The Meaning of Mariah Carey is a memoir by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on September 29, 2020. It was written with Michaela Angela Davis, and was published by Andy Cohen Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, as well as in an audiobook format read by Carey herself on Audible. The book navigates the complex racial, social, cultural and familial tensions associated with Carey's upbringing as a biracial woman in Long Island, New York. This is framed alongside first-hand descriptions of the singer's personal and professional triumphs and struggles, and is interspersed with fragments of Car
The Meaning of Mariah Carey is a memoir by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on September 29, 2020. It was written with Michaela Angela Davis, and was published by Andy Cohen Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, as well as in an audiobook format read by Carey herself on Audible. The book navigates the complex racial, social, cultural and familial tensions associated with Carey's upbringing as a biracial woman in Long Island, New York. This is framed alongside first-hand descriptions of the singer's personal and professional triumphs and struggles, and is interspersed with fragments of Car
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The Meaning of Mariah Carey is a memoir by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on September 29, 2020. It was written with Michaela Angela Davis, and was published by Andy Cohen Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, as well as in an audiobook format read by Carey herself on Audible. The book navigates the complex racial, social, cultural and familial tensions associated with Carey's upbringing as a biracial woman in Long Island, New York. This is framed alongside first-hand descriptions of the singer's personal and professional triumphs and struggles, and is interspersed with fragments of Carey's songwriting output.
The memoir was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, becoming a number-one New York Times Best Seller after its first week of release. To promote the memoir, Carey made a series of public appearances on a range of talk shows, including an interview with Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Conversation.
Background
Mariah Carey had considered writing a memoir since 2010 when she was pregnant with her twins Moroccan and Monroe. In the two years prior to The Meaning of Mariah Carey's release, she told stories to co-writer Michaela Angela Davis. The book was first rumored in April 2018, and Carey acknowledged she was working on it during promotional appearances for her fifteenth studio album Caution (2018). On July 9, 2020, she announced the memoir was complete, and subsequently released the book on September 29, 2020.
Contents
The book includes a preface and epilogue and is divided into four parts: "Wayward Child", "Sing. Sing.", "All That Glitters", and "Emancipation". It focuses on Carey's childhood, career, and personal and professional relationships, with less of a focus on events after 2001. Alongside the plot, the inspirations and meanings of many of Carey's songs are explained and are often accompanied by excerpts from them. Chapters occasionally begin or end with lyrics from Carey's songs as epigraphs, and Bible verses are incorporated.
Media outlets noted that men associated with her such as Eminem and former fiancé James Packer are absent. Her role as a judge on American Idol and feud with Nicki Minaj is unrecognized. She explained: "If somebody or something didn't pertain to the actual meaning of Mariah Carey, as is the title, then they aren't in the book."
Carey witnessed violent fights between her older brother Morgan and parents Alfred and Patricia at a young age. She used music as an escape and sang herself lullabies. Patricia and a childhood friend recognized Carey's vocal talent; their validation was her raison d'être. The relationship deteriorated after Patricia warned Carey "you should only hope that one day you become half the singer I am". Carey was neglected and her safety was disregarded by Patricia. She felt inferior because of her unkempt matted hair and experiences with racism, including being called a nigger by a group of white girls. Her older sister Alison brought twelve-year-old Carey to a whorehouse and her pimp boyfriend kissed Carey at a drive-in theater. Alison drugged Carey and gave her third-degree burns.
After graduating from high school, Carey moved to New York City. She began working with other artists such as Brenda K. Starr, who introduced her to record executive Tommy Mottola. Carey signed with his label, Columbia, and they entered a working relationship. Mottola advanced romantic gestures, and she was attracted to him for the "sense of home" he provided. Mottola was determined to marry her, and Carey agreed in hoping he would loosen his grasp on her life. The marriage became strained as soon as their honeymoon. Mottola stifled Carey's voice, removed blackness from her music and appearance, and prevented her from realizing she was appreciated by others. As she was monitored with security cameras and an intercom system inside of the house and secretly followed by Mottola's security when leaving it, Carey likens herself to a captive in a prison. While Mottola "tried to destroy" her, she began a covert relationship with professional baseball player Derek Jeter, and their encounters deepened her music on Butterfly (1997). Coupled with Jeter, Carey separated from Mottola after he dragged a butter knife down her face. She divorced him and left Columbia for Virgin Records.
Carey's first album on her new label would be the soundtrack to the film Glitter (2001). Mottola continued to exert control over her career by interfering with both the film and album. To spite her after leaving him, the script became reductive and two of the soundtrack's songs were used to create similar-sounding ones for Jennifer Lopez. Combined with her demanding schedule, Mottola's meddling, and a tabloid frenzy over her appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, Carey was crippled with anxiety, fear, and exhaustion. Having almost no sleep in nearly a week, Morgan directed her to rest at their mother's house. Patricia woke Carey up and told her to go back to work. Carey verbally lashed out at Patricia, who called the police on her. Morgan convinced Carey to enter two facilities, both of which were unsuited to her needs. She was released from the second after the September 11 attacks and went on to promote Glitter. Carey entered therapy and was diagnosed with somatization. She was advised to no longer have contact with her siblings.
Carey departed Virgin for Island Records and recorded Charmbracelet (2002). She reconnected with God by being rebaptized and beginning a three-year study of the Bible. Carey appreciated the commercial success of The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) and the critical response to her role in Precious (2009) for their ability to make both the public and herself move on from Glitter. After starting a relationship with entertainer Nick Cannon, they quickly married to have children, though they would later divorce. Carey was delighted that "All I Want for Christmas Is You" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 music chart for the first time in 2019 and expresses how ful
