Mariah Carey Biography:
Date of Birth: March 27, 1969
"Music is what I love and it's what I feel and it's in me and to know that I can do something that I enjoy and hopefully bring some enjoyment to other people." - Mariah Carey
Born and raised in New York, Carey had a difficult childhood. Raised with her two older sisters by a single mother who was a former opera singer, Mariah and her siblings were often forced to move around and stay with friends. "Those were frightening periods," Carey has said of her childhood. "I always felt like the rug could be pulled out from under me at any time." Luckily, she discovered the art of singing and had a natural talent for it. Having perfect pitch, she could sing back exactly what she heard at the age of four. By the time she was in junior high school, she had begun to write songs. While getting through school, she worked at a number of odd jobs including sweeping up hair at a salon, and a number of waitress positions.
At age 18, however, things were about to change for Carey. She attended an industry party where she met a the president of Sony Music Entertainment. She gave him a demo tape before he left, and after listening to it in the car, he raced back to the party only to discover she had left. He eventually tracked her down and a year later, she had a record deal with Sony. She released her self-titled debut album in 1990. For the rest of the decade Mariah devoted day and night to her music, releasing an astounding seven albums, all of which topped the charts.
Starting her acting career in 1999 with a small role in The Bachelor, she continued to work in this genre of entertainment, starring in her next film, Glitter (2001), which was loosely based on her life.
She married the man responsible for her jump start into stardom, Tommy Mottola, president of Sony Music, in 1993. A short-lived union that only lasted four years, Carey admits she wasn't emotionally ready for marriage.
On April 30, 2008, she married actor Nick Cannon in an impromptu ceremony in the Caribbean. They renewed their vows in April 2010 at their home in Beverly Hills. On April 30, 2011, Mariah gave birth to twins, named Monroe and Moroccan.
Unfortunately, in May 2014, the two were legally separated and shortly afterward, filed for divorce.