All we want is her. Mariah Carey has been one of the most influential singers for over two decades. She’s had multiple number one hits and songs that everyone is dying to sing at their next karaoke night, including “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” So how much is this celebrity worth?
Mariah Carey Net Worth as of 2018: $520 Million
Here’s how Mariah made it to the millions.
1988 – 1996
Getty ImagesAt the age of 18, Mariah signed on at Columbia Records. In 1990, her debut album, Mariah Carey, included four number one singles including “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Some Day,” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” This made her the first artist since The Jackson 5 to have her first four singles reach number one. Mariah Carey became the best-selling album in the United States in 1991 with over 15 million copies sold.
Mariah’s second album, Emotions, was released in September 1991. Although the album sold over 8 million copies, the title track became her fifth number one single.
In March 1992, Mariah appeared on MTV’s Unplugged. Her cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” on the show resulted in an EP, another number one single, and a triple-Platinum certification.
Mariah’s third album, Music Box, was released in 1993 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, eventually selling over 32 million copies. Her two singles from that album include “Dreamlover” and “Hero.”
In November 1994, Mariah released her holiday album Merry Christmas, which included the hit single “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The album eventually became the best-selling Christmas album of all time, selling over 15 million copies.
In October 1995, Mariah released her next album, Daydream, which included the single “One Sweet Day.” The song remained atop the Hot 100 for a record-holding 16 weeks, and became the longest-running number-one song in history. Daydream became her biggest-selling album in the United States, and became her second album to be certified Diamond.
1997 – 2001
Getty ImagesButterfly, Mariah’s next album, was released in 1997. The album included 11 compositions written by Mariah and included her 12th No.1 hit, “Honey.”
A year later, Mariah released #1’s, which featured her 13 previous chart-topping singles as well as the Academy Award-nominated “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt, a duet with Whitney Houston.
In November 1999, Rainbow became Mariah’s next album and gave her the highest first week sales of her career at the time, even though it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
In April 2001, Mariah left Columbia Records and signed a recording contract worth $100 million with Virgin Records (EMI Records), which was the biggest music contract ever heard of at the time.
Mariah then turned towards the world of movies with the release of her movie Glitter on September 21, 2001. Unfortunately, the movie became a commercial and financial failure, making only $5.3 million at the box office and having only a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s soundtrack sold only 3 million copies.
2002 – 2007
Getty ImagesMariah reportedly walked away from Virgin with nearly $50 million as part of her severance agreement. In May 2002, she signed a $24 million deal with Universal Music Group’s Island/Def Jam Records and staged a comeback with her eighth album, Charmbracelet. The album debuted in third place on the charts.
After her Charmbracelet World Tour in 2003, Mariah began work on her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi. The album was released in April 2005 and included the hit single “We Belong Together.” The song became Mariah’s sixteenth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the second longest number one song in US chart history, behind her other hit “One Sweet Day.” Billboard listed it as the “song of the decade” and the ninth most popular song of all time.
The Emancipation of Mimi earned 10 Grammy Award nominations: eight in 2006 for the original release (the most received by Mariah in a single year) and two in 2007 for the Ultra Platinum Edition (from which “Don’t Forget About Us” became her 17th number one hit). Mariah won the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album for The Emancipation of Mimi, as well as Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for “We Belong Together.”
The Emancipation of Mimi became the best-selling album in the United States in 2005 and to date has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
In 2007, Mariah signed a licensing deal with cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden and released her own fragrance, “M.” The Elizabeth Arden deal has earned her $150 million. In addition, Forbes named her as the fifth richest woman in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $270 million.
2008 – 2013
Getty ImagesMariah released her eleventh studio album, E=MC², in April 2008. Two weeks before the album’s release, “Touch My Body,” the record’s lead single, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Mariah’s eighteenth number one. This accomplishment made her the solo artist with the most number one singles in United States history,
E=MC² debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 463,000 copies sold, the biggest opening week sales of her career.
In addition to her music work, Mariah earned positive reviews for her performance as a social worker in the movie Precious in 2009.
In September 2009, Mariah released her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and became the lowest-selling studio album of her career. However, the album’s lead single, “Obsessed” debuted at number 11 and peaked at number seven on the chart. This single marked Mariah’s 27th US top-ten hit, tying her with Elton John and Janet Jackson as the fifth most top-ten hits.
In November 2010, Mariah released her second Christmas album, Merry Christmas II You, which included a remix to “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Merry Christmas II You debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with sales of 56,000 copies. This became Mariah’s 16th top ten album in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart.
2014 – 2016
Getty ImagesIn May 2014, Mariah released her 14th studio album, Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse.
In January 2015, Mariah announced she would have her own Las Vegas show at at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace beginning in May of that year. To coincide with the residency, Mariah released #1 to Infinity, a greatest hits compilation album that contains all eighteen of her Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, as well as a new single, “Infinity.”
In December 2015, Mariah announced The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour, set to begin in March 2016.
Mariah is currently engaged to Australian billionaire businessman James Packer. He is said to be the seventh richest man in Australia with his net worth of over $6 billion. He’s made that clear by giving Mariah an engagement ring worth a staggering $7 million.
2017
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ9jxF_DbdC/?taken-by=mariahcarey&hl=en
On December 31, 2016, her final performance of the year suffered major technical difficulties in what The New York Times described as “a performance train wreck”. She was unable to hear the music and stopped singing. The performance made the start of 2017 difficult for Carey, but that didn’t stop her from working on more projects.
Carey released the single “I Don’t” on February 3, 2017. She was also part of The Lego Batman Movie as the voice of Gotham City’s Mayor. Currently she is planning the All the Hits Tour with Lionel Richie, which is scheduled for the Summer after delays.
Keep making that money, Mariah.
2018
A South American concert promoter sued Mariah Carey for 3 million dollars over canceled South American shows.
