Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse

Album: Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the title track of Carey's 14th studio album. The singer explained in a YouTube clip that the first half of its name is based on her "first and only self-portrait," which she drew when she was a child. "Please don't judge me for such a simplistic title. Come on, I was only three and a half," she chuckles in the clip. Her drawing is featured on the album's back cover.

    Carey added that the second half of the album's title, "The Elusive Chanteuse," is a nickname she's adopted recently, following other personas like "Mimi" and "MC."
  • Summarizing the record's concept, Carey said: "This album is a reflection of some of the peaks and valleys that made me who I am today. I've always known me. I am Mariah."
  • The album peaked at #3 in the US and sold around 122,000 copies by 2015 - a record low for the singer, whose previous two albums moved half-a-million copies each (which was still considered low compared to her multi-Platinum sellers).

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