Mariah Carey

Where you’ve seen her:
She once dominated planet pop with a steady stream of number-one singles, earning her the mantle of best-selling female ever. In recent years, struggles with exhaustion, poor album sales, and a certain Glittering box-office bomb seemed to slow her momentum but, lucky for us, she's back with a vengeance after her 2005 release, The Emancipation of Mimi.

Diva and conquer:
“Hey, I know I can be diva-ish sometimes but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is. But, you know, the way people are using the word these days, anybody who has one record is suddenly a diva. I mean, give me a break. You have to earn that title.”

Blowing her cover:
“There was a time when I had to wear turtlenecks, and that wasn't me. Everyone was shocked when I broke out of that.”

Reality check:
“I don't think people really want to watch a video of me looking how I look when I'm recording–which is, like, boxer shorts, no makeup and a tank top. To me, videos are like dress-up moments. We all want to look good, you know.”

Check out this Vision of Loveliness:
Mariah's artist page on Blender.com

September 2003 (#69)