In this week's issue, TIME reveals its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Mariah Carey, profiled by Stevie Wonder, is honored as one of the most influential Artists & Entertainers.

Wonder writes of Mariah:


I could never describe or measure the level of respect and love I have for Mariah Carey in just 300 words, but you know, I'll do my best. I've met only three people who had a truly wonderful voice and spirit to match: my first wife Syreeta, Minnie Riperton and Mariah. Obviously she is talented and has a great voice, but when a person has the opportunity to be heard and seen, at the end of the day she will also be felt. I think Mariah has enjoyed such success at 38 because she's a good person; her heart is good. I love her spirit. When I lost my mother, she was one of the first people to reach out to me. She was away, but she still found a way to call me up and say a prayer with me. It's easy to be friends when the lights are bright, but how is your love when there's none of that? I know how Mariah's is.

She has the ability to be sexy, but not so much that you think it's getting too crazy. It's a sexy classiness. The whole thing with her song Touch My Body is that she keeps it acceptable and has fun with it. And Mariah didn't break all those sales records just because she's beautiful. She has perseverance and consistency. You need the two: the ability to keep going and the ability to keep doing the right thing. She once said that every time she makes a new record, she feels as if she's brand-new again, like a young person looking at a computer for the first time. By doing it and not thinking about it, she lets the magic come.

When people talk about the great influential singers, they talk about Aretha, Whitney and Mariah. That's a testament to her talent. Her range is that amazing.

I look forward to the time the two of us can do a song together. I'm rewriting a song for her. It's going to be a tribute to my mother.
[Edited 5/1/08 13:31pm]

he's rewriting a song for her? dedicated to his mother?

Great range.....SHITTY material.

Nice comments. Her spirit comes across in her music.

i love such reads. i never heard about her being by his side when his mother died before.

Graycap23 said:

co-sign

PricelessHo said:

Yeah I never even knew he liked Mariah.

RipHer2Shreds said:

PricelessHo said:

What is Stevie, blind or something?

uPtoWnNY said:

YOU ARE SO WRONG FOR THAT...

TotalAlisa said:

omg

Stevie

uPtoWnNY said:

Triple co sign. Her new cd is awful.

PricelessHo said:

Well, come on now. It's pretty obvious that he hasn't seen the video for Loverboy. Nothing classy about a bandana bra that's 4 sizes too small.

What a compliment. Both Syreeta & Minnie had good voices with similiar ranges as Mariah. As a manner of fact, her vocal idol growing up was Minnie Riperton.

He did her.

Mariah's pretty POPULAR isn't she?

I was just about to comment on what most of you already have. How does he know what she looks like and what others look like? It´s a bit cruel, but true.

Graycap23 said:

Her newer material is pretty shitty for the most part, but her older stuff is pretty good.