper "People define a 'ballad' in their own way. I think some people think about it has to be very slow, it has to have like an orchestra. I don't think that that's the only way to make a song into a ballad. Sometimes my ballads, my biggest, most successful ballads will have a tempo as well. I mean, even a song like 'Vision of Love' was not really your typical ballad. So it's hard for me to say what it is that makes a ballad, a ballad because I kind of run the gamut in my songwriting from the slow, very just-piano vocal, background vocals to songs with tempo. So for me it's about the song and what it'd make you feel." The Ballads podcast "My father didn't really understand the whole wanted-to-be-a-singer thing but after he passed away I found all these things that he had saved of mine and all these things that he had, you know stories and things about me, and little things I'd made when I was a little girl and so when we had talked through a lot of issues that we had so it was... I feel really good about both of my parents now." Ent Relay Broadcast News, Korea "Each song is like an intimate conversation or entry in a private diary. A lot of the songs reflect specific, different times in my life. Others were inspired by movies, actual events that happened to me, or the stories of my friends who told me about experiences that they've gone through." Philippine Star "I keep telling myself that I am 12 years old because a lot of good things happened in my life when I was 12. You know, if you keep repeating something to yourself, it becomes true. So when people ask me how I manage to look the way I do, I tell them, 'I'm forever 12'." Philippine Star [The title Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel is] a statement to young girls - but actually to everybody - about how we are all normal and imperfect. We are not what is on the cover of magazines or what we appear to be in flattering press releases. It's OK to be who you are, no matter who you are - and to love accordingly. Liz Smith Interview "Sometimes it's not about topping yourself but making something that makes you feel a certain way. It's not about like, 'I got to beat this one.' Of course, sometimes, I'm a fighter, that's how I think sometimes but not really. The main thing is if I listen to a song that I've done or collaborated with someone on and it makes me feel happy or emotional or whatever way, I'm grateful for it." Leute Heute + De Rode Loper, Germany "I've loved this novel Push by Sapphire for years and just the whole process. It feels like it's a part of me. It really does. I relate to so many of the characters on so many different levels. Everytime I watch it, I still laugh, I still cry. It's one of those things where if someone I know hasn't seen it, I can't wait for them to see it. Not because I want them to see me. I'm almost like, 'Close your eyes, my part is coming up' but because I really feel like it takes us to another level. It really elevates us as a people. I think it's a brilliant piece of work. I really had to become this woman and I had to say lose anything and everything that would be connected with me internally, externally, everything. This woman goes to work every day. She deals with stuff every day with people who basically want their check and she's got to be strong, she has to be tough. And it's difficult." Black Film

TV APPEARANCES

Obama Inauguration Neighborhood Ball, Jan 21:
"Signed, Delivered, I'm Yours" | "Hero" | Backstage


BET J Special: Timeless, Feb 27: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3


4Music Special: The Billion Dollar Babe, Mar 12:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4


Precious at Cannes Film Festival, May 16:
Le Grand Journal | Closer | ITN | Closer (Press Conference)


Grand Opening of Mardan Palace in Turkey, May 23: Red Carpet (RTL)
Red Carpet (Malton Mercury) | Turkish TV | "Dreamlover"


"I'll Be There" at Michael Jackson Memorial, July 7


"Obsessed" on America's Got Talent, Aug 5


Precious Premiere at Toronto Int'l Film Festival, Sept 13


The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sept 18: "I Want To Know What Love Is" | Interview


The Today Show, Sept 29


The View, Oct 2: Interview 1 | Interview 2 | "I Want To Know What Love Is"


MTV The Stage Korea, Oct 14:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5


Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook Korea, Oct 23:
"I Want To Know What Love Is" | "H.A.T.E.U." | Interview


Mezamashi Japan, Oct 16:
Arrival in Japan | Meeting With Fans


Music Station Japan, Oct 16:
Arrival at Studios | Interview | "I Want To Know What Love Is"


The Today Show Mini Concert, Oct 20:
"Make It Happen" | "Obsessed" | "I Want To Know What Love Is" | "H.A.T.E.U."


"Fantasy" Remix at Oi Fashion Rocks Brazil, Oct 24


Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Nov 2: Interview 1 | Interview 2


The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Oct 4


Larry King Live: Show 1 (Nov 2) | Show 2 (Nov 26)


David Letterman Show, Nov 13: Interview | "H.A.T.E.U."


T4 Special UK, Nov 14: Part 1 | Part 2


Alan Carr Chatty Man, Nov 19: Interview | "I Want To Know What Love Is"


The X Factor UK, Nov 22


This Morning UK, Nov 19: Interview | "I Want To Know What Love Is"


4Music Special: Under The Skin Of UK, Dec 9: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3


Regis & Kelly Show, Dec 10


Memoirs Italian Promo, Dec 12:
Verissimo - Interview | X Factor - "I Want To Know What Love Is" + Interview


Lopez Tonight, Dec 16: "Obsessed" | "It's A Wrap"


NBA Christmas Promo Clips, Dec 25


AT&T Commercial


The Making of Memoirs


"My Love" Music Video: Behind-The-Scenes | Music Video


"Obsessed" Music Video:
Video Shoot | Making Of | BET Premiere Part 1 | BET Premiere Part 2
Music Video - Original | Music Video - Remix


Stripped Mini Concert at Tribeca: "Always Be My Baby" | "H.A.T.E.U."
"I Want To Know What Love Is" | "Obsessed" | "We Belong Together"