Reuters Posted online: Friday, June 25, 2004 at 1123 hours IST
Los Angeles, June 25: The past few years been a roller coaster ride for Mariah Carey, who has sold more 150 million albums worldwide since her 1990 debut.
In 2001-02, her film Glitter flopped, she had a nervous breakdown, and Virgin Records dropped her. Yet, she received critical acclaim for her role in the indie film Wisegirls.
Only six months after she left Virgin, Island Records signed her to a multialbum deal and gave Carey her own label, MonarC. While her first album under the Island deal, Charmbracelet, wasn't the smash many hoped it would be, it did sell more than 1 million copies in the United States, and her 2003 tour in support of the record grossed $6 million-plus.
Now she has re-signed with Creative Artists Agency, where Rob Light, the talent powerhouse's managing partner and head of music, asks the important question, "How do you take Mariah Carey, arguably the most successful female singer in history, and reinvent her for the next stage of her career while staying true to exactly who she is?"
Light, and Carey's manager, Benny Medina, are planning a multipronged approach to remaking her into a multimedia star.
Carey is in the process of writing an illustrated children's book about a biracial orphan girl, which Light says could be turned into an animated series.
"The children's (project) is a very natural step," Light says. "It's something she's worked on without the help of ghostwriters. She has a whole idea based on her biracial heritage; she thinks there is a huge audience."
While Carey is best known for her seven-octave range, she also has penned 15 No. 1 singles. Light says CAA will be looking to utilize her songwriting talent to possibly write for other artists, as well as for jingles, commercials and television.
Carey also is looking at theater opportunities. She is set to star in The Prince and the Showgirl early next year in London's West End, and Medina says Andrew Lloyd Webber's office has expressed interest in working with Carey on Broadway.
Says Light: "For everything she's done to this point -- she's been credited as being an incredible vocalist -- but everything else, from acting to songwriting, kind of gets pushed down. Our goal is to just take the lid off that talent and let people know who she is."
Carey's next album, her first with new Island Def Jam chief Antonio L.A. Reid, is due out this year. Medina says the record will "hit all the marks," from her signature ballads to R&B crossover songs and high-energy dance tracks. She's been working with such A-list producers as Kanye West, Swizz Beats and R. Kelly.
"She's an interesting iconic phenomenon," Light says. "Every time a record comes out, it feels as relevant today as when her first record came out. Very few artists can do that."
Of course, Carey is likely to tour again after the album's release. "She really enjoyed the last touring experience," Light says. "She really felt she put on a show that was her and connected with the audience. We're looking at the big picture. I think touring will be a part of it."
