Mariah Carey Biography

Fast Facts

• Got her big break by giving her demo to Sony president Tommy Mottola at a party
• In 2006, started lines of fragrances and jewelry, and signed to produce musical ring tones on cell phones for Pepsi
• Insured her legs for $1 billion
• Her subtle, decidedly unglamorous turn as a social worker in the acclaimed 2009 drama Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire earned her a Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival
• That same year, Billboard magazine named her 2005 hit "We Belong Together" as top song of the decade
• Her 1994 hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which Rolling Stone calls the fourth-best rock Christmas song ever, in 2011 became the first Yule song to top two million in digital sales
• Her charitable efforts have earned her a Congressional Horizon Award