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Charmbracelet to Caution vocals compared (113,446) by TheButterflyReturns from United States

I disagree with the "ditch the bipolar meds" suggestion. Mariah has bipolar disorder and has been hospitalized at least twice because of it (once in 2001 and once in 2016 which prompted the disclosure of the Bipolar diagnosis). People living with bipolar disorder really have to stay on the medications in order to remain stable, or they have to make substantial lifestyle changes.

Cutting out alcohol, cutting out other recreational drugs (i.e. cannabis), developing better sleep hygiene, healthy eating, regular exercise, working with a vocal couch, etc. would likely offset any vocal issues caused by medications. Mariah seemed pretty disciplined during the Charmbracelet World Tour, so we know she is capable of pulling it together while using bipolar medications. At that point, she was in good shape physically, the pre-recording use was minimal, and she seemed to be taking good care of herself.

My worry is that Mariah may have gotten hooked on opioids or other prescription medications after injuring herself during the 2013 "#Beautiful" remix music video shoot. As much I disliked Stella's impact on Mariah's career, I do wonder about her claims that Mariah has a substance abuse problem.
(Saturday 21 March 2026; 13:54)


this is a reply to message		113,442

I still Believe / Pure Imagination Live Performance (113,445) by Philipp from Switzerland

Just stumbled upon this live performance of I still Believe / Pure Imagination during the Rainbow Tour. She sounds great.

(Saturday 21 March 2026; 11:56)

Thanks, Giovanni (113,444) by Lainsky from Philippines

That's very kind of you, Giovanni. Thank you for asking. I'm doing well, and I hope you are too. Also, I really enjoy your posts here, which inspire me to listen to the songs you discuss and explore even more. For example, I have a habit of playing Mariah's songs from a specific album as if they were my fantasy singles released. Since it's the 25th anniversary of "Glitter", I find myself playing those songs even more often.
(Saturday 21 March 2026; 10:24)


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Diva persona / the voice (113,443) by Lambi from USA

Beauty brings you closer to your calling so I don't mind it either. When you read her book you can see Mariah's love for being a showgirl was supported early on by her guncles. The few times she felt beautiful as a little girl (like when her matted hair was untangled for the first time) were very incredibly significant and cathartic for her. She even wanted that photo to be the cover of the memoir. An eventual superstar feeling somewhat put together, for the very first time, would've meant the absolute world, which explains why she vividly remembers that moment. She would also routinely make her friends switch clothes with her just so she had a chance at a newer outfit, like it was almost a necessity. Ensembles are a big part of being a diva, she has always been innately one. It wasn't something she randomly became later on.

And for momentous occasions like prom, she unashamedly threw a keg party so she could fundraise for the whole shebang. She racked up $1k plus that afforded a limo and a personally tailored dress. Even while being unbearably poor, Mariah somehow managed to go on full throttle because prom is a moment, darling. She will find a way, she will be festive and she will be that girl. She has seriously always been inherently fabulous. The celebrity in her came out even with no fame or fortune.

Considering her royalty money keeps growing over time, she is inevitably going to live larger and larger. And she loves responding back to haters via flexing her wealth. Remember when she finally made it big, she pulled up to the house of one of her bullies (one who chanted the N word) in a sports car while blasting Vision of Love as a clap back. You truly get a sense of who Mariah is. Her way of dealing with people who've maniacally did her dirty was to go bigger, grander, and harder than them: "You a mom and pop, I'm a corporation", "I don't know her either", "Which is difficult to get, not everyone has that", "Are you selling M&Ms?" LMAO.

Another tidbit is that she hovered over the idea of burning her original wedding dress in the WBT music video which would've felt like a very pointed F you to Tommy who wanted her permanently cemented in the 90s. Though the colossal success of TEOM did just that, there was really no need to be burning a $25k Vera Wang 27 foot train.

For a while though, I thought she held such a deep sense of security after marrying Nick and having kids with him. Marriage can do that. You simply won. The more important things come into focus (like dem babies) and the outside noise don't matter as much. But life really did take such a sad nasty turn for her. I honestly would have never, in a million years, expected Nick to turn out the way he has today.

I can understand why she keeps getting her breasts enlarged or piling on layers and layers of makeup. When someone you married and the only person you chose to have children with, goes on to publicly father children with several other women, whom are stunningly beautiful by the way. You will be psychologically impacted.

This must've ensued a deep insecurity most of us will never ever understand. It's not a normal thing to go through and to this very day, none of it is okay. The way you handle beautification won't be quite the same. It'll catapult you to be more and more excessive. She was already insecure after the series of failed relationships with men. Unfortunately, this was even more amplified to the freaking extremes, to a height I never thought possible, by Nick's severe psychological disorder.

I kind of just accepted that Mariah may perpetually have this unrelenting desire to always be at her most beautiful. She will maximize her good looks while she miraculously still has it. Voluminous hair, cinched waist, flawless make-up. She will be grand and she will make a statement. There is almost an incessant need to remind people that she is that girl, and as a fan who's forensically examined her life, I understand why. My only hope for her is to not end up being that bitter single mom. She's worked so incredibly hard for this life and she truly deserves the world.

At this point, I am really just happy she's still alive and going. Consistently working on something and enjoying a family life. I know people say to just bow out gracefully. But the God in Mariah (the creative force) is still there. Not as prolific some would say, but she is still creating. And she released a song/some sorta single/a remix, every single year from 1990 to 2015, so I think she deserves a pass. There are some amazing projects on the horizon this year; as her word, it'll be "major".

By the way, thank you to everyone who's reached out with congratulations. For reading if you've reached this far. And I apologize for the lack of response. This year has been incredibly transformative for me, both personally and creatively. I hope everyone is doing well.
(Saturday 21 March 2026; 03:21)


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Charmbracelet to Caution vocals compared (113,442) by Giovanni from USA

I definitely think the meds have played a role in Mariah's voice decline as well as the drinking and lack of rest. I really wish she would ditch those meds honestly. I'm hoping she does something before the release of her next album. As I've said before her voice sounds way better on Caution than on Here For It All.
(Friday 20 March 2026; 21:29)


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Charmbracelet to Caution vocals compared (113,441) by Bobby A from United States

Happy Friday everyone. I have a vocal decline theory. I think I have figured out what caused MC's vocal decline from Glitter to Caution. Before Charmbracelet, MC's voice could relatively bounce back from vocal fatigue after vocal rest. However, when she started taking her bipolar medication after the Glitter album was completed, this is when we could hear a dramatic change in her voice with each post Glitter album. Caution gave us the most dramatic and noticable change in her voice that we had seen prior to HFIA in 2025. In my opinion, it has to be the bipolar medication that has caused MC's vocal decline. Her speaking voice has been affected as well. You can definitely hear how MC's speaking voice is coarse and not as fluid at times like it was 20 years ago during the TEOM era. Can someone elaborate more with an analysis of my theory that her bipolar medication is the real catalyst that caused her vocal decline?

(Friday 20 March 2026; 10:14)

Amerie I Thing / Touch album (113,440) by Giovanni from USA

Amerie's "I thing" [sic] is still such a banger in 2026. It will forever be one of the best hits of 2005 and man 2005 was such a great year for albums and music. I remember buying Amerie's album and how much I enjoyed it. She definitely deserved that Grammy nomination but our girl Mimi took it. Touch is one of my favorite albums and Amerie is such an amazing talent and she deserved so much more success. If you listen to the song "Just like me" you can hear Mariah all over that song. We need to bring back 2005 and 2002 r&b again because music today is kind of boring. I'm really having high expectations for MC17.

(Friday 20 March 2026; 09:06)

Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,439) by Giovanni from USA

I agree Lainsky, how are you doing by the way? I enjoy your posts and love my Filipino lambs.

(Friday 20 March 2026; 08:50)


this is a reply to message		113,436

Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,438) by Giovanni from USA

I agree, I so want her to record this song lol. I think she could pull it off nicely. There's just something about MC and the Spanish guitar. We got a little taste again with Caution in "Giving me life".

(Friday 20 March 2026; 08:40)


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Article: Mariah Carey twins with twin teens in new photo from home (113,437) by John from USA

I see that the granny gowns and the cowardly lion mane will never go away. Sigh.
(Friday 20 March 2026; 04:12)

Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,436) by Lainsky from Philippines

I agree. I posted it before the first time I heard of this song when it was released. My All came into my mind first, and Toni's Spanish Guitar. After Tonight, yes, since it is another My All attempt for Rainbow. I love Risk It All.
(Friday 20 March 2026; 03:20)


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Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,435) by Nicole from US

Mariah has done something like this. Cue My All, I've Only Wanted, After Tonight.
(Friday 20 March 2026; 01:54)


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Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,434) by Sasha from Nomansland

I really like his new album. I would rather see her singing songs in the same style as Sade. At least she could sing them life.
(Thursday 19 March 2026; 20:17)


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Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,433) by Bobby A from United States

So true. When I first heard Risk It All, it immediately made me think about how MC's buttery tone and alto voice shines through when she sings latin-influenced songs.

(Thursday 19 March 2026; 18:28)


this is a reply to message		113,432

Risk it all Bruno Mars (113,432) by Giovanni from USA

I don't know about any of you but this sounds like a song Mariah could sing today. It definitely would suit her current voice and I like it a lot. I think Bruno's new album is okay, nothing special. "I just might" has grown on me and I like it now but "Risk it all" reminds me so much of Mariah.
(Thursday 19 March 2026; 08:28)

Can't let go / Prisoner (113,431) by Giovanni from USA

It's nice to see "Can't let go" get some love and wouldn't it be so cool if we made it go viral, stream it and get it to chart lol. Can a past song make it on Billboard? Definitely should have been a hit. Also I played "Prisoner" a couple of times. It definitely should have been another single and could have been another number one for MC. It's so 1990 and Mariah's vocals and rap verses are fire. I can't believe how young she was and was able to sound so amazing and write and produce at that age. I think the music video would have been MC walking around NYC at night. Anyways I will always love her 1990 curls and how shy she was. Definitely the best debut album out of any female artist. I absolutely love the album cover as well, one of her best.

(Thursday 19 March 2026; 08:23)

Sugar Sweet (113,430) by Giovanni from USA

Yup I still love SS and it could have been a hit. Mariah needs to start having more lyrics in her songs lol and stop making them so short. SS needed another Mariah verse but overall the production was good.

(Thursday 19 March 2026; 08:13)

Sugar Sweet (113,429) by Bobby A from United States

Don't feel bad Stacey. I play my HFIA CD and Sugar Sweet comes on, but I realize that the album version is not the version Kehlani is singing on. So, I play Folded and Out The Window to get my Kehlani fix.

(Thursday 19 March 2026; 02:41)


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Sugar Sweet (113,428) by Stacey from USA

I'm such a dork. I managed to find a CD copy at Walmart months ago. I've been dying to know what the solo version sounds like. Turns out the solo version is on my CD, lol. I've been listening to it for months without realizing it. SMH.

(Thursday 19 March 2026; 02:23)


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Sugar Sweet (113,427) by MusicfanJ from Germany

This song has grown on me. But I still like the solo version better. I'm happy that this version is on the album. "Sugar Sweet" sounds radio friendly. It should have been a top ten hit in the US and NII should have been a hit in Europe.

(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 19:39)


this is a reply to message		113,425

MTV Unplugged (113,426) by Bobby A from United States

Yes. MC shines when she sings soulful emotional ballads. I hope she can get back those type of songs.

(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 18:11)


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Sugar Sweet (113,425) by Bobby A from United States

Was MC's acapella introduction of Sugar Sweet genius or what? I can't help, but think about how she drew us in making us want more. I wish she had a video and remix ready for release two weeks later after Sugar Sweet dropped. I wanted Sugar Sweet to be a top ten Hot 100 hit or better.

(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 14:57)

MTV Unplugged (113,424) by MusicfanJ from Germany

It's indeed a very interesting thought. "Just focused on creating soulful, genuine and sincere music." Less concerts, smaller venues, less fame, but still enough to live a wealthy life, but more relaxed and maybe the voice would still be there. Of course we will never know. Yes, she conquered the world. But the costs were high for it. But I think she wanted to be the ultimate global superstar, because of her early experiences. So she gave everything and beyond. The MTV Unplugged is music history. She was so good and showed everyone that she's a true artist, with a voice "out of this world". I also think she looked real confident. She knew she was unstoppable. Her little shyness here and there makes it even more adorable. I always loved the combination of being so sweet but at the same time confident and smart. That was Mariah for me. The live version of "If it's over" is unbelievable. And "Someday" is so cool. I love the EP.

(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 12:19)


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MTV Unplugged (113,423) by Lainsky from Philippines

I couldn't agree more. It was the first live concert I have seen of hers. I couldn't get hold of "The First Vision" back then. It was always sold out until it became a pre-order. I remember I always tuned in to MTV each time they aired it on replay. And yes, we are truly a bunch of old timers. But too blessed to witness her from the beginning up to her prime.
(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 11:07)


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MTV Unplugged (113,422) by Bill from the UK

Great post Jamie. I love Unplugged and play it nearly every day, no joke. Her voice is magical, and I think the arrangements and vocals for If It's Over, Someday and Make It Happen are better than the album versions, as great as they are. And then of course, I'll Be There. It's like the whole set was a crescendo to that fantastic moment-making performance.

And I have wondered the same as you. I look at someone like Barbra Streisand, who I think as a rule doesn't do concerts. Just one off performances every so often. I get envious that, had Mariah adopted that approach, where would she be now vocally? Had she not married Tommy and instead just focused on creating soulful, genuine and sincere music, where would she be? Tommy wanted a Whitney for his label, Mariah felt that "by your side, I can conquer the world"; and conquer it she did. But at what cost?
(Wednesday 18 March 2026; 00:09)


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