Carey is the only artist in Billboard history to earn a new Hot 100 #1 in four distinct decades (the ’90s, ’00s, ’10s and ‘20s). With crowd-pleasers like ‘ Emotions’, which spans over four dizzying octaves, coded NSFW anthem ‘ Honey’, and mournful Boyz II Men duet ‘ One Sweet Day’ (the Hot 100’s longest-running #1 for a quarter of a century), Carey was awarded as Billboard’s Artist of the Decade for the 1990s, and her 2005 tearjerker ‘ We Belong Together’ (which had me lamenting a love I could not even have theorised at five years old) was crowned Song of the Decade for the 2000s. The knack for crafting classics is exceedingly rare, let alone over and over again over the course of decades. Considering how hard Carey had to fight her label to create the culture-shifting collaboration - back then, the industry didn’t respect rappers enough to invite them into the mainstream - her belief in her vision is even more worthy of admiration. ‘ Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix)’ is widely credited as kicking off the trend blending R&B melodies, pop sensibilities and rap verses: a trend she has since mastered, and one so integral to modern music almost three decades later that few pop stars of today forgo a verse from whichever MC is in vogue. While ‘Fantasy’, her 1995 smash hit, is a strong candidate for one of the greatest pop songs of the ’90s (as judged by someone who never lived through that decade), its remix featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan is no less than historic. The vocal acrobatics on Carey’s 1990 debut was rarely heard on the radio at that time.
Fellow powerhouse Beyoncé admitted that she began practising vocal runs after hearing ‘Vision of Love’ as a child. The riffs and runs of her debut single ‘ Vision of Love’ contributed heavily to the common use of melisma today, birthing an entire generation of singers (and oversingers) and changing the landscape of R&B and pop forever. The seismic impact Mariah has had on contemporary music cannot be understated. Closing out the thirtieth anniversary year of the beginning of her acclaimed career, and fresh off the release of her first memoir, now seems an opportune moment to reflect on the legacy of the living legend. Too many people today only recognise her from memes, her distinctive whistle register, or her classic (though arguably overplayed) Christmas song, even though her influence is still palpable all over popular music. But beyond her commercial achievements, her impact as a songwriter, producer and all-around musician is little known. Inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the top of this year, she is one of the best-selling acts of all time, with more #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 than any solo artist in history. Few artists have managed to become as successful as Mariah Carey.
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