On The Road Again

sábado, 31 de mayo de 2025

Mariah Carey "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (Australia, Def Jam Recordings, 3744049)"

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on May 27, 2014 in the United States, by Def Jam Recordings. The record had been in development since 2011; during its production, Carey hired collaborator Randy Jackson to manage her career, before firing and replacing him with another frequent collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. The album consists of guest appearances from Nas, Miguel, Wale, and Fabolous, in addition to Carey's twins Moroccan and Monroe. On the deluxe edition of the album, R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige respectively make appearances on remixes of two songs, "Betcha Gon’ Know" and "It's a Wrap", taken from Carey's twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). These remixes were originally intended to appear on Carey's cancelled remix album, Angel's Advocate (2010).

Originally titled The Art of Letting Go, Me. I Am Mariah... was scheduled for release in 2012 but, following the commercial failure of the single, "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill, additional songs were recorded for the album causing the release date to be pushed back several times by the record company throughout 2013 and again in 2014. Together with Bryan Michael Cox, Carey and Dupri were executive producers on the album. It is named after a self-portrait that Carey drew as a very young girl that she captioned "Me. I Am Mariah". The portion of the album called "The Elusive Chanteuse" is a nickname Carey gave herself for the album.

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse was promoted through several media appearances by Carey, as well as The Elusive Chanteuse Show. Singles released from the album included the US Hot 100 top twenty song "#Beautiful" (a duet with Miguel), "The Art of Letting Go", "You're Mine (Eternal)", and "You Don't Know What to Do" (featuring rapper Wale). Of these, "You're Mine (Eternal)", peaked at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

On September 29, 2009, Carey's twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, was released. Following the cancellation of Angels Advocate, a remix album of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, it was announced that Carey would return to the studio to start work on her thirteenth studio album. It was later revealed that it would be her second Christmas album. The album, titled Merry Christmas II You, was released alongside an accompanying DVD, and was sent to retailers on November 2, 2010. Merry Christmas II You debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with sales of 56,000 copies. It also became Carey's 16th top ten album in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart. Following the birth of her children, Carey began work on her fourteenth studio album.

The first indication that Carey had begun work on her fourteenth studio album was in February 2011, with Carey stating: "I start writing for my new album this week-but it's just the beginning...." In March 2011, Carey's representative said she will donate royalties for the song "Save the Day", which she had written for her upcoming studio album, to charities that create awareness for human-rights issues. Her husband Nick Cannon told Billboard in May 2011 that Carey had already completed a good amount of recording for a new album, a few months before during her pregnancy: "She's planning on having a [new single] out this year. She's been working away, and we have a studio in the crib, and [the pregnancy] has totally inspired her on so many different levels." Additionally, Cannon confirmed that Carey was inspired by her debut self-titled album and its follow-up, Emotions.

In January 2012, Cannon updated everyone on the album, saying: "My beautiful wife is planning to make her return to the music scene after taking time off to focus on the pregnancy and the birth of our two wonderful babies, Moroccan and Monroe." On August 3, 2012, Carey released "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", a collaboration with rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill, which was originally claimed to be the lead single for her upcoming studio album. The single garnered low impact both critically and commercially, and was eventually removed from the album. The Island Def Jam Music Group was shuttered by Universal Music Group on April 1, 2014. Island Records and Def Jam Recordings operate as separate entities, with Carey being transferred from Island to Def Jam.

In September 2011, producer and friend Jermaine Dupri took to his social network Global14 to reveal that he's back in the studio with Carey working on new music. In August 2012, Bryan Michael Cox said about the album: "She was committed to making it before she got pregnant. Then she got pregnant and she took the time off. Then after she came back, we started really vibing again and we picked up right where we left off. I just feel like between [record producer] Jermaine Dupri, myself and her, we came up with a few things that [are] really, really a solid body of work". In September 2012, Carey was in the studio with R. Kelly.

Carey said about her fourteenth studio album: "I'm collaborating with a lot of my favorite people but the main thing is [that] I'm not trying to follow any particular trend, I want it to be well received. I want to stay true to myself and the music that I love and make the fans happy".[19] Some of the people that Carey worked with on the album include: DJ Clue?, Randy Jackson, Q-Tip, R. Kelly, David Morales, Loris Holland, Stevie J, James Fauntleroy, Ray Angry, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, James "Big Jim" Wright, Hit-Boy, The-Dream, Da Brat, and Rodney Jerkins.

Carey gave Billboard an exclusive interview in their March 9, 2013, issue, stating: "It's about making sure I have tons of good music, because at the end of the day, that's the most important thing.... There are a lot more raw ballads than people might expect... there are also uptempo and signature-type songs that represent [my] different facets as an artist.... Wherever we go with this project, I've tried to keep the soul and heart in it." Billboard also asked Carey about the title of the album, but she declined to reveal it.[22] In late March 2013, Carey stated that she "has more than enough songs" but "she's in the process of finishing things and mixing and all that". In mid-2013, she was seen in the studio on separate occasions with Mike Will Made It and Young Jeezy, Wale, and Nas. In October 2013, Jermaine Dupri was announced as Carey's new manager.

In an interview in February 2014, Carey added that there are songs on the album that are about her husband Nick Cannon as well as songs that she wrote specifically for her twins Moroccan and Monroe. That same month, Carey announced to MTV News that she has added three new songs to the track list, one extra Hitboy record and two new remixes and stated that she is in the process of choosing a new title for the album. The two remixes are of the songs "Betcha Gon' Know" and "It's a Wrap", previously featured on 2009's Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel; R. Kelly features on the former, while Mary J. Blige features on the latter. The cover versions were confirmed to be George Michael's 1988 single, "One More Try", and cover of a Mary Mary song, "Can't Give Up Now", with a slightly different arrangement and additional writing credit by Carey. There is also a cover of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful" for the Japanese CD edition of the album.

Consisting of fifteen songs and four deluxe songs Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is an R&B album with a diverse musical style that incorporates hip hop, hip hop soul, soul and elements of disco and gospel. Mike Wass of Idolator described the album as being a concept album that journeys through the eras of R&B, from Motown to the '90s, disco and early hip-hop.

Writing for The Boston Globe, Sarah Rodman said "Me. I Am Mariah... offers up rhythmic hip-hop pop, gospel-inflected power ballads, old-school soul, and straight-up disco fantasias"; Rodman described the album's production as being built over a "pulsating atmosphere" and "fidgety rhythmic tracks." Jim Farber of New York Daily News said the album as a return to form after Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), which Fader described as a "disastrous". He noted the album's musical content as containing "grand balladry, and formal melodies."

Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly, noted "nostalgia" to be a big and recurring theme both lyrically and musically, continuing to comment on this saying the "arrangements that borrow from Inner Life's disco rave-up 'I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)' and the O'Jays' Philly-soul classic 'Let Me Make Love to You'." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine noted the album's lyrics to be "personal, crazy. Crazy personal," Henderson continued calling the album's lyrical content an "deliberately confusing innocence with insight, obliviousness with bliss." Carey's voice on the album was described by Elysa Gardner of USA Today, as "artful melisma, robust belting and decorative high notes." Gardner continued, noting Mariah's use of her "supple middle and lower registers to convey feeling simply and directly."

On June 16, 2013, Walmart put the album up for pre-order and revealed its title as The Art of Letting Go. The following day, producer Jermaine Dupri confirmed that Walmart was correct and that the album would be called The Art of Letting Go.[66] In February 2014, Carey expressed dismay that the album's title had leaked and confirmed that a new title would now be chosen. The album is now titled Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, a two-part title taking its name from two things personal to Carey. The first part is the caption from Carey's "first and only self-portrait", a drawing she drew as a child which is included as part of the album's back cover, while the second half is a nickname she's adopted recently. Summarizing the title and album's concept, Carey said "This album is a reflection of some of the peaks and valleys that made me who I am today. I've always known me. I am Mariah." Carl Williot from Idolator called the album title both "absurd" and "insane". He also lambasted Carey for including "annoying" punctuation in the track listing, including a hashtag (#) for the song "#Beautiful", a period (.) for the song "Cry." and appending characters to the song "Money ($ * / ...)". Time's Dan Macsai called it the "greatest, most over-the-top album title of all time."

On the standard edition cover, Carey poses with her arms behind her head, while wearing a nude-colored crocheted swimsuit. The deluxe edition features a close-up of Carey's face, on the same sun-kissed background. Jeremy Blacklow from Yahoo! Music commented that some fans felt that the album covers "look retouched to the extreme".

In the April 2012 issue of Shape magazine, Carey stated: "I've started writing songs for a new album, which I hope will come out in 2012. Getting back in the studio and making music again-which I truly love doing-is the best way to end this crazy year". In August 2012, Carey's then-manager Randy Jackson told Billboard that the album was set for release in March 2013. Carey told Ryan Seacrest in September 2012: "I want[ed] [it] to [be released] sooner, but I guess it wouldn't be ready until around January 2013, somewhere around there. I wanted to put another single out, a ballad. I love it, but I'm still writing, I'm still working. So, you never know what it's going to end up being".

In February 2013, Carey stated that she wanted to release the album as soon as possible. The album was delayed to May 2013, which soon changed to July 23, 2013. However, the album was again delayed. On February 10, 2014, it was announced that the album was then set for release on May 6, 2014. Carey discussed issues around the failed singles and push backs during an interview with Billboard, for the magazine's cover story. She said that she wanted fans to hear the album as a full body of work and thus performance of individual singles was less important. Carey also considered a "Beyoncé-style surprise digital release" – Beyoncé released her self-titled album to the iTunes Store in December 2013 without any prior warning, but Def Jam confirmed that Carey's album would receive a traditional release with pre-orders starting May 1, 2014, and a pre-announced album cover, track listing and release date for May 27, 2014. The album also was released early to stream via USA iTunes 'First Play' on May 20, 2014. The album served as Carey's final release under her deal with Def Jam.

In the United States, Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart with sales of 58,000 copies. It was her 17th top-ten album in the US since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991. It was present on the US Billboard 200 for a total of eight weeks, becoming her album with the shortest chart run to that point. As of April 2015, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse had sold 122,000 copies in the United States, making it her lowest-selling album at the time. Billboard speculated that its initial ratio of first-week sales to its sharp decline in sales thereafter suggested that interest in the album came primarily from a decreasing group of die-hard fans.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number fourteen on the UK Albums Chart, with sales of 6,547 copies. In its second week, the album dropped forty places to number 54, before completely falling out of the top 100 in its third week.

Track listing

Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse – Standard edition

"Cry." 4:49
"Faded" 3:39
"Dedicated" (featuring Nas) 4:13
"#Beautiful" (featuring Miguel) 3:20
"Thirsty" 3:26
"Make It Look Good" 3:23
"You're Mine (Eternal)" 3:44
"You Don't Know What to Do" (featuring Wale) 4:47
"Supernatural" 4:38
"Meteorite" 3:51
"Camouflage" 4:49
"Money ($ * / ...)" (featuring Fabolous) 4:55
"One More Try" 6:17
"Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can't Give Up Now)" 5:39

Marketed in Australasia by Universal Music Australia

Made in Australia

Mariah Carey "Lovesongs (2010 Reissue, EU, Columbia, 88697651402)"

The Ballads is the third compilation album by American singer Mariah Carey. The album features some of Carey's top selling ballads over the course of her career. It was released internationally in late 2008, and in North America in January 2010. It was also re-released in the UK as LoveSongs, in February 2010.

The album contains some of Carey's hits and singles from her time at Columbia Records, except for selected tracks from Glitter (2001). It does not feature any new material or include songs recorded with her then-current label, Island Records.

The 1993 single "Hero" was re-recorded and re-released to promote The Ballads compilation. The video shows Mariah Carey walking into the recording room accompanied by her dog, lingering in the studio and singing to the song. It is intercut with a scene of New York City during the night.

Carey performed "Hero" at the Inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, in Washington, D.C., and was featured on a CBS TV special.

A limited edition of The Ballads was being sold exclusively at all Target Stores; this edition included a small bottle of Carey's fragrance Luscious Pink.

The album debuted at number 17 on UK Albums Chart. Following a successful appearance on X Factor, the album peaked at number 13 in its 4th week and remained on chart for ten consecutive weeks. In Ireland, the album peaked at number 8 and remained on chart for twelve weeks, and has been certified gold. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 19, remaining on chart for three weeks. The album also debuted at number 79 in Australia. In Japan, the album has reached number 19. The album debuted at number 45 on the Dutch Albums Chart and fell nine spots behind in the second week. In the third week the album climbed from number 54 to 5.

The album debuted at number 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first week sales of 29,000 units. It was the chart's highest debut in that week and the fourth compilation that Carey has charted, following #1's (number 4 in 1998), Greatest Hits (number 52 in 2001) and The Remixes (number 26 in 2003). It also debut at number 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. As of November 2018, the album has sold 395,000 copies in the US.

European edition

"Hero" 4:19
"Vision of Love" 3:31
"Without You" 3:34
"Always Be My Baby" 4:18
"My All" 3:50
"How Much" (featuring Usher) 3:31
"Dreamlover" 3:53
"Thank God I Found You" (Make It Last Remix featuring Joe and Nas) 5:09
"The Roof (Back in Time)" 5:14
"One Sweet Day" (featuring Boyz II Men) 4:41
"Anytime You Need a Friend" 4:26
"I'll Be There" (featuring Trey Lorenz) 4:43
"I Still Believe" 3:54
"Reflections (Care Enough)" 3:23
"Open Arms" Daydream 3:30
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (featuring Westlife) Coast to Coast and Greatest Hits (International Edition) 3:25
"Endless Love" (featuring Luther Vandross) 4:18
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" (not in certain European territories) Merry Christmas 4:01

Total length: 70:20

This compilation has also been released as The Ballads.

Jewel case housed in a slipcase, with 8-pages booklet

Mariah Carey "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (2CD Limited Edition, Enhanced CD, USA, Island Records, B0013226-02)"

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 in the United States, by Island Records, Def Jam Recordings and The Island Def Jam Music Group. After promotion for her previous album, E=MC² (2008) ended, Carey began to work on a new album, producing songs with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

Six singles were released to promote the album. The lead single, "Obsessed", became the album's most successful song, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and reaching the top twenty in Japan, Canada and Australia and the top ten in Italy and France. The second single, "I Want to Know What Love Is", reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the Brasil Hot 100 Airplay chart for 27 non-consecutive weeks. Other singles released were "H.A.T.E.U.", "Up Out My Face", and "Angels Cry", with the last two being originally intended for the subsequently-cancelled remix album, Angels Advocate. "It's a Wrap" was released as the album's sixth single in 2023 after going viral on video sharing platform TikTok.

Upon its release, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel received positive reviews from music critics, who felt it was one of Carey's most consistent and interesting records. Commercially, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 168,000 copies sold in its first week, and peaked within the top-ten in other five countries. To promote the album, Carey made a pre-show in Madison Square Garden in 2009, embarked on the Angels Advocate Tour (2010), and performed on several television programs, including America's Got Talent, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Today.

In early 2009, singer and songwriter The-Dream stated that he and Carey had already begun working on her next studio album: "I think it's about just writing an album that includes the focus of all the hits that she's had. She can't take a loss; she has to do everything to the T. So it's basically like we're trying to make a greatest hits album without using the greatest hits". In February 2009, The-Dream told to MySpace Music that he and Carey had finished seven songs for the album.

In May, Carey revealed that she was calling the album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel because it was going to be "very personal and dedicated to the fans". She says that she chose to use three images for the cover art because "there are a lot of different emotions and stories revealed on this album". Carey also stated that she loves "the whole album" and she's "completely immersed in it". On June 16, Carey said on Twitter that there will be "big ballads" on the album. Carey also said that she "tried to make something for all who love Butterfly, and even older albums". For the first time in her career, Carey worked with American Grammy Award-winning hip-hop and R&B record-producer Timbaland. They worked on a number of tracks, but none were included on the album. Another song, "Imperfect," which was written by Carey and deals with societal pressure on women to "be perfect and look a certain way," also failed to make the track listing. In an interview with BET, Carey said that she worked with Jermaine Dupri, but none of his songs are on the album. Despite the majority of the project being written and produced by Carey, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, the main goal was to avoid having a "redundant or stale" album. In an interview with Elle Carey described the sound of her new album: "Each song is its own snapshot of a moment in a story. But overall, the vibe is R&B hip-hop with a lot of slow jams. [...] Each song has its own mood; some flow seamlessly into each other, and that was the purpose, and others are very different. The album has a sense of humor, [you can hear me laughing out loud at certain points], but it also has deep and introspective moments."

During an interview with music retailer Amazon.com, Carey revealed her inspiration and motivation for the album. "Each song tells its own story. Each one is like an intimate conversation or entry in a private diary. A lot of the songs reflect specific, different times in my life, actual events that happened to me, some of which are from way back in the past. Others were inspired by movies or from a friend of mine that may have told me their story. People can listen to it and pick out certain songs that mean something to them – women especially. It's about women's empowerment and overcoming certain things. It's fun too though. It's got a little bit of something for everybody".

Amazon.com revealed that the physical release of the album would come as a 3-panel softpack as opposed to the usual plastic CD casing. This was due to the inclusion of two discs, the first housed the album itself whilst the second housed an enhanced CD featuring the music video for lead single "Obsessed" as well as the video for "Obsessed" (official remix featuring Gucci Mane) and three other remixes. The packaging includes a 34-page Elle mini-magazine which takes an exclusive in-depth look at Carey's life and career. The mini-magazine is mixed in with lyrics and other traditional liner-note materials as well as upscale ads to cut the production costs of the booklet. The ad-supported booklets – available in a digital format for downloaders – appeared in the first one million US copies of the CD and the first 500,000 overseas.

It was also revealed that a limited edition collectors' version of the album would be released on October 20, 2009. It features the album and its bonus disc on both standard CDs and limited edition white vinyl LPs plus six rare lithographs, the limited edition Elle mini-magazine, a signature butterfly band and exclusively designed collector's box packaging.

The album debuted in the US at number three on the Billboard 200. It opened with first week sales of 168,000 units. The album was certified Gold on December 14, 2009, denoting shipments of 500,000 units, but it became Carey's lowest-selling album since Glitter in 2001. The album topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. As of November 2018, the album has sold 555,000 copies in the US. It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales and shipments equivalent to one million units. In Canada the album debuted at number 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The album reached #101 in the 2009 year-end Billboard 200 albums chart. In Japan the album reached #9. In the UK the album undersold expectations, peaking at number 23, in the Christmas season despite a performance on The X Factor and visiting various morning shows. Despite this, it received a Silver certification for shipments of 60,000. It peaked at number eight on the UK R&B Albums Chart.

Track listing

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

"Betcha Gon' Know (The Prologue)" 4:00
"Obsessed" 4:02
"H.A.T.E.U." 4:28
"Candy Bling" 4:03
"Ribbon" 4:21
"Inseparable" 3:34
"Standing O" 4:00
"It's a Wrap" 3:59
"Up Out My Face" 3:41
"Up Out My Face (The Reprise)" 0:51
"More than Just Friends" 3:37
"The Impossible" 4:00
"The Impossible (The Reprise)" 2:26
"Angel (The Prelude)" 1:04
"Angels Cry" 4:02
"Languishing (The Interlude)" 2:34
"I Want to Know What Love Is" 3:27

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel – CD and digital release (bonus disc)

"Obsessed" (Cahill Radio Mix) 3:21
"Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit) 3:12
"Obsessed" (Jump Smokers Radio Edit) 3:20
"Obsessed" (Friscia and Lamboy Radio Mix) 4:11

Packaged in a 3-panel softpack with a 36 page Elle mini-magazine dedicated entirely to Mariah.

Track 4 contains interpolations from the composition "Back in the day" written by Ahmad Lewis, Stefan Gordy and John Klemmer.

Track 6 contains interpolations of the composition "Time after time" written by Robert Hyman and Cyndi Lauper.

Track 8 contains elements from "I belong to you" and a sample of the recording of "I belong to you" as performed by Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Track 11 contains interpolations of "One more chance/Stay with me (Remix) written by Sean Combs, Chris Wallace, Rashad Smith, Mark Debarge and Etterlene Jordan.

Tracks 12 and 13 contain interpolations from "Forever my lady" written by Albert Brown and Donald Degrate.

Mariah Carey "The Emancipation Of Mimi (2012 Reissue, Platinum Edition, SHM-CD, Japan, Island Records, UICY-20361)"

The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released through Island Records in the United States on April 12, 2005. The album was considered Carey's "comeback album" by critics and became her highest-selling release in the US in a decade. In composing the album, Carey collaborated with many songwriters and producers throughout 2004, including Jermaine Dupri, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Twista, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, and James "Big Jim" Wright, many of whom appeared as featured guests on select tracks.

Carey opted to use her personal nickname 'Mimi' in the title, revealing a more intimate side of the singer, as seen in the album's declarative theme of emancipation from her personal and commercial setbacks. Although it has similar vocal production to her previous works and an inclination towards her signature ballads, the album encompasses dance-oriented and uptempo styles in keeping with its celebratory motif. The Emancipation of Mimi garnered critical acclaim, with praise towards its production, Carey's vocal performance, with critics noting the theme of independence and lack of restraint, dubbing the album a "party" record.

The album garnered eight nominations at the 48th Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, and won three awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album. It became Carey's first album since Butterfly (1997) to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 404,000 copies in its first week and becoming the country's best-selling album of 2005. Internationally, it topped the charts in Greece, and reached the top-five in Canada, Denmark, France, and Japan, and was the world's second best-selling album of the year. The Emancipation of Mimi has sold over 10 million copies worldwide making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. "It's Like That" became one of her highest-charting songs in years, reaching the top twenty in several countries. "We Belong Together" accumulated 14 weeks at number one in the US, and was later hailed "song of the decade" by Billboard. It reached number one in Australia, number two in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and achieved top-five positions in several European countries. To promote the album, Carey embarked on her sixth concert tour, entitled The Adventures of Mimi, starting on July 22, 2006, and ending on October 28, 2006.

The Emancipation of Mimi is widely credited with reviving Carey's career and redefining the idea of a pop comeback. Critics have since reassessed it as one of her strongest works, praising its confident embrace of her R&B identity and diva persona. Its 20th anniversary in 2025 prompted renewed reflection on its influence, both musically and personally, in Carey's trajectory.

In 2001, Carey had experienced critical, commercial, personal, and professional struggles, following the poor reception to her debut film Glitter (2001). The picture was panned by critics and earned less than eight million dollars at the box office. After posting a personally expressive letter on her official site, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut because of an "emotional and physical breakdown". Following the film's and soundtrack's poor performance, Virgin Records America bought out Carey's unprecedented $100 million recording contract. The company paid her $28 million to part ways. Carey flew to Capri, Italy, after her two-week hospitalization. During her five-month stay, she began to write a new studio album, using experiences she had gone through in recent months as inspirational themes. After being signed by Island Records and starting her own imprint, MonarC Entertainment, Carey released her intended "comeback" album Charmbracelet. Critics deemed it a strong improvement over Glitter, but not something that would re-establish her popularity as in the early stages of her career.

After enduring three years of "carping" from critics, Carey planned her return to music. On November 18, 2004, she revealed on her website that the name of the album would be The Emancipation of Mimi. While Carey was recording the album, Island Records executive L.A. Reid had learned that close friends referred to the singer as "Mimi". He had told Carey, "I feel your spirit on this record. You should use that name in the title, because that's the fun side of you that people don't get to see – the side that can laugh at the diva jokes, laugh at the breakdown jokes, laugh at whatever they want to say about you and just live life and enjoy it." Carey explained that Mimi is a "very personal nickname" only used by those in her inner circle, and thus the title meant she was letting her guard down and inviting her fans to be that much closer to her. She thought that naming her album The Emancipation of Mariah Carey would be "obnoxious".

The Emancipation of Mimi was released by The Island Def Jam Music Group for download and as a CD in Mexico on April 12, 2005. On April 4, 2005, the album was released in Australia and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, The Emancipation of Mimi was distributed through Mercury Records. The following day, the album was made available in Canada through the Universal Music Group. On April 12, 2005, it became available in France, Japan, and the United States, and was released on May 11, 2005, in China. On British and Japanese versions of the album, "Sprung" and "Secret Love" were included as bonus tracks.

A reissue of The Emancipation of Mimi, subtitled Ultra Platinum Edition, was released on November 15, 2005, accompanied by the reissue's lead single "Don't Forget About Us". The reissue was released in two versions. The first was a CD with four bonus tracks: "Don't Forget About Us" (co-written and co-produced by Carey with Jermaine Dupri), the album's only single; "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)", featuring Dupri; the "We Belong Together" remix, featuring American rappers Styles P and Jadakiss; and a new version of the 2006 single "So Lonely" by Twista (which originally featured Carey), in which she sings an additional verse. The second version of the album was a limited-edition set of the CD and a DVD, which includes the videos from The Emancipation of Mimi that had then been released ("It's Like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "Get Your Number"), along with the then-recently filmed video for "Don't Forget About Us". The album became the first domestic release of the video for "Get Your Number", which had previously been released only in Europe. "Sprung" and "Secret Love" were later included as bonus tracks in the 2020 digital reissue of Ultra Platinum Edition.

Carey began a promotional tour in support of the album, beginning on April 2, 2005, at the German Echo Awards. Two days later, she performed "It's Like That" on the game show Wetten, dass..?. In the UK, the singer filmed a two-part appearance on the British music program Top of the Pops, performing the album's first three singles. Carey launched the stateside release of the album on Good Morning America with an interview and a five-piece outdoor concert.Taking place in Times Square and attracting the largest crowd to the plaza since the 2004 New Year's Eve celebration, the concert featured the first three singles from the album in addition to "Fly Like a Bird" and "Make It Happen" (1991). During the following week, she performed "We Belong Together" at the 2005 BET Awards, and appeared at the annual VH1 Save the Music special, which was broadcast live on April 17. Throughout May, Carey performed "We Belong Together" on the Late Show with David Letterman (May 5), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (May 11), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (May 13) and on The Oprah Winfrey Show (May 24).

During the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Carey performed at the National Hotel in South Beach. Accompanied by Dupri, she sang "Shake It Off" and the official remix version of "We Belong Together". She was a headlining performer at the 2005 Fashion Rocks, in Monaco. On November 15, 2005, Carey performed "Shake It Off" and her newly released single from the album's re-release, "Don't Forget About Us", during half-time of the Thanksgiving game between the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons. On November 22, 2005, she opened the 33rd annual American Music Awards with "Don't Forget About Us". Two months later, she placed as the featured performer at the Times Square Ball drop on New Year's Eve in New York. At the 48th Grammy Awards, on February 8, 2006, Carey returned to the Grammy stage for the first time since 1996. Her performance began with a pre-taped video in which she discussed the importance of God and religion in her life. She then came to the stage, and sang a shortened version of "We Belong Together", followed by "Fly like a Bird". The performance induced the only standing ovation that night, and earned praise from critics.

Sixteen months after the release of the album, Carey announced her first headlining tour in three years, named The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour after a "Carey-centric fan's" music diary. Beginning on July 22, 2006, and ending on October 28, the tour spanned forty stops, with thirty-two in the US and Canada, two in Africa, and six in Japan. The tour featured the singer's long-time friend Randy Jackson as the musical director. In an interview for the Associated Press, Carey described the tour's direction, as well as the music she would perform:

With this tour, I'm going to be working on some different arrangements for some of the older songs, to ... give it a little more life to them. That's not to say they're going to sound totally different and to freak anybody out ... I love re-singing songs to different music. I genuinely want to tour with these new songs, as well as older hits. These new songs mean so much to me, this time of my life has been so wonderful for me, and I want to experience that with my fans.

The tour received a generally mixed reception from critics who praised the singer's vocal performances but called the show's excesses, such as the singer's frequent costume changes and pre-filmed clips, distracting. In Tunis, Carey played to 80,000 people during two concerts. Midway through the tour, she booked a two-night concert in Hong Kong, scheduled for after her Japanese shows. The performances were cancelled after tickets went on sale; Carey's then-manager Benny Medina said the cancellation was because the concert promoter refused to pay the agreed compensation. The promoter blamed poor ticket sales (allegedly, only 4,000 tickets had sold) and "Carey's outrageous demands". Medina later disputed the promoter's ticket sales figure, saying that 8,000 tickets had been sold. He said Carey would have performed as long as she was compensated, regardless of attendance. Carey ultimately sued the promoter, claiming one million in damages for the concert's abrupt cancellation.

The Emancipation of Mimi is credited with revitalizing Carey's career following a period of personal struggles, professional setbacks, and underperforming albums, prompting public speculation that her career was in decline. Due to the album's success, several outlets have called The Emancipation of Mimi one of the greatest musical comebacks of all-time. The Guardian and Time ranked it among the greatest comebacks in music history. In 2025, Ebony writer Emanuel Okusanya credited the album with not only reviving Career's own career, but redefining "what a comeback could look like in pop music". According to Tom Breihan of Stereogum, the album cemented Carey’s legacy "as one of pop’s all-time titans". Despite being widely regarded as a comeback album, David Lehmann of Vibe argued that this categorization largely undermines the main intent and themes behind the project. In 2025, Carey revealed that she initially disliked hearing critics and fans refer to The Emancipation of Mimi as her comeback album, maintaining that she had never "left". However, she eventually accepted the label. Kenny Williams Jr. of Grammy.com said the record served as a reminder that Carey has always been "in full command of her artistry", embodying "a woman reclaiming her power in real-time". The writer attributed the album's success to a "rich ... balance between the familiar and the fresh".

The album ushered a shift in Carey's artistry and public persona, which Lehmann attributed to her accepting that she had already undergone several years of public humiliation. Lehmann and Okusanya agreed that, after decades in the industry, the album finally allowed her to embrace her diva persona in a light-hearted manner, less concerned with global pop stardom "and more oriented toward her own identity as an R&B diva with a confidently absurd sense of humor". Critics observed that her diva transformation and artistic liberation were supported by a glamorization of her wardrobe that had been sparse in her 1990s attire. Additionally, Lehmann said The Emancipation of Mimi finally allowed her to pivot her identity to that of an R&B singer, in contrast to the pop star she had heavily been promoted as during the 1990s. He and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Pitchfork suggested that Carey's shift in musical direction likely encouraged younger listeners who had grown up hearing her pop music to rediscover her work as adults. Writing for the Houston Chronicle, Joey Guerra said the album "refocused her energies and found a perfect balance of her pop sensibilities and love for hip-hop". Some commentators have suggested that Carey's decision to collaborate with rappers and hip-hop artists on the album strengthened her presence in the urban music market, in turn preventing her from reverting to the pop and R&B ballads that had defined much of her 1990s output.

Although the album achieved commercial success comparable to her 1990s output, The Emancipation of Mimi allowed Carey to reestablish herself on her own terms rather than being measured solely against her earlier achievements. Despite initially receiving lukewarm reviews, fans immediately celebrated the album. In retrospect, its commercial success contributed to a critical reevaluation, with many reviewers reassessing it as one of Carey's strongest works. Guerra noted that the album was initially overlooked by awards bodies but emphasized that, more importantly, Carey succeeded in "proving her critics wrong and solidifying her place in pop royalty". Journalist Ed Gordan asserted that the album helped prove that she had triumphed above her naysayers. Its 20th anniversary in 2025 has prompted millennials to reflect on the album's emotional impact. Bianca Betancourt of Harper's Bazaar wrote that, with hindsight, the album "seems to symbolize the life of a woman liberated from the constraints of critique". Vibe named it one of the "50 Greatest Black Albums Of The Modern Era", with writer Jessica “Compton” Bennett crowning it "thee R&B soundtrack of" 2005, whose singles "truly took hold of the culture, the zeitgeist, and quite frankly, the world" by dominating weddings, reunions, proms, and parties.

Some critics have suggested that The Emancipation of Mimi set a precedent for increasingly ostentatious album titles, as noted in its successors E=MC2 (2008) and Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse (2014). Although her subsequent albums have yet to match the commercial success of Mimi, Carey’s once-mocked diva persona has been largely reembraced by fans and critics self-aware.

Track listing

The Emancipation of Mimi – Japanese Platinum Edition