April
 

MonarC Entertainment/Island Records and Mariah Carey Announce Honey B. Fly - the Official Mariah Carey Fan Club Mariahcareyfanclub.com gives consumers value-added experience with opportunity to purchase premium pre-sale concert tickets and more In an effort to offer a valued relationship between fans and artists, MonarC Entertainment/Island Records and Mariah Carey are launching Honey B. Fly - the official Mariah Carey Fan Club. Set to launch today, Mariah's fans can join the official club online via her website mariahcareyfanclub.com. Membership costs $35 dollars annually in the U.S., and $45 dollars for members outside the U.S. Fans who register through mariahcareyfanclub.com will receive an introductory letter from Mariah, an autographed photo, a membership card and an official fan club t-shirt. In addition, the consumer's connection with Mariah will be maintained through additional incentives, including live chats with her, access to rare and unreleased Mariah music and videos, along with early access to new music and videos. There will also be special fan club members' only contests, an exclusive message board and chat room, along with access to exclusive Mariah photos. Upcoming offers for members also include the opportunity to purchase premium pre-sale concert tickets, exclusive ring tones for mobile phones, along with select Mariah merchandise (and discounts on general merchandise). Also available to fans are special desktop backgrounds, AIM icons, as well as a subscription to a fan club e-mail newsletter, among other offers. About Honey B. Fly, Mariah Carey said, "I have such a close connection with my fans; they are like an extended family to me. Honey B. Fly is really a way for me to have personal contact and involvement with them worldwide." "The Honey B. Fly Fan Club is a tremendous opportunity for Mariah's most avid fans to gain a more intimate relationship through a compelling online experience," said Larry Mattera, Vice President, New Media, The Island Def Jam Music Group. "Island Def Jam is constantly looking for new ways to help our artists offer value-added experiences to their fans. We are thrilled to launch this new platform with Mariah, and expect to partner with other members of our roster to launch fan clubs soon." According to Jerry Blair, President, MonarC Entertainment, "Mariah has always had an amazing and personal relationship with her fans around the world. With the re-launch of mariahcarey.com, we have developed an incredible destination for her to remain in constant communication with hundreds of thousands of fans and visitors each month. The creation of the Honey B. Fly Fan Club is the natural progression to provide Mariah with yet another outlet to retain this uniquely intimate relationship. Our goal is to provide unparalleled content and information, and in the process redefine what it means to be a part of an artist's fan club. We've worked hand in hand with our partners at Island Def Jam to accomplish this goal, and are extremely excited to get up and running." The Island Def Jam Music Group is home to a multi-cultural and diverse family of artists and has fast become one of the most successful labels in the industry. It is comprised of Island Records, Def Jam Recordings and Def Soul, and is in partnerships with American Recordings, Lost Highway Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Inc, Bloodline Records, Java Records, Roadrunner Records and MonarC Music. In addition to Carey, the roster boasts an array of talented artists including Jay-Z, Bon Jovi, Ludacris, Ashanti, Ryan Adams, Nickelback, Musiq, Slipknot, American Hi-Fi, Method Man, Hoobastank, Ja Rule, Sum 41, Slayer, Kelly Price, Saliva and DMX.

May
 

From The Advocate (All rights reserved) Mariah's gay adventure LOOK, UNDER THE MIRROR BALL! It's a bird, it's a butterfly, it's Mariah Carey! Gay Londoners are still buzzing about the sultry songbird's recent surprise 3 A.M. performance at the Soho neighborhood hot spot G.A.Y. According to witnesses, Carey, clad in a slinky black dress, made her entrance on a pink chaise lounge carried by a bevy of buff male concubines sporting square-cut trunks and butterfly wings. She then proceeded to writhe and coo her way through a 30-minute set including such hits as "Butterfly" and "Boy (I Need You)." Reports of crowd reaction have been mixed, but according to syndicated columnist Liz Smith, Mariah was so thrilled with the outing that she plans to pop up at other gay hangouts before heading to Asia in June to kick off her world tour. Smith also claimed that it was the first time the singer reached out so exclusively to her gay fans.

Mariah Interview - VH1 In 1997, Mariah Carey didn’t need to prove herself to anyone but herself. She had sold millions of records and tied Whitney Houston and Madonna for the most No. 1s by a female artist - all by the tender age of 27. But following the New York diva’s divorce from Tommy Mottola, the CBS exec who discovered her and shaped her career, there was a question in the air: could Mariah soar on her own? She told VH1 about how her troubled childhood, love for hip-hop, and sexy video led to Butterfly, and her greatest personal triumph so far. VH1: Where did you get the inspiration for the title Butterfly? - Mariah: Butterfly was about leaving one section of my life and moving on to another. The title track was a wish list of things I hoped somebody would say to me, but I wrote it as though I were talking to someone else. The lines “Spread your wings and prepare to fly/ For you have become a Butterfly/ Fly abandoningly into the sun” is like someone saying, “Do your thing.” There’s another line: “Wild horses run unbridled/ Or their spirit dies.” You can't restrain a free spirit – either you're going to break them or they're going to leave and never come back. VH1: You originally wrote “Close My Eyes” four years before Butterfly. How did it happen? - Mariah: I had just done my first concert for a TV special in Schenectady, N.Y. I hadn't done anything other than Unplugged and little one-off shows with a piano player, so if was like my first real concert. I got off stage and went home to this really pretty farm in upstate New York. I was taking a bath and looking out the window - one of my favorite things. The moon was out and I was reflecting on my life. It was the first time I really sat and took it all in. It's almost like I watched my whole career go by. I took a breath and said, “I’ve really accomplished something. What did it take to get here?” That started the concept for the song. I wrote the whole first verse and kept it in the back of my mind - I didn't even write it down – for like four years. Fast forward to '97, and while writing Butterfly, I picked up where I left off after the first chorus. VH1: So the song could be about your career so far. - Mariah: There are a lot of different things in the song that are personal and symbolic for me. A lot of my fans get very specific about that song because they apply it to their lives. I've read the letters and they really relate to that song. I don't want to say what my symbols are because it's about whatever they want to read into it. I like to keep some of those things for myself. VH1: What was it about this album that allowed you to let all these emotions come out? - Mariah: I guess I was putting my foot down and trying to be free. It's like when you've been confined for a long time. You’re like a kid in school and then it's recess. Butterfly was almost like recess. (Laughs) I was still going through a confusing personal change. The line in “Close My Eyes,” “I feel like a child as I look at the moon/ Maybe I grew up a little too soon,” encompasses the whole thing really. VH1: Tell me a little about your childhood, and the things you learned too soon. - Mariah: Well, it's hard for me to get specific about that. I saw a lot of stuff as a child that some people don't even see who live to be in their 70s. My life is something most people don't understand. A lot of dysfunction went on. VH1: The song “Outside” is about never fitting in. Did you draw on childhood memories for that? - Mariah: I wrote “Outside” as a multi-racial person and having the feeling there's no one the same as you. That’s how I felt growing up. It wasn’t the easiest thing to go that road alone. I have a lot of memories like being in kindergarten and drawing a picture of my family and the teachers are going, “You're using the wrong color! Why are you making your father brown?” That's the first time that I felt like there was something wrong with me. I always hated my name because it made me feel different. Now when people come up to me and they're like, “This is my baby, her name is Mariah,” and it's an interracial baby, I feel like, “Okay, I'm not alone like I used to be.” VH1: Didn’t your name come from a song? - Mariah: My name comes from “They Call the Wind Mariah,” a song from the musical Paint Your Wagon. When I was little, everybody's father or mother would sing the song to me, and I couldn't stand it. No teacher could ever pronounce it. I was like, “Why couldn't my name just be like Debbie or something?” Now I'm happy because at least it's unique. VH1: Was “Honey” written about anybody in particular? - Mariah: “Honey” probably is written about somebody in particular. (Laughs) VH1: Can a relationship with someone else fuel your music? - Mariah: It does. I can take a scenario from eighth grade and go, “Okay, I'm going to write about this as if it's now.” I could take a scenario from the year of Butterfly, and write about it like it's yesterday. I wrote the lyrics to “Honey” in Puerto Rico on this boat. I kept rewinding the track and watching people jet-ski, thinking, “That would be cool for the video.” I never think about the video when I'm writing the song, usually, but the whole atmosphere seemed right. VH1: Both “Honey” and “The Roof” were based around loops of hip-hop records. - Mariah: The original loop on “Honey” was from “Body Rock” by the Treacherous Three. That was Q-Tip's idea. It was my idea to throw in the “Hey DJ” part, because that was always one of my favorite songs. With “The Roof,” I based it on a loop from a rap record called “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep. I was driving upstate in the car one day, listening to the radio. “Shook Ones” was on and I just started singing a melody on top of it. VH1: Were you afraid such an urban sound was going to be too much of a departure for your fans? - Mariah: I still don't see why people think that. It’s not that different from “Fantasy” being based on a Tom Tom Club loop and featuring Old Dirty Bastard on the remix. At the time, people were in shock. “Mariah’s working with ODB? How did that happen?” It’s always like there's got to be a new story, and the new story is Mariah went hip-hop. Whoa! Butterfly has a lot of ballads on it, too. VH1: Had hip-hop always been a presence in your life? - Mariah: The minute we heard the Sugar Hill Gang on the radio as kids, we started memorizing it. Hip-hop is an art form that continues to evolve. Music executives would say to me, “This is a fad,” and I'd be like, “You don't even know what you're talking about. You guys are the last ones to know sometimes. I've been listening to this music since I was in fifth grade!” VH1: The “Honey” video got a lot of people talking, too. - Mariah: People felt like my image changed because suddenly I could do what I wanted to. But “Honey” is quite tame compared to some of the videos that are out now by quote/unquote pop artists. Yes, I do strip down and all that stuff, but I'm not like stripping. There's a bikini. To me, it's all very playful and done in fun. It was totally up my alley because who else is going to swim with Gucci stilettos on? That's very me. For the first time, I got the chance to have fun making a video and be myself. Like the running on the beach with the dog? That's me. When you don't see me on TV, that's what I'm doing. (Laughs) VH1: Did your ex-husband Tommy Mottola know what your plans were for Butterfly?  - Mariah: I would bring him in the studio and have him listen sometimes, asking him “Do you like this?” That happened once or twice, but it was different than before. I enjoyed listening to music with him. He’s very smart. We really connected on that stuff except most of the time I would lean more urban, because that's just what I grew up with. VH1: Did you miss having his input on the album? - Mariah: No. The truth is, I was the one in the studio for hours and hours. He would come in and give input every now and then. Butterfly was just an extension of where I'd already been going anyway. It was my vision. It wasn't about “Let me get the approval on every single song and every single thing I'm singing and every single hit.” (Laughs) VH1: I read when the album was released you cried, like you lost a part of you. - Mariah: It was the first time it was something that was completely my own expression, without anybody holding me back. It was an emotional time for me anyway, but it meant a lot to me. It still does. That record is like the only one that I'll leave on from start to finish. VH1: With Butterfly did you transform from a girl to a woman? - Mariah: It was a metamorphosis for me, but I don't know if it was a growing up thing. It was more allowing myself to celebrate my life and deal with my life in adult terms. It's funny. It’s my friends’ favorite album, too. Sometimes when we're on vacation we'll just go and listen to Butterfly. If there is one record that people who aren't necessarily fans of mine were to buy, I would say to get Butterfly. Because you don't have to be a fan of hearing me hit the high note 25 times to appreciate some of these songs that show a different side of me. It's definitely a milestone.

October
 

From the Sunday Mirror Mariah Carey 'I was a champion arm wrestler' I'm getting out of the back seat of a chauffeur-driven car because I don't drive these days - I don't have a licence because I let it expire. I guess one day I'll have to take my driving test again, which is something I'm definitely not looking forward to.  I'm a big fan of sandy beaches. This is me in Florida recently, just relaxing and unwinding. I hung out with some friends, and we went swimming and had a laugh. I'm very critical of my body. People compliment me on my feet, so they must be OK, but that's about the only thing I like. I'd love to be one of those people who really don't care about their looks but I can only be like that when I'm in a bathing suit. When I'm working, I have to worry about every strand of hair.  Here I am on the island of Capri in Italy with some of the boys from Westlife. Capri is my favourite place in the world - I've been there for holidays several times and have also recorded there, including the cover of Against All Odds I did with Westlife. We had a great time working on the single, and I thought the boys were great. We also had an Irish connection going on as my mom's family is originally from Ireland. I adore eating - and cooking. Linguine with white clam sauce is my speciality, and I make a really good chicken dish in a red pasta sauce. I always ask my date what he'd like, then cook that anyway. Home-cooked food is the best - hotels usually have disgusting food. And after you've been in as many as I have, it all tastes the same anyway.  This was about two years ago. I was on a promotional tour in London and decided to drop in on the US troops in Kosovo to bring them some cheer. I spent a full day with the soldiers - it was a great experience and a really busy day. I flew in a Chinook helicopter, which was a first for me, then joined the soldiers to eat lunch in the mess hall. Later I sang a few songs for them.  I love butterflies - not real ones, but my collection of things with butterfly designs on them. My friends keep giving me presents like butterfly hair clips and jewellery boxes. I like jewellery but I've only just got into it in the last couple of years. I'm not really flashy, and I didn't believe in it before then.  This was in Toronto on a rare day off from my current Charmbracelet tour. I just love rollercoasters. In fact, my perfect date would be to go to an amusement park - I love rides that really freak you out and scare you. It was so weird here, with people shouting, 'Mariah, Mariah' at me when I was trying to compose myself to drop 300ft.  Here's me with my dog Jack. He's a total delight and very, very cute. He is a Jack Russell and even has his own fans. There's this one great girl in Japan who comes to my concerts dressed up as Jack. She also has a complete website devoted just to him.  The beginning of a beautiful friendship. It was great performing with Whitney Houston. In this picture we were at the MTV Video Music Awards - I think it was about five years ago. See our matching black dresses? I said to Whitney, 'Nice dress.'  MY 'TOUGH GIRL' PIC  This is my high school photo from 11th grade. I was a scrapper when I was growing up, one of those girls that everybody used to think, "I'd better not mess with her" about. My brother was a karate black belt so he used to teach me how to fight when I was little. No girlie hair-pulling, but full-on moves. In sixth grade I was champion at arm wrestling, I beat all the guys bar two. I'm still pretty good. Mariah is currently on her Charmbracelet world tour and will be visiting the UK from 25 October.

From Mix Mariah Carey Out with Sennheiser HS 1 Headset Currently on her Charmbracelet tour, a Vegas-style musical variety showcase, Mariah Carey's audio crew chose Sennheiser RF microphone equipment, including a new Sennheiser Evolution 500 Series handheld mic and the Sennheiser HS 1 headset with ME 105 capsule. Monitor engineer for this tour is Glen Colett, who started in the business as FOH engineer for Waylon Jennings in 1976 and spent 16 years mixing monitors for Bryan Adams. Explaining the need for the headset, he said, "Mariah does a 'fly gag' where she's placed up in a hoist. She comes down from the ceiling in this little basket and descends on top of the piano. She sings during the whole sequence." On choosing the Sennheiser gear, Colett recalled, "It came in, we tried it and both the front-of-house engineer, Trip Khalaf, and I said, 'Wow, that sounds really nice!' We're using the tiny Sennheiser SK 5012 pack, which is awesome. It works great with the headset and sounds better than anything out there. What a great unit." Carey relies on Sennheiser Evolution 500 Wireless Series microphones for most parts of her show. "The Evolution SK 500 handheld is paired with a custom dynamic capsule," explained Colett. "Carey's voice has a wide dynamic range so we needed the reduced sensitivity of a dynamic capsule to avoid bleed from other onstage sources during her soft passages. The construction of the SK 500 handheld transmitter afforded the ability to tune the capsule, which made the pairing ideal. This combination is just fantastic. It's working really well. We've got a couple of the mics with the second one modified for a little more high end." Carey is joined onstage by a five-piece band and four backing singers, as well as dancers. "The entire band is on wireless in-ears apart from her," said Colett. "Carey is instead ringed by speaker wedges, which are bolstered by sidefills. All the wireless in-ears are the Sennheiser's Evolution 300 Series. "We'll finish this one on November 7th and that'll be it," continued Colett, who reveals that he will then likely be back out on the road with one of his regular accounts, which include Bette Midler, Paul Simon and *NSYNC.

 
 

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Heroes of Mariah 2000
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