Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.
Carey took control over her image and music following her separation from Mottola in 1997, and introduced elements of hip hop into her album work. Her popularity was in decline when she left Columbia in 2001, and she was dropped by Virgin Records the following year following a highly publicized physical and emotional breakdown, as well as the poor reception given to Glitter, her film and soundtrack project. In 2002, Carey signed with Island Records and after a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to the forefront of pop music in 2005.
