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About Manuel from Germany: German lamb :-)

May Céline inspire Mariah? (106,839) by Manuel from Germany Hey lambs, this is such an interesting video to watch. Céline is talking about the process of learning to sing again after being diagnosed with SPS, being vulnerable, her relationship with her fans, and why she didn't want to occult her fight anymore. It made me think a lot about Mariah. Maybe she watches this too, and maybe it inspires her to talk about her battle with bipolar disorder and having to take medication that influences her performances etc., plus the nodule situation worsening with age. I think if she did some documentary like Céline's, she would be more relatable again, and she still has so many fans all over the world who don't expect her to be perfect and sing like when she was in her 20s. Who knows that she is haunted by her past achievements and who would just like to see her have fun performing again, even with a different repertoire. But hearing Céline speak made me understand the pressures of being such a big star in such a screwed up industry with so many people being on your payroll and the fear of losing it all. Mariah (or anyone from her team) if you read this - we see you struggling girl, and all we want for you is to be happy. We don't expect you to be Sony-Mariah again. You have already proven yourself to the world. You are enough as you are. We love you. (Friday 5 July 2024; 14:24)

I Will Survive (100,939) by Manuel from Germany Gosh I live for moments like this. Mimi just having fun and slaaaying. Her voice is so powerful when she is relaxed! And the first "go on now, go" is giving me Daydream vibes! Love it. (Monday 8 August 2022; 19:50)

Re: Twitter Spaces (98,609) (98,611) by Manuel from Germany Also, what I found was really interesting is how at the end, when the connection had broken down, she said "ok, bye". I feel like that is the real Mariah. It kind of reminded me of that insecure side she showed a lot more during the 90s. Or also when toward the end she said how much she appreciated the fans, and her voice became very soft and not so over-to-top. I feel like that is Mariah the human, and it was so refreshing to hear that side of her, because it makes her so much more tangible than "the diva" (though we love her too). What I feel I got from her was a sense of a very youthful spirit but I also hear a lot of hurt inside her. I hear that the voice is still 100% there (still not over the "nobody can take your place"), but it is worn and her struggles are reflected more in it. And she seems so vulnerable, while still very powerful. I actually cried a lot during the interview because I was listening to the woman who was a part of every moment of my life - my coming-out, struggles with mental health, breakups, lovers, self-empowerment, fun nights out, introspection - and at the end of the day she is just a human being with cracks and quirks that has given her all to her fans who hold her to such a high standard 30 years into her career. I hope she knows that all these complexities and maybe even contradictions make her so beautiful and I think we are all here for it! We love the real Mariah, she is so much more relatable than the celebrity who repeats a million times somewhat incohesively how much she loves everyone and how excited she is for things she cannot disclose yet etc. Didn't you also think that sometimes she was just rambling? The memoirs, her coming-out as bipolar, the Rarities were all big moments of her shedding her past and so much weight. I truly wish her healing from whatever hurt she has inside her (because it's obvious), and I hope that she finds love and trust and ease in her life. She deserves it so much for everything she has given to us! My life would surely not be the same without her in it. Love you Mimi. (Wednesday 15 September 2021; 10:56)

Twitter Spaces (98,609) by Manuel from Germany Hey lambily! The Glitter edition of Twitter Spaces from 2 days ago is still on my mind and I wanted to hear your thoughts about it. I feel like this was the most real Mariah has been in many years (apart from her memoires) speaking publicly and just actually being herself. I heard a lot of excitement in her, a lot of humor, a lot of perseverance, and a lot of gratitude for the lambily. But here is what I am thinking about: since I am German, I am not so familiar with "Americanisms" (only through media "celebrity culture"). And at times, Mariah seemed very "American" to me, as in super polite, repeating niceties with a sugar-coated sweetness, but also "going on a tangent". So is that something "American"? Or is she showing an even insecure side? I mean, at the same time, she was very genuinely present, and seemed to really care about being there for us and even singing Glitter songs! I mean OMG! When she belted from "Never Too Far" I was hearing Glitter Mariah with just as much soul, but with even more spirit. Anyway, now I am on a tangent. Let me know how you perceived this moment dahlings. Cheers! (Tuesday 14 September 2021; 22:34)

OMFG (95,834) by Manuel from Germany She is looking for the version with her as lead vocals. I am dying. (Monday 28 September 2020; 12:16)

Chick songs (95,833) by Manuel from Germany We need to petition Mariah to perform some of these songs in her upcoming concerts. Plus the "new" songs from The Rarities album. I am shook to the core that she recorded this album with Clarissa. It needs to be available for streaming. (Monday 28 September 2020; 12:10)

Re: Rarities album (95,034) (95,045) by Manuel from Germany I just googled Mariah Carey and Martin Denny together and it seems like we might get Loverboy in the Firecracker version because he wrote it, according to this article. So excited. (Friday 21 August 2020; 09:04)

Re: Rarities album (95,034) (95,044) by Manuel from Germany I think track 13 will be Lullaby of Birdland, because Shearing composed it and Weiss wrote the lyrics. (Friday 21 August 2020; 09:01)

Re: What More Can I Give? (94,314) (94,316) by Manuel from Germany I appreciate getting to know a bit more about you Andrew. I mean of course this board isn't a group therapy session so why should we be divulging personal information at random but to me it has been nice to see a softer side because usually when I see your posts (and I have been on this board - silently - for a very long time) I'm usually just like "oh no, not him again". However, I still stand by what I said about you coming off as very (c)rude and insensitive at times, even if it is your opinion. But I feel like we don't need to discuss that any further, you've made your point and I made mine. "Hold on a moment, if you use race, nationality and sexual orientation against someone." - I was using it against you in the context of what I perceived to be a very shallow statement and so as to highlight the sense of entitlement I felt I noticed. Your homosexuality and straight lambs - I didn't have to assume you are homosexual, I think I read you write it around here. Also, I am not going to discuss with you how straight lambs might feel because I acknowledged in parentheses that there are straight lambs. I only brought my queerness up for the olive branch moment. "I find objecting to unfairness, at the least, absolutely morally obligatory." - Well, so do I, that's why I posted. I think we're quite on the same page, we just had shitty ways of bringing it across. "And I apologise if I have ever fallen short of that." - Apology accepted. I apologise if I came off in a way that was very superficial and from a point of prejudice toward you. (Friday 5 June 2020; 07:45)

Re: What More Can I Give? (94,306) (94,312) by Manuel from Germany Hello Andrew, first of all, I wish to say I am sorry for assuming that you were English. In Germany, "English" or "England" is commonly used to refer to all of the UK which is of course ignorant and I should have know better. With that being said, I will disregard what you said about me demanding others to feel insulted and also the insinuation that I have problems with people's nationality, race, and sexuality. You don't know me thus I won't take it personally and come on, I'm a male person on a Mariah Carey fanpage, so I am queer. (Not to say that there aren't straight male lambs.) Also, I merely quoted this article because it had some examples of rioting and looting and I wanted to put my point in a certain context. Again, this is a Mariah Carey fanboard, I am not going to give you a university essay with a whole bibliography. As to the rest of your post: I found what you wrote very interesting and I agree with it. I also agree with the fact that looting stores etc. destroys other people's jobs and livelihoods. I also know that of course, also some white people have it really bad and some people belonging to minority groups are really well off. What I had a problem with and where my anger came from was that your original post lacked "a rational conclusion that relies upon detail and thought" as you put it, and I hate to say, but this is often the case with what you post. You often post such crude and hurtful things, Andrew, and you often come across as very bitter and arrogant and full of resentment (and it has gotten you banned from this board or has made other people leave this board). And that original post to me was yet again so superficial and over-generalizing and lumping everyone into one category and so little differentiated. Of course I could have used a different, more argumentative approach to replying but I just think that everything has a place and a time and now is not the place and time for whataboutisms or lumping everyone into one category or being undifferentiated and not mindful with one's own words while making very inappropriate jokes. I think now is a time to only say things if you have things to say and otherwise amplify the voices that need to be heard. So thank you for giving this detailed answer and showing that you actually care and are aware. (Thursday 4 June 2020; 18:57)

Re: What More Can I Give? (94,291) (94,300) by Manuel from Germany Great post Jade. Exactly my sentiments. (Thursday 4 June 2020; 07:51)

Re: What More Can I Give? (94,284) (94,299) by Manuel from Germany And here we go again with the moral blabla by a privileged, white, English man. Must be great to sit up in your ivory tower, having seen through "those people and communities", having exposed their "true colors" and their "lawless behavior" and not trying to understand why this might be the last resort some people have. Here's an excerpt from an article. As part of the coverage of the protests, news stations aired videos and images of protestors vandalizing storefronts. In Minneapolis, the Target on Lake Street - the location closest to where George Floyd was killed - was battered. In Los Angeles, the high-end shops of Rodeo Drive saw broken windows. In New York City, fireworks went off near Chanel and other designer boutiques. Upon seeing those images, the conversation shifted for many Americans. They turned away from what the protestors were fighting for and toward questions about what the future would hold for glossy corporate storefronts, high-end shopping centers, and the concept of retail therapy - they valued property over human lives. Property damage during protests, though, isn't done without reason, and the destruction of these businesses comes from a place of pain and mourning and, yes, anger. This is part of the nature of protests, including the 1991 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, and the Stonewall Inn riots in 1969, which famously started after a brick was thrown through a window. When a business is destroyed during a protest, it tears down the wall between "us vs. them", showing how property belonging to "them" - wealthier, usually white people - is just an illusion that can easily be shattered. Or as MLK jr would say: A riot is the language of the unheard. So if you don't understand this, Andrew, inform yourself and don't just again spurt out your opinions that can be very hurtful and inappropriate and blame those who have no other means of expressing their rage, while you will never know what a black person goes through. Of course some people take advantage of this and it is out of the question that this is bad. But sadly a lot of the conversation is now turning into "oh no, they're destroying our favorite shops", so please don't add to that discourse. And if you have nothing constructive to say, please, for once, shut up. And remember that it was rioting and looting during the Stonewall riots by black transwomen that is enabling you to live your happy little gay London life. So take several seats. (Thursday 4 June 2020; 07:49)

There's got to be a way live (94,248) by Manuel from Germany Mariah did it. She sang a snippet. (Saturday 30 May 2020; 16:36)

Emotions Daydream Tour (undubbed) (93,077) by Manuel from Germany This is new dahlings and I love it. (Friday 28 February 2020; 11:49)

Re: "Vanishing" (NARM 1990) (89,782) (89,784) by Manuel from Germany Welcome dahling. (Friday 31 May 2019; 13:36)

Re: "Vanishing" (NARM 1990) (89,778) (89,781) by Manuel from Germany It is from a documentary by ARTE, which is a German/French tv channel. (Thursday 30 May 2019; 22:34)

Mariah is on a trip on memory lane (89,772) by Manuel from Germany Now after Music Box and Slipping Away she gave us Sent From Up Above. And then from a documentary this footage of Vanishing from the NARM convention appeared. What a great time to be a lamb. (Thursday 30 May 2019; 16:09)

Re: Has something happened? (89,578) (89,591) by Manuel from Germany The bickering and bullying and hating and tearing Mariah and her fans apart is just insufferable and tiring. I used to enjoy coming to this board because it made me feel part of a community of people who were as excited about Mariah as I am. But now it's as if there's almost like a dark cloud hanging over this board. Everybody has an opinion they must fervently express, Mariah is being critisized for anything she does, everyone misses the old Mariah, Mariah lost her voice, Mariah is done, blablabla. The same BS is being regurgitated over and over and nothing ever changes. Grow up people. Let the woman be. If you don't like what she does, go. But the way some people stage themselves here and argue like any of this sh*t actually matters, is just way beyond me. (Thursday 16 May 2019; 09:37)

AIWFCIY tour (86,903) by Manuel from Germany Hello dahlings. I was at the concert in Berlin last night and what with there being so much criticism around her voice, I just wanted to say it is spectacular. Yes some parts where lipped (and noticeably so because the volume changed) but other parts that I thought she lipped, she didn't. She is just really that good. I think she is just not confident enough for whatever reason but the voice is still there henny. She was in great spirits, funny, engaging with the audience (unlike two years ago when I saw her in Cologne) and what a [censored] legend she is. She hasn't really had any major hit here in Germany in a long time because the general public hates her but in spite of that filled an arena 28 years into her career with a Christmas show. I think that is remarkable. Well and I was just crying throughout the concert, because Mariah and her music saved my life and for me to be breathing the same air as her, having that woman stand in front of me who sang such beautiful songs, been through so much, and still smile and be fabulous was just awe-inspiring. God bless her soul. (Thursday 6 December 2018; 08:03)

Re: Mariah's voice (83,055) (83,060) by Manuel from Germany amends: Sehr gerne ("very welcome" in German). Where in Germany do you live? I am from Berlin. Billy: Yeah I think it is easy to put the blame on only her singing technique or nodules or presumed drinking habits or whatever, when we humans are such multi-faceted beings and emotional, psychological, spiritual and bodily wellbeing all play into how much we are able to give of ourselves. This woman has worked so much and given us so much and while I understand the frustration of paying a lot to see her live and then have her carelessly perform, I also see that she is living her life in front of the whole world and that is just so crazy and while from a professional point of view I sometimes cringe when I hear the way she sings, I am at the same time grateful that she is still around and that I was able to see her two years ago in Cologne and that I will be seeing her in Berlin this year and that to me is just awesome because she is an icon and she as a person means more to me than her vocal mishaps. She is like family to me and thanks for the compliment dahling. Tevin: well as I said earlier, alcohol drains the body, you basically pee out a lot of the water that is stored in the membranes and cells and what not, so the voice just becomes drier because the larynx dries up and the cords can't close as they would in a more "succulent" body. But since I don't know how much alcohol she consumes, I wouldn't want to say that it is the main factor. I feel like a lot of fuss is being made about how much alcohol she presumably drinks, but since we are not with her every minute of the day, we cannot say with certainty that she drinks so much that it would harm her. (Or cause her to pee a lot. It's actually weird to think and talk so much about Mariah peeing. In my mind I wish to believe she doesn't do those mundane things hahaha just kidding.) So yeah, when she was pregnant, she couldn't breathe well because if you have little humans inside of you, the diaphragm has nowhere to go to so she had to rely more on rib breathing and she handled that really quite well. But in pregnancy, hormones are released that make the body more flexible and especially more soft, so that for example the skin can expand and this also affects the cords, causing them to be more flexible which is why many women'S voices change during pregnancy. Menstruation on the other hand causes the body to store more water, and this also happens in cords, so they cannot move as fast anymore because they have more mass and that is why sometime women will find while they menstruate that their voices drop a bit. The video you mentioned: I remember seeing it a while ago and I don't really remember all of it, I remember thinking that some things I agreed with but finding other things a little unclear. If you find it again, I can look at it and better give you my opinion. (Monday 9 July 2018; 22:58)

Re: Mariah's voice (83,048) (83,054) by Manuel from Germany Hey guys So many questions. I'll try to answer all of them. amends: If she had the nodules removed, she wouldn't sound as hoarse in her belts above D5, but if she doesn't change her technique, they would come back. Also, her voice would only sound "cleaner", but it really boils down to the way she uses her voice that would make a difference in her tone. She would definitely lose the whistle register though, because she has said many times that she creates the whistles by singing through the space the nodules create, so I am assuming that her whistle register is not a real whistle register but an oddity that she managed to perfect very well. But a nodule-removing operation is a standard procedure that doesn't bring lots of consequences. She would just have to shut up for at least two weeks, not say a word, because the nodules are scraped off and there is a scar on the cords that could hemorrhage if she doesn't have absolute vocal rest. After that she would have to do voice therapy to learn a technique where she would learn what I mentioned in my previous post. this_is_qhm: I think the honeyed tea, humidifiers, checkups and sleeping that she always professes aren't doing her any good. Tea is good because it is warm, warmth increases bloodflow in the areas where it occurs and that relaxes muscles, but tea doesn't affect the vocal cords in any way directly, because the tea goes down the oesophagus and not the windpipe. The honey might put a gentle coat on the mucus membranes in the throat which helps because it keeps everything juicy and moist and it will keep her salivating (so the voice doesn't sound so dry) but the direct effect on the voice is minimal. Humidifiers have more of an effect on the vocal cords because they put a layer around the cords, and if they were dry this would be important because dry vocal cords make the voice sound dry and breathy (because they don't close properly). And the sleep thing... well of course it is important to be rested before you go on stage but the worst thing you could do is basically rest all day and then go on a stage. Voice production is muscle activity and any sportsman or woman would know that you have to warm up before you do any muscle activity so there would be no point in her taking a year off and only resting her voice, it might make matters worse because they might artrophy (not in a pathological way) but still that would be the worst thing she could do. She just needs to train her voice. And that I think is laziness on her part to not do that. What alcohol does to the voice is that it is diurethic, i.e. it makes you pee a lot. So when you pee a lot, you expel a lot of water from the body and also from the mucous membranes that are around the vocal cords, resulting in dryness of the voice. So basically it'd be helpful if she cut the booze a bit (not totally, because it is the quantity that makes things bad), she had vocal training and used humidifiers and teas as a supplement but not as her actual caretaking routine of her voice. Billy: Well sustaining your voice properly through the breath and placement is like sports. It is actually physically very demanding because it requires a lot of stamina. I think in the beginning of her career and also during CB era it was easier for her because she was just hungry for stages, singing, making a name for herself and that gave her the necessary drive which enabled her to uphold this required stamina. And after the breakdown, she learned to take more care of herself, so she was probably feeling very fit physically and mentally. I would think that the fact she doesn't support correctly anymore might have a psychological aspect with her. Maybe she is just not as hungry anymore or a little burnt out or maybe some of the medication she is taking is relaxing her a little too much or before she was taking the medication she might have been depressed and you also don't really have much access to your strengths when you are not feeling well. Or also, when you are stressed (and Mariah through her history definitely suffers from traumatic stress), the part of her nervous system that is responsible for voice production and deep breathing might have not been able to be accessed fully, so maybe she wanted to sing in the way she used to but stress prevented her from doing it. But it's hard to say, I would have to talk to her to assess that better. Also menopause affects the body and thus the voice...there are so many factors and it's hard to be sure without properly examining her. So my guess is it is psychosomatic. 90sMariah: Yeah, the blocked nose sound comes from the fact that she is too nasal and that muffles the voice and alters the quality of her sound. So surgery would help remove the hoarseness, voice therapy could help her regain confidence and teach her to place and breathe and open up properly, proper education of how to rest and take her of her instrument and not just drinking tea, humidifying and resting cause Luther Vandross once told her would help her regain her old 90s tone (maybe sounding a bit darker but that's normal with age), with less agility and maybe not so much ease to hit G5s/G#5s. But she would really have to work through a myriad of old habits to come to that point and I think she is a mommy now and puts that on first place before career etc.. (Monday 9 July 2018; 20:31)

Re: Mariah's voice (82,998) (83,034) by Manuel from Germany Hey Jade, I am a speech and voice pathologist so I want to answer your question. The main issue with Mariah's voice has been for many years the lack of confidence, a faulty breathing technique and also issues with the placement of her voice (and of course the nodules). Mariah these days uses a very chest-dominant mix which means that more compression of the vocalis muscle (the inner muscle of the larynx) is used, making the voice sounds heavier and making it less agile. In her Daydream years, she had impeccable breathing technique. If one properly breathes from the diaphragm, the lungs expand to the greatest degree possible. The lungs are "glued" to the diaphragm. When one breathes in deeply, the larynx automatically goes down a bit because through the alveoli and bronchi and the windpipe it is connected with the diaphragm (as well as through the oesophagus, which goes through the diaphragm into the stomach and which is attached through throat constricting muscles to the larynx). This lowered larynx creates more space in the back of the throat, through which more overtones can be produced in the voice, giving it that rich, open, high sound she used to have earlier - if it is combined with a nasal placement. Beware - nasal placement does not mean nasality which actually muffles the voice, it means that the throat is very wide and the velum raised. Also through proper breathing, and breath support (which basically means withholding the inhalation tendency while exhaling), the compression of the vocal folds is reduced, which allows for the voice to be less chesty and more heady, because vocal fold closure happens through the mucous membrane surrounding the vocal cords as opposed to through a more muscular approach of cord closure. So less muscular closure = more agility in the voice and more ability to stretch the vocal cords (through another muscle outside the larynx) = higher voice/higher belting etc. Mariah nowadays breathes high and unefficiently, having to create overtones through more closure which for her often results in strain. Also, she has tongue and jaw tensions which is to compensate for the poor placement. Her placement is not very forward but more "in the mouth", and this leads to her losing the agility and also the brilliance of the belts, so they sounds harsher and more shouty. Also, tongue and jaw tension mess with the airflow because the space in the throat is narrowed and the air she exhales (and which through the vocal cords she turns into sound) encounters more pressure above the vocal cords, or is impeded. In physiological voice production, the air pressure under and above the vocal cords is almost exactly equal and this takes all the strain away from the cords themselves, making the sound free and open and beautiful. If the air pressure is in dysbalance, the sound gets stuck in the throat and she has to press and strain more to make it come out. Through this, cord closure is achieved through the muscle and I have already described what that entails. If her voice is sustained through breath and correct placement, it is free and big and round, if it is held through improper breathing or placement, it needs to compensate to create a similar sound but it becomes less free. Now through constant pressure, the nodules don't go away. Nodules are like calluses on the vocal cords and the more they are pressed together, the thicker they grow. Also with age, the cartilages in the larynx ossify (i.e. become harder), making the voice less agile. So to sum this up, Mariah is definitely not going to sound as agile anymore as Daydream Mariah but she could regain her prime timbre (sounding more mature though) if she breathed and placed her voice correctly. And voice therapy would definitely help with that. However I don't think she is interested. Hope this explanation was easy to understand, it is very complex and I tried to break it down as good as I could. (Sunday 8 July 2018; 23:01)

Can't Let Go (82,754) by Manuel from Germany The lambily has voted on Twitter and Mutha will be performing CLG in Vegas. Can't wait to hear, it is one of her most beautiful songs imo. (Monday 11 June 2018; 22:35)

Article: Mariah Carey on bossiness, breakups and being bipolar (82,661) by Manuel from Germany I actually love this interview with her. (Tuesday 5 June 2018; 19:28)

What has Mariah done for you? (82,626) by Manuel from Germany Hey lambs. I would like to know: in what ways has Mariah impacted upon your lives? To me personally, she means the world. She was there for me during the most trying situations of my life, she helped me believe in myself, she helped my in my coming out, she taught me the art of fabulousness, she taught me how to look inside, she inspired me to sing, her voice seems more familiar than that of my own mother, she taught me about humility. I don't think I would still be here without her. Not a day goes by when I don't listen to her music and I never seem to get tired of it either. So, what about you? (Sunday 3 June 2018; 08:32)

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