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On June 12, 1990, Carey's self-titled debut hit stores, launching the
career ofone of pop's biggest superstars.
By the time Mariah Carey put out her debut album, she already had a
reputation among music-biz insiders as a megastar in the making. "They
were saying, 'This girl has really got it. She's the next Aretha
Franklin,'" recalls producer Rhett Lawrence (Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed
Peas). When Lawrence eventually heard Carey's demo, he jumped at the
chance to work on her first album. "Man, I was knocked out," he says.
"She was even better than the hype."
Sony Music's then CEO Tommy Mottola had personally signed the
20-year-old Long Island native (they would later wed and divorce), and
it's easy to see why he was so excited. Carey's debut introduced the
world to a new kind of pop diva. A gifted vocalist, she decorated slow
jams like "Vision of Love" (co-produced by Lawrence) with dizzying high
notes and operatic trills. Even so, her novel mix of styles didn't
immediately connect. "She went against the norm," says producer Walter
Afanasieff, who would go on to work closely with Carey throughout the
'90s. "That's not what was on the radio in 1990." The album debuted at a
lowly No. 80.
But the world soon caught on:
Mariah Carey eventually
hit No. 1 and stayed there for 11 weeks. It has since been certified
nine times platinum. The album also netted Carey two Grammys, including
Best New Artist. And while the singer has seen her ups and downs, her
debut remains a high point. "I will always thank Mariah for my
experience on that album," says Afanasieff. "It was like a school that
we all graduated from, and everybody went on to achieve massive success -
Mariah especially."
--Simon Vozick-Levinson, Entertainment Weekly
Don't forget to join us for a special contest celebrating the anniversary of Mariah's debut album release tomorrow here on
www.MariahCarey.com!