What is Mariah Carey's Net Worth?
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and actress with a net worth of $350 million. She is one of the top 15 best-selling musical artists in history, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Mariah is the second best-selling female artist of all time, behind Madonna. She has more #1 songs than any other female writer/producer in US chart history and has won five Grammys, 10 AMAs, and 15 Billboard Music Awards.
Early Life
Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969, in Huntington, New York. Of African American, Afro-Venezuelan, and Irish descent, her father adopted the name 'Carey' upon moving to New York, and her mother was a one-time opera singer and vocal coach. Mariah's parents separated when she was three years old.
Interested in music from a young age, Mariah began writing poems and songs while attending Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. She graduated in 1987 and moved to New York City to continue her music career.
Musical Success
Mariah's self-titled debut album was released on June 12, 1990, with Columbia Records investing $1 million in its promotion. The album reached number one on the Billboard charts and was eventually certified 9X platinum in the US, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. It earned her Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Her second album, 1991's "Emotions," was also a success. "Music Box," released in 1993, spent 128 weeks on the Billboard chart and sold 28 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time.
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"All I Want for Christmas" Royalties
Mariah's Christmas album is notable for the hit song "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which has sold 16 million copies globally and generates approximately $600,000 annually in royalties. To date, the song has grossed over $60 million in royalties.
Virgin Contract
In April 2001, Mariah signed a record-breaking $100 million, five-album contract with Virgin Music. However, her first album under Virgin, "Glitter," was a commercial and critical failure. Virgin paid Mariah $28 million to terminate the contract early, effectively paying her nearly $50 million for one album.
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Return to Success
After parting ways with Virgin, Mariah signed a $24 million, five-album deal with Island Records. Her 2005 album "The Emancipation of Mimi" sold 10 million copies worldwide. Mariah has since released albums with Def Jam and Epic Records.
In 2012, she earned $18 million for a season of American Idol. In 2015, she signed a $30 million contract for a two-year Las Vegas residency, making her one of the highest-earning women in music that year.
Personal Life
Mariah married music manager/producer Tommy Mottola in 1993 and divorced in 1998. She married actor Nick Cannon in 2008, and they have twins born in April 2011. Mariah was briefly engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer in 2016.
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Real Estate
Mariah has homes in Beverly Hills and New York City's Tribeca neighborhood. She previously owned a 51-acre property in Westchester County with her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, which was sold in 1998. Mariah also owns a vacation property in the Bahamas and recently bought and sold a mansion in Atlanta, Georgia.
For much of the recent decades, Mariah has split her time between a home she rents in Beverly Hills and a triplex apartment in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood.
Mariah Carey is NOT Worth $500+ Million
Despite reports to the contrary, Mariah Carey is not worth $520 million. During her 2015 divorce proceedings, it was revealed that in 2008 she had a net worth of $150 million. Mariah's gross earnings over the past decade do not sum up to $1 billion, which would be required for her net worth to be $520 million today.
