Thursday 28 August 2008

It's time to migrate

By January 2008, most music insiders, including those from Billboard magazine, referred to Mariah's new project as the most anticipated album of the year. Among the potential hits, early reports confirmed the existence of a hip-hop influenced club banger titled "Migrate", which wisely narrated an exciting Mariah's night out in the city.

The song, produced by Mariah Carey and Danjahandz, used the term "Migrate", which was part of Mariah's everyday saying, a "mariahism" suggested by friends to be used on this song. Popular hip-hop act T-Pain joined Mariah for the track. Mariah unveiled "Migrate" during the New Year's Eve 2008 party at TAO in Las Vegas, Nevada where she closed the night playing the new track that immediately created expectation for the new album.

"Migrate" was also one of the songs presented to music insiders during the listening party that took place in January. From that point, rumors about the commercial release of the club banger arose. Mariah's fan site Mariah Daily Journal announced on January 11 that Mariah initially considered "Migrate" as the possible first single choice. However, Island Def Jam and Mariah chose "Touch My Body" instead. "Migrate" officially debuted during her Saturday Night Live appearance in mid March. The overwhelming public response was followed by a series of rave reviews. Slant magazine referred to "Migrate" as "the album's most shocking track", adding that "she wanted to begin her album with a reminder - to fans, to rivals, to Tommy Mottola, to the ghost of Elvis - that, lo, these many years later, she's still got it". Blender magazine also praised the track by claiming that it offers the "hardest beat [on the record]".

Mariah also opened the BET television special The Relativity of Mariah with a killer performance of the song. Moreover, the label confirmed that "Migrate" was indeed the album's opener. The up-tempo track soon proved its commercial appeal. When E=MC2 was made available through iTunes, the digital sales of "Migrate" surpassed those of any other song included on the new album, except "Touch My Body". The song soon entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number ninety-two. Rumors about the song becoming the second single vanished after Mariah confirmed that she would release a ballad instead. Nonetheless, during an interview for Radio 1 in the UK, she claimed, "I definitely want to put it out." After the somehow disappointing performance of the album's second single, "Bye Bye", the release of "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" certainly surprised many who believed "Migrate" would finally get its chance.

A recent survey held among members of Mariah Hero.com confirmed that Mariah's fan base believes "Migrate" still has enormous potential. Rcki, one of the site's members, claims that the track "equipped all the elements of a no 1 single should have". Drelroi also believes the track "should have been released after Touch My Body". Another member, Make-it-happen, states that "Migrate" would "bring back momentum for this album. It screams 'hit' and it should be marketed as a hit". In fact, most fans, like Mimi-My-Angel, can't understand why "Migrate" hasn't been released as a single yet.

At this moment, Mariah's management has taken other songs into consideration; "Side Effects", "I'm That Chick", and "I Stay in Love" have been mentioned. "I Stay In Love" has received mostly harsh reviews by critics who either ignore it or call it "uninspired" for the most part. Critic Rich Juzwiak stated that "I Stay In Love" "rewrites of her relevance-reigniting megahit, We Belong Together". Juzwiak also referred to the song as "the most soulless song Mariah's cut since Glitter". His opinion is shared by other critics and fans alike who perceive an evident resemblance to 2005's "We Belong Together".

On the other hand, "Side Effects" and "I'm That Chick" have been applauded by critics. "Side Effects" conveys a message of confidence and strength which embodies the concept of Emancipation and that ironically The Emancipation of Mimi lacked. "Side Effects" swiftly caught media attention; People magazine's journalist Chuck Arnold expressed, "The highlight is Side Effects, the CD's darkest and most personal track, which seems to allude to Carey's failed marriage to music exec Tommy Mottola". Overall, "Side Effects" contrasts with the sweetness of E=MC2's previous three singles and would expose another side of Mariah's persona.

Meanwhile, "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" struggles to break into Billboard's top fifty. Many fans still believe "Migrate" would improve E=MC2's chart performance. Based on the song's impressive history, one can easily assume that not taking advantage of the track's potential would be a drawback; moreover, a wrongful single choice could bring disastrous consequences for the future of E=MC2.

(Badr - Mariah Hero)



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