Wow! Her new single is doing well. It looks like she has another multi-platinum album on her hands.

In other news, Donna Summer may have saved us all from another cutesy Mariah album title by naming her own forthcoming release, Crayons.

JackieBlue said:

thank God she beat Mariah to it

VoicesCarry said:

But honestly the way labels buy and sell radio time now since everything is based on airplay, sales are meaningless, do these monitors really matter anymore, all it seems to be is an account of who's paying for the most radio time.

"Touch My Body" Debuts at #57 on Billboard's Hot 100

"Touch My Body" is this week's HOT SHOT DEBUT on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart at #57.

This is Mariah's highest debut on the chart that is based on first week's airplay alone.

In comparison, after their first week of airplay, "We Belong Together" debuted at #81 and "It's Like That" was #104 (#4 on the bubbling under Hot 100 chart.)

On the Hot 100 Airplay chart, the song debuts at #23 this week and becomes Mariah's highest debut on the chart since 1997's "Honey" which debuted at the same position.

"Touch My Body" also rockets up to #20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, an incredible 58 spots jump from its last week's debut at #78.

An All Access banner from Island Def Jam announces "Touch My Body" at #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay (Greatest Gainer) as well as the fact it is the #1 most added record across all formats this week.



Source: Billboard | bks | All Access | MariahDailyJournal

PricelessHo said:

Do you think this will be a #1?

nobody seems to be expecting that but i hope it surprises us and does go #1.

Does anyone know when this will be released to iTunes?

PricelessHo said:

JackieBlue said:

no official word yet

Why I’m not concerned about E=MC2...

(I’m not trying to compare, just speculate at their game plan…)

I think Def Jam/LA Reid knows exactly what they’re/he’s doing. Like I said earlier, TMB is just an appetizer something to whet the palate of the impatient lambs. Mariah’s career, for the most part is ‘safe’. At the very worst, she will coast off of the success of TEOM which is actually not bad when you recall its impact.

They need to focus on Janet as Discipline could be a make it or break it for her. She’s new to the label and she needs the support and attention she didn’t have at Virgin the last few years.

At the same time, both ladies need to be promoted but not cancel each other out. They release a hot track for Janet to get the naysayers attention and remind them what she can do. They release a catchy I-can-do-this-with-my-eyes-closed track for Mariah to satisfy MC, pacify the lambs and get the machine moving.

Once the public realizes that Discipline is a solid effort for Janet and she’s made her initial appearances and graced all the mag covers, they’ll release a banger from Mariah to remind doubters, don’t sleep on MC.

If the reviews are even close for E=MC2 as they’ve been for Discipline then I think Mariah will be fine, the fans will be grooving and LA Reid will be a very happy man at the end of 2008.

JackieBlue said:

La Reid supports Janet as does the Def Jam crew Im sure, but does Jimmy Lovine support Janet? (Im just asking I really dont know the story with her signing)
Basically Jimmy signs LA's cheques, e.g How much promo for the particualr Artist, If Jimmy is behing Janet he will pull all the stops like he did for Mariah (albiet Universal were woooing her for the rights to her publishing, wish signed over from Sony to them, so thety have more stake to make her sucessful again

Mariah Calls In UK Station Capitol FM

http://www.zshare.net/aud...16cfbbbe4/

Link courtesy of member Span11 of FOMM.

i can't believe how they kept playing the song over her speaking

PricelessHo said:

PricelessHo said:

She'll hunt them down

she better once she visits there

Perez changes his opinion
--

We Have A Confession To Make

Mariah's new song is really growing on us, like a fungus.

We can't stop playing it!

It's a grower, lambs.

PricelessHo said:

twink69 said:

Hmm, I forgot about Jimmy. I can’t stand him personally but don’t know about he and Janet’s relationship.

PricelessHo said:

It is, dammit. Why do you think I was asking about iTunes? I need to add to my playlist like NOW.

I will hunt you down

Excellent interview with lots of good info on the new project

--



A MariahDailyJournal Exclusive

Cri$tyle admits that life before the music biz was a lot slower. Born and raised in Atlanta to a musical family, Cri$tyle began harmonizing to Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight at 3-years-old. Now, she can boast that she's sat down with Mariah Carey and harmonized to "Can't Let Go"!

Mariah Daily Journal had the pleasure of exclusively interviewing Cri$tyle about her recent co-writing experiences with Mariah. She tells us who thought of singing about YouTube on "Touch My Body," divulges info on the four songs she contributed for E=MC², which track she thinks will be the "huge" record, and how they have developed a close friendship. If "Touch My Body" is any indication, Cri$tyle and Mariah's future released collaborations are going to blow us away!

Please tell us about yourself. What was life like for Cri$tyle before joining the music business. What kind of music influenced you growing up?
Wow! [laughs] Life for Cristyle before the music biz was a lot slower than it is now! I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up listening to music. My mom sings, my dad sang, and my sister. My dad used to make us harmonize to old school records. I was like 3 years old holding down the alto note [laughs]. I remember hearing Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight in heavy rotation. When I got a little older, I started rehearsing to Mariah, Whitney, and Boyz II Men. I was singing every chance I got. Talent shows every week. But I grew up and realized I needed money so I got a few different jobs. My last job before joining the industry was at a hospital. Actually I was a Telephone Operator. That was until I got fired for writing songs on the job while I was supposed to be answering phones! I cried my eyes out, but if I didn't get fired, I would have never had the chance to do music full-time. So thank God they kicked me to the curb! [laughs]

How did you get into songwriting? How were you discovered? And how did you get signed by So So Def/EMI?
Well, to be honest, songwriting kinda came outta nowhere for me. I wrote my first song in the 3rd grade. It was horrible! [laughs] After that I started getting more interested in the songwriting process. Whenever I find something I can't do very well, it always seems to spark my interest. I start thinking like, "Why can't I do that?" so I kept writing until one day I realized, "Hey, I might be good at this." Once I got that in my head, I was on a mission. [laughs] I wanted the world to hear what I had to say and more so, I wanted the world to hear my "special" way of saying it. I started working with different producers and that introduced me to all types of writing styles. After about a year, I met my manager who put clarity to my little "writing spree." [laughs] Soon after, I caught the attention of Jermaine [Dupri] and Big Jon [Platt, EMI Publishing EVP] and the rest is history in the making!

How did Mariah hear of you, and what about your work piqued her interest?
Mariah heard of me from JD. He told Mariah he wanted her to meet/work with his new writer Cristyle. My manager and I were hoping he would put me in with her but Jermaine is one of those people who don't believe in handouts. He believes you have to work hard and earn everything in this biz. So I guess he felt like I had earned a shot. But there were no guarantees. He wasn't gonna write the song for me, or make MC like working with me. When we started working, the two of us (MC and I) were singing melodies and joking around with lyrics. The first song we did that night was "Cruise Control." I think the fact that we were both singing similar melodies and having such a fun time coming up with the lyrics made her comfortable working with me. And it made me comfortable with her also.

What was the writing process for your songs together?
The writing process was very relaxed. We would go in this little outside area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes we would even take a stroll on the beach. Very much like a vacation. But that really helped us to vibe out and get a consistent "no pressure" atmosphere going. We would work really late some days. All the songs we wrote were straight collaboration. MC would play tracks she had gotten from different producers, and we'd pick the one that hit us at the time. A lot of times we'd come up with melody first, then try to get a concept, then lyrics. But there was no specific method with us. We just hung out and wrote hot records in the process. Ya gotta love that!

Who came up with the "YouTube" and "I will hunt you down" lines?
MC came up with the YouTube line and we were both joking around and came up with "I will hunt you down." I was like, "I bet you won't say that" and she was like, "Whatever, watch! [laughs] Hilarious!

What, if anything, surprised you most about meeting and working with Mariah? What was she like as a person?
The first thing I noticed about MC was how polite she was. I mean this is a legend we talkin' about! And she is the first legend I've ever met so I didn't know what to expect. I was sooo nervous when she walked in. She was like the center of attention but somehow she found time to say, "Hi, Cristyle" before I could even introduce myself. That just blew me away! I didn't even say, "Hi" back because I just knew she has to be talking to somebody else. She was so much fun to be around. We spent so much time laughing and quoting movies that I almost forgot we were working. She was so genuine and real! I couldn't believe how friendly she was. We have all these little inside jokes and words that only we know what they mean. I really found a new friend in Mariah and the best part about it is, she found a new friend in me too.

Was Mariah open to trying different ideas? Did you feel comfortable telling Mariah when you didn't like a direction she was heading in? How open was she to criticism?
Mariah was very open to new ideas. She loves to surprise her audience but at the same time she respects her fans enough to still remain the Mariah everybody loves. There was never an intense moment where I felt like I couldn't tell her how I felt about a lyric or melody. She has a suprisingly high level of respect for me and my talent so she was always asking what I thought of a line or note. She really wanted to make sure that the songs were perfect. We would write a verse then move on to the hook, and she may go back like an hour later and say, "Let's change this part." Perfection is a close friend of MC! [laughs]

Mariah usually works with big-named writers/producers, were you surprised you got to collaborate on FOUR songs? Were you upset that none of the reviews for "Touch My Body" mentioned you, just Tricky & The-Dream?
I was very shocked that she requested me after we had done the songs with JD. I got a call one day like, "Mariah wants to fly you in to work on the rest of the album." She treated me like royalty. We actually wrote about 8 or 9 songs together. Over a two-month period I was hanging with the star! Even got to help her pick out the bottle for her "M" fragrance, which is the bomb by the way! I wasn't upset about the reviews for the single not mentioning me. I had hung out with Tricky a few days before the song hit radio, and we were laughing, having a good time with some mutual friends; and I spoke to Dream on the phone the day "Touch My Body" hit. We were both congratulating each other. At the end of the day... I had the opportunity to work and become friends with someone who influenced my music tremendously. I couldn't ask for more. God is good!

What sort of things would you like to see Mariah try in the future?
I'd like to see a Mariah reality show! She's such a funny person. I would love for everybody to see how down-to-earth she is on a daily basis. Yea, that would be hot! They could call it "Mariah Daily"... starring MC, Jack and Lil JJ (her puppies).

Were you present when she was laying down her vocals? What was that recording process like?
I was there when she laid some of her vocals. She don't like to have people around for that process because she takes it very seriously, but I guess she felt comfortable 'round lil ol' me [laughs]. I would record the song first so we could hear it in its entirety and make any changes that we needed to make. Then MC would re-record it and add that special flare that only she can [laughs]. I actually had the opportunity to record a lotta background vocals on the album. We stuck very well together. I've been practicing to Mariah's voice for years, so I guess it's safe to say I was well prepared! The recording process was very relaxed, and simple. She didn't record in a big studio with all kinds of expensive equipment. It was just MC, me and her engineer in a small room at her house. Very low key. But when you have vocals like Mariah... you don't need all that other stuff.

What was your favorite Mariah song prior to meeting her?
Wow, I have so many! But I guess my all-time favorite would be... "Love Takes Time." I think that's one of the greatest songs of all-time. The cool thing about me and MC was the fact that we love to sing so much. We were always singing her old songs together. Can you imagine singing with her CD all through school, then one day finally meeting her and singing along with her live! It was amazing. We sang all her songs like "Butterfly," "Breakdown," ... "Can't Let Go"! We had like perfect harmony on that one. One day, I went on YouTube on my phone and pulled up her first Grammy performance - she sang "Vision of Love." We both watched it and she was laughing at how nervous she was [laughs] ... I'll never forget it!

What do you think of the 4 songs ("Touch My Body," "Cruise Control," "Heat" and "Lovin' You Long Time") you & Mariah wrote together. Can you describe each, and which is your favorite?
I think they are all "stone winners" (as Mariah would say), I love them all, I couldn't stop singing them in my head at first [laughs].


"Cruise Control" was the first one we did, I think for both of us, it's a favorite! It's a mid-tempo with a lil' island feel to it. It features Damian Marley.

"Heat" is an uptempo that has a little humor to it, but it's so realistic. We wanted to make sure it was very visual, people are gonna love that one!

"Touch My Body" came next. We were looking at the beach and the breeze outside was so relaxing. Hence the line "I want you to caress me like a tropical breeze." The sun was setting and it just gave us a chill vibe. So that's how the song came about.

"Lovin' You Long Time" was last but not least. The whole time we were recording that one we just kept saying, "this is a huge record!" We spent extra time on that one cuz we wanted it just right. And it came out amazing!


Who else have you written for? What are your current and upcoming projects?
I've written songs for Janet, Beyonce, Natasha Bedingfield, J. Lo and Brandy. Right now I have the first singles on Tiffany Evans ("I'm Grown") and Teyanna Taylor ("Google Me").

Do you think you will work with Mariah again?
I will definitely work with MC again... we talk all the time about how our friendship is bigger than just writing songs. So I wouldn't be surprised if we worked on all kinds of projects in the future... that's my homey!
[Edited 2/22/08 9:00am]

VH1 Previews E=MC²

Yesterday, Island/Def Jam honcho L.A. Reid hosted a few journalists in his office for a special preview of Mariah Carey's upcoming E=MC² album, tentatively due April 15. While Reid looked on, Mariah's A&R man and long-rumored beau Mark Sudack played 12 of the album's cuts from his laptop, often passionately (and adorably!) singing along. On the album, there was drama, there was death, there was disco. What follows is a track-by-track breakdown of our impressions of the album. Note that this isn't the final track sequence, that L.A. ticked off the producers list to us but it is by no means etched in stone and the tracks that we heard weren't always mastered.

One final note: so much of this album is sung in Mariah's chest voice. The vocal gymnastics and whistle notes, while there ('cause, duh, it's Mariah!), take a backseat to clear, purposeful singing, and Mariah sounds better for it. Oh yeah, Mimi's back.

1. "Migrate" (co-produced by Danja) -- After announcing itself with Mariah's patented whistle notes, this club track gets to bangin' and it takes that task really seriously. It's about as meta as a banger gets, with Mariah explaining during the chorus how her night goes: "From the car to the club / We migrate / From the bar to the V.I.P. / We migrate." And so it goes, from the party to the after party, from the after party to the hotel. There's a slight autotune effect on Mariah's voice on the last "migrate" of each chorus, which I assume is to put her on equal ground with the man she shares the mic with here. T-Pain, mercifully shows up for just a guest verse -- this is not a full-blown duet. It's a feisty track, with tough Storch-esque beats that Mariah's bravado attempts to match: "If you're inked up thuggin', that's what I like," she says. See, I always thought she went for the pretty boys. Already we're learning stuff!

2. "Touch My Body" (co-produced with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream) -- There isn't much to say about this ultra-femme track that wasn't said when it leaked. Hard to believe that that was only a little more than week ago -- in the time since, it's become so ubiquitous that it's kind of hard to imagine what radio was like before it. Even L.A. seemed taken aback by how quickly it has caught on -- he described the track's out-of-the-gate success as virtually accidental.

3. "Last Kiss" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) -- One of the album's many declarations of eternal love, this one is "We Belong Together, Part 35." It's nice but extremely safe. One thing that's very much in its favor are Mariah's vocals, which are nimble as they are in "We Belong Together" (she changes up her flow more times than I could count) and maybe more robust than they've sounded in over a decade. There's a nice little duet at the end of this one between Mariah's full chest voice and her higher register. Of course, if she didn't show off that stellar natural resource, this wouldn't be a Mariah Carey album.

4. "Lovin' You Long Time" (co-produced by DJ Toomp) -- Pure and utter joy is this one, which is most reminiscent of the lovely Mimi outtake "When I Feel It." Except this one's, like, 10 times better. The chorus of DeBarge's "Stay With Me" is the foundation of this track (as opposed to the verses, which provided the foundation for the single remix of Biggie's "One More Chance" and Ashanti's "Foolish," among tracks). However, the sample sounds more weathered, and overall, the track comes off as a '60s throwback rather than an '80s one. One hundred percent feel-good and packing in a killer breakdown and conclusion that's a wall of Mariah voices, this was the first song that felt like the work of unstoppable pop genius.

5. "Thanx for Nothin'" (co-produced by Jermaine Durpri) -- A mid-tempo ballad that sports a beat rougher than anything Jermaine Dupri has laid down for Mariah and a guitar line not unlike Mimi's "So Lonely" (though this track is more sassy and less dour than that), "Thanx" suggests that Mariah and Jermaine aren't sentenced to live in the shadow of their former glory and can actually make relatively new sounds together. Lyrically, this break-up track is a cross between the self-deprecating "Mine Again" ("I never knew enough about you, babe / And I guess I only have myself to blame") and the streetwise posturing of "Get Your Number" ("Seems like all I do is think about your pseudo-romance / While you're somewhere burnin' diesel in the streets, havin' laughs"). Mariah packs in so many lyrics that she barely has time to sing them, and sort of just growls them. It's not nearly as ridiculous as that description might make it sound.

6. "That Chick" (co-produced by Stargate) -- Instant. Classic. An absolutely brilliant disco track that plays on Mariah's strengths and sexiness without ever crossing the line into indulgence. It's slick, it's chic (and Chic, with its slap-you-on-the-ass bass line), it's silly ("La da da a oooh wee-wee" goes the bit between the chorus and the verses) and it carries a killer middle 8 that's as exhilarating as the one in Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." (you know, the best part of one of the best songs ever that goes, "Don't you know nowwwww / Is the perfect time..."?). Mariah makes references to 2Pac and Biggie, compares herself to ice cream and the lottery and maybe even references the long-lost track from the Charmbracelet sessions "Touch the Sky." Oh, and also she delivers the most her line of her career, complete with a 10-cent word: "I brings that levity." Maybe one day they'll bottle the essence of Mariah, but until then, we have "That Chick" and I seriously am counting down the days till I can hear this track again. This needs to be a single, like, now, and Mariah needs to dust off those "Heartbreaker" remix roller skates for the video, pronto.

7. "Cruise Control" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) -- Another J.D. track that deviates from what could have been a detrimental pattern, this is a reggae-lite extended car metaphor ("I need a caddy wit some cruise control," belts Mariah). The chorus consists of her spelling out, "C-R-U-I-S-E control" and the second verse finds Mariah adopting a Jamaican affect for kicks: "When da door open I de gals pon de block / They be hop-on, to rob the clock / Me say no mam / Step up step up / Bottle broken / Tink I'm jokin'." Seriously, she says that. Damien Marley gets a guest verse, and I have to say, his shtick is a little more convincing.

8. "Side Effects" (co-produced by Scott Storch) -- You know how sometimes Southern rap almost has a heavy metal feel? Mariah and Storch exploit that by turning out a Southern-fried power ballad that's a thinly veiled portrait of her time under Tommy Mottola's reign ("Hell we built, and I dealt with it…Kept my tears inside ‘cause I knew if I started, I'd keep cryin' for the rest of my life with you / I finally built up the strength to walk away / Don't regret it…"). For someone as guarded as Mariah is publicly, it's shockingly frank (she alludes to "violent times") and really naked (the titular side effects refer to the toll the relationship has taken on her: she's "still a little depressed inside" and "still a little defensive thinkin' folks be tryin' to run my life"). This is another highlight, and having a rapper so associated with drugs (Jeezy) on a track called "Side Effects" that isn't about drugs at all, only makes things cleverer.

9. "Love Story" (co-produced by Jermaine Dupri) -- Anther ode to endless love ("This ain't no fairy tale or fiction / This is truly ours for eternity"), this ballad is more of the baby-making ilk. It's like Prince-lite with a synthesized beat a la "The Beautiful Ones," but not as effects-laden (i.e. the beat doesn't have the backwards sound). The melody is reminiscent of Mimi's "Joyride," and that should give you an indication of how sweet this track is.

10. "OOC" (co-produced by Swizz Beatz) -- This one has a pummeling thump so pronounced, it's somewhat surprising that it's not the work of Stargate or Tricky. "OOC" stands for "out of control," and while the track isn't exactly wild, it's a fun mix of The-Dream's "Ditch That N…" with a melody like Blu Cantrell's "Hit ‘Em Up Style." Besides the hypnotic refrain of "Forever and ever," the track is most notable for including the word motherf***er. As in, "I know y'all motherf***ers feel like we / When you're messin' with the one true lova / That makes you OOC." Hardcore!

11. "Bye Bye" (co-produced by Stargate) -- When Mariah first started promoting Mimi, she described "We Belong Together" as a cross between "Breakdown" and "One Sweet Day." That description is infinitely more appropriate for "Bye Bye," a song about death that's "for my people who just lost somebody," "for my people who lost their grandmothers" and seemingly for Mariah's departed father, Alfred Roy ("You never got to see me back at No. 1"). It's nice that Mariah's on a confessional kick, although a track with the "We Belong Together" sonic template and lyrics tailored appeal to everyone on such a basic level seems like too easy of a combination for someone as established as Mimi. This one's like insurance -- in case nothing else is a hit, here's a sure-shot. But ultimately, it turns out that the album is too good for that.

12. "I Wish You Well" (co-produced by James Poyser) -- We were told that this was hot off the presses and a very rough version of the song, but even in its unpolished state, it was a stunner. A piano ballad that features Mariah, some gospel-tinged backing vocals, a piano and that's it, this track is a throwback to the fan-favorite "Vanishing" from her 1990 debut. Part feisty ("You can't manipulate me like before") and totally spiritual (Mariah name-checks a bible verse in the chorus, although I couldn't catch exactly what it was, and she ends the song repeating, "The Lord is my salvation / I will trust in him"), "I Wish You Well" will have fans wetting themselves. It's gorgeous and in its simplistic way, the type of risk that Mariah should take more often.

The risky moments on the album ("Lovin' You Long Time," "That Chick," "Side Effects" and "I Wish You Well") bode well for the future. Though E=MC² feels extremely safe, there's enough variation to signify some artistic growth. She's cranking out hits and that's fine because that's what she's always done (hitmaking is her medium), but when she goes out of the Top 40 comfort zone, the album truly soars. Over 10 years after she first sang about it, it's only now that Mariah has worked up the courage to really spread her wings. The next question is: how high can they take her?

Source: VH1
[Edited 2/22/08 15:41pm]

UPDATE:

Mariah on TRL Wednesday

Mariah will be appearing on TRL this Wednesday, February 27 to premiere her video for 'Touch My Body' .

I'm really diggin Touch My Body. I like the groove on the song. I think it's going to be another big hit for Mariah. I'm ready for E=MC2!

purplecam said:

Me too

David Morales To Remix "Touch My Body"

Mariah's long-time working partner, DJ David Morales, will be remixing Mariah's first single, "Touch My Body."

On his MySpace Music blog, David writes the following:


Tuesday, February 19: "Letting all u Mariah Carey fans know that I'll be working on her new club remix of her new single 'Touch My Body'. It's always a pleasure working with her. She's the real deal!"

Wednesday, February 20: "It's 7:05pm and I'm in the studio w Quentin Harris laying down some tracks for Mariah's 'TOUCH MY BODY.' It's coming out so funky! I'll be recording vocals with her at her house on friday I can't wait! I wish I had it for this wknd to play at STEREO. Oh well I'll have to wait to debut it at the WMC."

Thursday, February 21: "I just got home from the studio and I want to say that 'Touch My Body' is coming out lovely. I can't wait to get her to sing to the new track. After working with her for 14 years now (yes we did 'DREAM LOVER' in '93) it's always a challenge to go to the next level. But knowing Mariah, I'm sure she'll work it! ok I'm going to bed now. That's all for now."

PricelessHo said:

I love David's mixes, have seen the man spin in person and he is the ultimate. I'm not even reading the album review because I really want to try and hold out and hear it at once since I sneak previewed everything else.

HOT [UNOFFICIAL] REMIX Ft. Fatman Scoop!!

http://www.zshare.net/dow...85d6e3c53/