MARIAH CAREY BIOGRAPHY - AGE, CAREER, SONGS & FACTS

Mariah Carey — the five-octave "Songbird Supreme" with 19 Hot 100 No. 1s and the best-selling Christmas song of all time. With a vocal range few singers in history have matched, she has defined pop and R&B for more than three decades, writing nearly all of her biggest hits and setting records that still stand today.

Early Life

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York, USA, making her 57 years old. Her mother, Patricia Hickey, was an opera singer and vocal coach, while her father, Alfred Roy Carey, was an aeronautical engineer. Mariah was the youngest of three children, and music filled the house from an early age — she began singing lessons as a child and was writing her own songs by her teens, long before the world knew her name.

Career

Carey's big break came when a demo tape of her singing reached Tommy Mottola, then head of Columbia Records, who signed her on the spot. Her self-titled debut album, "Mariah Carey" (1990), produced four straight Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, and her fifth single also reached the top — her first five singles all hit No. 1, an all-time record. Across her career she has collected 19 Hot 100 No. 1s, the most for any solo artist, and sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Her trophy shelf includes five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist in 1991, and Billboard named her its Artist of the Decade for the 1990s. Her five-octave vocal range and signature whistle register earned her the nickname "Songbird Supreme" and the title "Queen of Christmas." Rolling Stone ranked her the fifth greatest singer of all time in 2023, and she has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Her key albums include "Emotions" (1991), "Music Box" (1993), "Daydream" (1995), "Butterfly" (1997), "The Emancipation of Mimi" (2005), and "Merry Christmas" (1994), one of the best-selling holiday albums ever. Her signature songs — "Vision of Love," "Hero," "Fantasy," "One Sweet Day," "We Belong Together," and "All I Want for Christmas Is You" — span every phase of her career. The holiday classic was the first holiday single to earn RIAA diamond certification and returns to No. 1 on the Hot 100 every Christmas.

Beyond music, Carey published the memoir "The Meaning of Mariah Carey" in 2020, which became a New York Times No. 1 bestseller. She has appeared in films including "Glitter," "Precious," and "The Butler," served as a judge on American Idol in 2013, and co-founded Camp Mariah, a summer camp for underserved youth, in 1994. She was married to Tommy Mottola from 1993 to 1998 and to Nick Cannon from 2008 to 2016, and she is the mother of two children, twins.

Recent Years

In 2025, Carey released her sixteenth studio album, "Here for It All," on September 26 through her own MARIAH imprint with gamma, executive-produced by L.A. Reid. It was her first album since "Caution" (2018). The lead single, "Type Dangerous" (June 6, 2025), became her 50th Hot 100 entry and won Best R&B at the 2025 VMAs — her first competitive VMA win. The follow-up single, "Sugar Sweet," featured Kehlani and Shenseea. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, making Carey only the third woman with a top-10 album in each of the last four decades. She also launched "The Celebration of Mimi" tour in 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Mariah Carey?

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York, which makes her 57 years old.

How many No. 1 songs does Mariah Carey have?

She has 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles — more than any other solo artist in history.

Why is Mariah Carey called the Queen of Christmas?

The nickname comes from her 1994 holiday anthem "All I Want for Christmas Is You," the best-selling Christmas song of all time, which returns to No. 1 on the Hot 100 every holiday season.

What is special about Mariah Carey's voice?

She is famous for a five-octave vocal range and her signature whistle register — the soaring, flute-like high notes that earned her the nickname "Songbird Supreme."

Fans of legendary voices can also read our Whitney Houston biography, look up the I Will Always Love You lyrics, or explore the Elton John biography.