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April 25th
Link


It's been a long road to Mariah Carey's 14th album -- a project she first began working on in 2010, before the birth of her nearly three-year-old twinsMoroccan and Monroe -- that has been stalled over the years after stiff-performing singles and numerous tweaks to the track listing.

But, as Billboard exclusively reveals in its latest cover story, Carey will be taking a surprise approach to the project by revealing her new album's title, track listing, artwork and music all at once via to-be-announced digital partners (a physical release at retail is expected the following week.) "I have to be the one that announces this, especially the title," Carey says, noting that the album takes its name from a "personal possession of mine that's part of an entity that I've had almost all my life."

Though Carey doesn't mention other artists in describing her strategy, it's clear she's taking a page out of the Beyonce playbook. It's a particularly direct parallel when you consider that Beyonce herself was coming off an underperforming album (2011's 4) before opting to go the surprise route -- much in the way that Carey's last album, 2009's Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, produced just one top 10 hit ("Obsessed") and sold a disappointing 549,000 copies, low enough to cancel a planned remix album.

Though last summer's Miguel duet "#Beautiful" was a bonafide hit, peaking at No. 15 on the Hot 100 and selling 1.2 million downloads, a string of other singles ("Triumphant," "Almost Home," "Eternal [You're Mine]") have failed to catch fire along the way.

In the Billboard cover story, out Monday, Carey and her new manager Jermaine Dupri talk candidly about the rocky road to the album's launch – from the failed singles to her drama-plagued stint on American Idol in 2013 to the shoulder injury that nearly derailed her plans altogether ("I really downplayed that incident.")

Here's five more things we learned:

She's assembled a dream team of collaborators. Frequent collaborators Rodney Jerkins and Dupri are back for Album No. 14, but so is a surprisingly diverse roster that ranges from of-the-moment producers like Hit-Boy and Mike Will Made It, guest features from Wale, Nas and Trey Songz and even contributions from veteran arranger Larry Gold and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. There's also "a special guest star that I'm not allowed to reveal," Carey teases.

She's aware of the failed singles. Carey will cop to a few of the pre-release singles not doing as well as past hits, pausing to note that 2013's Stargate-produced "Almost Home" was intended for the Oz, Great and Powerful soundtrack. "You would think I would be all about the singles-driven situation, and I am in a way, but with this particular album I want my fans to hear it as a body of work," she says. "This is my life since we last left off. Just picture a dot dot dot, and then here's the album."

The new album won't be her last. Despite recent comments to Bravo's Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live ("If this were to be my last album, people would hear everything they needed to hear"), Carey is not calling it quits anytime soon. "I will always make music. When I said it could be my last, that's because tomorrow's not promised to anyone."

Expect big ballads and uptempo bangers. After immersing herself in her own catalog ("a friend of mine made me a playlist with 1,000 of my songs on it called 'The Ultimate MC Audio Collection,'" she says), Carey explored her feel-good, hip-hop/R&B side as well as her more introspective moments that could give her fans the best of all worlds.

She may soon return to television. Her rocky stint with Nicki Minaj on American Idol last year notwithstanding, Carey says she'd like her next reality-competition venture to be something where she was executive producer. "I have another project that I'm so very excited about that's finally coming to fruition."

[Edited 6/11/14 19:58pm]

Nice spin Mariah. We'll see what cha got...Though I'm not expecting much. I am hoping she surprises.

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My guess is the album will be named after something mad feminine like, Charmbracelet or Butterfly were.

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Oh, I forgot to mention that its not much of a "surprise" album if she's announcing that she's releasing a surprise album now is it? Nevermind me...

[Edited 4/25/14 9:07am]

Well it's hardly a surprise as the May 6th release date has been announced a while ago (not to mention the delay from last year). I wonder how this will do, I expect a lot of chart-related meltdowns...

Musicslave said:

Nice spin Mariah. We'll see what cha got...Though I'm not expecting much. I am hoping she surprises.

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My guess is the album will be named after something mad feminine like, Charmbracelet or Butterfly were.

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Oh, I forgot to mention that its not much of a "surprise" album if she's announcing that she's releasing a surprise album now is it? Nevermind me...

[Edited 4/25/14 9:07am]

Right! Ms. Carey never fails with her pretension.

I'm gonna be totally surprised when this comes out.

That shit gon' knock me straight off my feet with it's unexpectedness.

Well, being that I only buy physical CDs, this will give me the opportunity to figure out whether or not the album is worth my $$$ before I buy it. I'm REALLY hoping she will have some songs for people in her (my) age demographic. I want to hear some big Pop & R&B ballads! Forget about the dance and hip-hop stuff.

[Edited 4/25/14 10:34am]

Musicslave said:

Oh, I forgot to mention that its not much of a "surprise" album if she's announcing that she's releasing a surprise album now is it? Nevermind me...

Yeah, it's not that often that an artist just goes and pre-announces a surprise album.

Identity said:

Musicslave said:

Oh, I forgot to mention that its not much of a "surprise" album if she's announcing that she's releasing a surprise album now is it? Nevermind me...

Yeah, it's not that often that an artist just goes and pre-announces a surprise album.

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And let's not front, she wouldn't even consider this route if those other multiple "buzz singles" had caught on with people. Like the article mentioned, Beyonce probably wouldn't have either if "4" (which a lot of R&B heads ended up liking but failed to produce another Pop hit for her), had more universal success. These actions are born out of desperation, any other explanation would be a lie.

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But I ain't mad at the spin. Just be sure to produce some heat come May 6th. Maybe that date has changed to keep it somewhat of a surprise. If not, they probably are counting on the general public to have amnesia about that small detail.

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Lastly, if she doesn't name it something ultra feminine, it will be ultra grand a la "The Emanicipation of Mimi" or "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." Hell, even typing out that last one didn't even feel right leaving my fingertips. Pretension galore!

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They had to see this coming: Google Headlines...

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Mariah Carey Is Planning a 'Beyoncé'-Style Album Drop ...

1. Mariah Carey Planning a Beyoncé-Style Surprise Album

   TIME‎ - 2 hours ago

1. Mariah Carey Pulling a Beyonce for 14th Album, May Come ...

   Us Magazine‎ - 3 hours ago

[Edited 4/25/14 11:02am]

I like the Billboard cover shot.

Would make a nice cd cover.

thedoorkeeper said:

I like the Billboard cover shot.

Would make a nice cd cover.

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That is a nice pic though. Subtlety looks good on her.

May 6th,huh? I wonder if she will release yet another "buzz single" before then I've never seen a situation where an artist has several flop singles before an album is even released.

SoulAlive said:

May 6th,huh? I wonder if she will release yet another "buzz single" before then I've never seen a situation where an artist has several flop singles before an album is even released.

I don't get the point of releasing another single? If people have heard so many songs from it already, it's not exciting the album because you've heard a lot of it already. I think Mariah like most older artists is not a singles artist anymore, but is more of an album artist.

It doesn't seem like a Beyonce thing because part of what made the Beyonce album exciting was it also came with the videos of each song.

Just don't get why so many veteran artists are going the singles route when they have been album artists for their entire careers. I would think of Rhianna as more of a singles artist than a Mariah or Chaka. I understand in many cases, for veteran artists, there's an issue of finding a label to distribute an album but with Mimi, this is not the case so why all the singles? Just go back to your bloody roots and release a great album!!!!

kitbradley said:

Just don't get why so many veteran artists are going the singles route when they have been album artists for their entire careers.

Mariah was a singles act from the beginning, that's how she became popular. It's not like she was a jazz, heavy metal, or zydeco act where there's few, if any singles released and don't get Top 40 radio play. You could say Rush, Pink Floyd, & Miles Davis were more known for albums than singles, but not Mariah.

Maybe she FINALLY realizes that radio aint feeling her, her day is over, was a LONG time ago, and now she needs to just sell an album for a few weeks lets face it that BEYONCE album lost its "steam" of being what everyone was talking about, about 2 weeks later if even, yeah it sold, but its long forgotten, as will Mariahs new album. Just saying the reality here. If you think she is going to pull in 90's Mariah numbers and airplay, let me get that joint you smokin on, just do a good album for once.

lastdecember said:

lets face it that BEYONCE album lost its "steam" of being what everyone was talking about, about 2 weeks later if even, yeah it sold, but its long forgotten, as will Mariahs new album.

That's what is so crazy to me about this strategy, as illustrated by Beyonce. I haven't heard one word about the actual music on the album - just the distribution method.

What is the point of an album without good music?

119 said:

lastdecember said:

lets face it that BEYONCE album lost its "steam" of being what everyone was talking about, about 2 weeks later if even, yeah it sold, but its long forgotten, as will Mariahs new album.

That's what is so crazy to me about this strategy, as illustrated by Beyonce. I haven't heard one word about the actual music on the album - just the distribution method.

What is the point of an album without good music?

I'm not a particularly big fan of Beyonce, but the album got a lot of positive reviews when it first came out. What album now is really remembered after the first few weeks? People find out about albums immediately now with social media, they don't build like they used to. People don't buy albums like they used to, it's all about touring and live performances now. Beyonce has an advantage in that she's a very talented live performer, but Mariah has never been much of a touring artist or a live performer.

Glindathegood said:

119 said:

That's what is so crazy to me about this strategy, as illustrated by Beyonce. I haven't heard one word about the actual music on the album - just the distribution method.

What is the point of an album without good music?

I'm not a particularly big fan of Beyonce, but the album got a lot of positive reviews when it first came out. What album now is really remembered after the first few weeks? People find out about albums immediately now with social media, they don't build like they used to. People don't buy albums like they used to, it's all about touring and live performances now. Beyonce has an advantage in that she's a very talented live performer, but Mariah has never been much of a touring artist or a live performer.

I agree on all that, shelf life for a new release is almost a week or two, BUT, then why even put out an album? You have to forget about the whole "mainstream" here, BEYONCE did what she did and no one knew, Mariah already announced her surprise? Plus Mariah is not in the spotlight or still has the hold that Beyonce has. Make the album stick with your fans, I got the Beyonce cd/dvd it got one play, it doesnt do anything for me, it wasnt a great leap of creative work for her, a few songs here and there but i havent listened to it since i got it. Mariah i fear will be the same thing, though i like her more she still bores me like Beyonce does, their songs are all so similar.

lastdecember said:

I agree on all that, shelf life for a new release is almost a week or two, BUT, then why even put out an album? You have to forget about the whole "mainstream" here, BEYONCE did what she did and no one knew, Mariah already announced her surprise? Plus Mariah is not in the spotlight or still has the hold that Beyonce has. Make the album stick with your fans, I got the Beyonce cd/dvd it got one play, it doesnt do anything for me, it wasnt a great leap of creative work for her, a few songs here and there but i havent listened to it since i got it. Mariah i fear will be the same thing, though i like her more she still bores me like Beyonce does, their songs are all so similar.

For me one of the main points of an album now is to have new songs to perform on a tour. Some people say they just want the hits. but for me it's boring if i go see an artist and they play the same songs I've heard a million times before. It's good to put out a new album so fans will hear the new songs and know them by the time you do a tour. Because for me, I do tend to see certain artists repeatedly in concert. There are some artists to me that have proven they are great live performers so I tend to see them many times over the years.

But I do feel albums are on their way out. But some artists haven't realized that. I think some artists might do EP's with just a couple of songs they plan to do on their tours.

But what I think would be interesting and I don't know if any artist would ever do this but to do a tour without a new album, but instead of just playing singles, play some more obscure album tracks that have never been performed. Because with a lot of artists they play the hits and some tracks from the new album, but there are always so many good songs I like by them that I never get a chance to see live.

Glindathegood said:

lastdecember said:

I agree on all that, shelf life for a new release is almost a week or two, BUT, then why even put out an album? You have to forget about the whole "mainstream" here, BEYONCE did what she did and no one knew, Mariah already announced her surprise? Plus Mariah is not in the spotlight or still has the hold that Beyonce has. Make the album stick with your fans, I got the Beyonce cd/dvd it got one play, it doesnt do anything for me, it wasnt a great leap of creative work for her, a few songs here and there but i havent listened to it since i got it. Mariah i fear will be the same thing, though i like her more she still bores me like Beyonce does, their songs are all so similar.

For me one of the main points of an album now is to have new songs to perform on a tour. Some people say they just want the hits. but for me it's boring if i go see an artist and they play the same songs I've heard a million times before. It's good to put out a new album so fans will hear the new songs and know them by the time you do a tour. Because for me, I do tend to see certain artists repeatedly in concert. There are some artists to me that have proven they are great live performers so I tend to see them many times over the years.

But I do feel albums are on their way out. But some artists haven't realized that. I think some artists might do EP's with just a couple of songs they plan to do on their tours.

But what I think would be interesting and I don't know if any artist would ever do this but to do a tour without a new album, but instead of just playing singles, play some more obscure album tracks that have never been performed. Because with a lot of artists they play the hits and some tracks from the new album, but there are always so many good songs I like by them that I never get a chance to see live.

I agree on the "new songs" on tour 100%, which was a HUGE issue i have had with prince during the emancipation era having 36 songs and playing about 3 and then going on tv and saying that he could do Emancipation in full if need be. To me U have to work in new material or you are stuck in this amusement park time warp type touring, I think for older artists you have to find a common ground, it really depends on the artist and their following and what they want. I think its safe to say most of us want new albums, but its tough when some acts are signed to labels because that is not their focus. Older artists that are not on labels can distribute their own way. I use Rick Springfield as a reference, since 1998 no artist has toured and played more shows than he has, this current year he is coming close to 150 shows, now some may say he is doing HITS tours, well sure you will hear hits, but you are getting new stuff, acoustic tours, tours at times with other artists, he has split all of it up so well, its amazing someone 64 years old is doing things that 20 and 30 yr olds should be doing. Sad thing is that i fear that for a NEW artist touring is out too, they are becoming these singles artists, with nothing else to offer.

Identity said:

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April 25th
Link


It's been a long road to Mariah Carey's 14th album -- a project she first began working on in 2010, before the birth of her nearly three-year-old twinsMoroccan and Monroe -- that has been stalled over the years after stiff-performing singles and numerous tweaks to the track listing.

But, as Billboard exclusively reveals in its latest cover story, Carey will be taking a surprise approach to the project by revealing her new album's title, track listing, artwork and music all at once via to-be-announced digital partners (a physical release at retail is expected the following week.) "I have to be the one that announces this, especially the title," Carey says, noting that the album takes its name from a "personal possession of mine that's part of an entity that I've had almost all my life."

Though Carey doesn't mention other artists in describing her strategy, it's clear she's taking a page out of the Beyonce playbook. It's a particularly direct parallel when you consider that Beyonce herself was coming off an underperforming album (2011's 4) before opting to go the surprise route -- much in the way that Carey's last album, 2009's Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, produced just one top 10 hit ("Obsessed") and sold a disappointing 549,000 copies, low enough to cancel a planned remix album.

Though last summer's Miguel duet "#Beautiful" was a bonafide hit, peaking at No. 15 on the Hot 100 and selling 1.2 million downloads, a string of other singles ("Triumphant," "Almost Home," "Eternal [You're Mine]") have failed to catch fire along the way.

In the Billboard cover story, out Monday, Carey and her new manager Jermaine Dupri talk candidly about the rocky road to the album's launch – from the failed singles to her drama-plagued stint on American Idol in 2013 to the shoulder injury that nearly derailed her plans altogether ("I really downplayed that incident.")

Here's five more things we learned:

She's assembled a dream team of collaborators. Frequent collaborators Rodney Jerkins and Dupri are back for Album No. 14, but so is a surprisingly diverse roster that ranges from of-the-moment producers like Hit-Boy and Mike Will Made It, guest features from Wale, Nas and Trey Songz and even contributions from veteran arranger Larry Gold and the Love Unlimited Orchestra. There's also "a special guest star that I'm not allowed to reveal," Carey teases.

She's aware of the failed singles. Carey will cop to a few of the pre-release singles not doing as well as past hits, pausing to note that 2013's Stargate-produced "Almost Home" was intended for the Oz, Great and Powerful soundtrack. "You would think I would be all about the singles-driven situation, and I am in a way, but with this particular album I want my fans to hear it as a body of work," she says. "This is my life since we last left off. Just picture a dot dot dot, and then here's the album."

The new album won't be her last. Despite recent comments to Bravo's Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live ("If this were to be my last album, people would hear everything they needed to hear"), Carey is not calling it quits anytime soon. "I will always make music. When I said it could be my last, that's because tomorrow's not promised to anyone."

Expect big ballads and uptempo bangers. After immersing herself in her own catalog ("a friend of mine made me a playlist with 1,000 of my songs on it called 'The Ultimate MC Audio Collection,'" she says), Carey explored her feel-good, hip-hop/R&B side as well as her more introspective moments that could give her fans the best of all worlds.

She may soon return to television. Her rocky stint with Nicki Minaj on American Idol last year notwithstanding, Carey says she'd like her next reality-competition venture to be something where she was executive producer. "I have another project that I'm so very excited about that's finally coming to fruition."

<3 Mariah! Can't WAIT! She ALWAYS brings it!

[Edited 4/27/14 13:52pm]

Is that true she is using Al Sharpton to bully radio stations into playing her songs? How pathetic. They talked about this on the radio this morning.

I'm unaware of any allegations related to Sharpton targeting radio stations that haven't put her new music in rotation. Clearly, it a bizarre rumor meant to denigrate her.

I believe this is the first professional photo I've ever seen of her in less makeup. I, too, could see this as album cover art.

thedoorkeeper said:

I like the Billboard cover shot.

Would make a nice cd cover.

Identity said:

I believe this is the first professional photo I've ever seen of her in less makeup. I, too, could see this as album cover art.

thedoorkeeper said:

I like the Billboard cover shot.

Would make a nice cd cover.

Seriously a rumour using Al Sharpton? what is this 1987?

What's happening is,Mariah is now turning into a "veteran artist" but she and her label seem to be in denial about that.Veteran artists don't get the same type of aggressive airplay that younger "hotter" artists receive.They don't have hit singles very frequently.The hit parade is coming to an end.It has happened with Prince,Madonna,Janet and numerous others.The smart thing to do now is to change the focus from record sales to touring.

Unfortunately she never was a touring force so the veteran days are going to be tough for her. I doubt she's going to gain major attention from now on.

Surprise! Never one to miss an opportunity to show off all her assets, she graces the new issue of UK mag Wonderland in lingerie.