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About this_is_qhm from the Philippines: I love the intricate vocal harmonies only Mariah can make.

Re: Celine vs. Mariah (92,397) (92,425) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I just tried to go beyond the simplest, most obvious point, because I believe we all know that by heart anyway, whether or not we admit it. However, I do believe Celine started relying heavily on playback earlier than most think. Celine does have a great voice and olympic lung power, but among the vocal trinity, she has mostly been compared unfavorably to Mariah and Whitney due to her lack of ability to actually convey emotion, which is something the latter two excel at. She also has the least versatile tone of the three, which she probably knows and is why she hasn't dabbled much into other genres. When she does go out of her comfort zone, she just sounds more awkward than impressive. Having read many voice comparisons and analyses between the three over the last 2 decades, I have come up with this summary: Whitney - the more soulful one. Possibly the most gifted interpreter of the 3 in terms of employing the least effort and the one most likely to instinctively go by feeling, which becomes especially obvious when doing vocal ad libs. She has the most resonant instrument when it comes to loudness and power (which she likely developed with her background of singing in a church choir growing up). Her tone and singing style seems to be the most universally accepted as pleasant and is the least polarizing. Celine - the most cautious of the trio. Everything that comes out of her mouth is precise and well thought-out - you could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. She seems to be the most equipped to endure marathon performances (mostly thanks to her discipline), but has the least interesting and least pleasant vocal tone and texture, which she tries to make up for with dynamics. Although she does somehow let loose and is more spontaneous live, her recorded output sounds the most regimented and stiffest. Mariah - the one with the range. Easily the most versatile tone of the 3, readily weaving into more genres more effortlessly and organically. She also has a lot to play with by vocal texture, which she can harness to convey emotions, but her voice is the most obviously sensitive and vulnerable to various factors such as rest, lifestyle and aging, making her a very competent albeit very inconsistent live performer. However, her voice's inherent ability to "shapeshift" makes it the most adaptable to its current limitations (once Mariah sets her ego aside). (Friday 17 January 2020; 18:34)

Re: Boy (I Need You) (92,402) (92,411) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It's actually a nice song that most lambs just hate because it was chosen instead of the better single choice at the time which was The One. It stands out to this day, as nothing Mariah before or after it has that sound (the closest would probably be Sprung, and even that is stretching it). It's fun and while they did go overboard with the vocal sample embellishments, I remember it being a hit in video channels here in Asia in 2003, riding on the success of Through The Rain in our region months prior. The verses and pre-chorus are better cadenced and melodically superior to the chorus itself, which is mostly a clumsy, messy letdown that's too complicated to sing along with. It starts out cute to only end up being cloying. If the song were pitched lower to allow Mariah to sing it closer to her comfortable normal range, it probably would have yielded less annoying whispery results and made it a better fit for radio. I personally love singing along to the non-chorus parts of it. That chorus is just the least radio-friendly she's released up until the meandering vocabulary lesson The Art Of Letting Go came along a decade later. (Friday 17 January 2020; 03:07)

Celine vs. Mariah (92,395) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines As blindly supportive as we can all be, both Mariah's fans and critics have generally always been harsher and more critical of her, and for understandable reasons. Mariah has given the general public more damning proofs of her inability to lip sync convincingly, and so naturally, they'd have a bigger arsenal of ammunition to draw from when criticizing her. Celine, on the other hand, has always been great at acting, and we know that if things didn't go as planned, she'd be more capable of winging things and stepping in to actually sing spontaneously, whereas Mariah would likely walk out while her team and her fans make excuses for her. An observation of the comments sections across both artists' performance videos would reflect the effects of this, with Celine fans being generally more supportive in tone while Mariah fans openly discuss and dissect which parts are live from those that aren't. I have yet to come across an artist whose vocal performances are picked apart and overanalyzed by their own fans more than Mariah. Another possible reason for Celine's more solid, less critical fanbase is that she hasn't really evolved much, if at all, sound-wise. She has remained in the adult contemporary lane all her life, and that has worked well for her. That is why Barbra can still debut at number 1 in her 70s. It also explains why it's more often for country, jazz and hip-hop artists to consistently perform strongly on the album charts - because they have more loyal fanbases than R&B and pop artists, as there is a far less obvious line that separates the 2 latter genres. Mariah, on the other hand, has alienated the very strong AC fanbase she began with in her career, and this reflected in her album sales post-Daydream. This has led to a dichotomy in her fanbase - the pre and post-Butterfly fans, where the fans of one phase would criticize the other; an internal issue that Celine doesn't really experience. When an artist sticks to a particular sound, it makes them more identifiable and more likely to maintain their following rather when they hop back and forth between genres. How many times in comments sections of anything Mariah have we seen comments that go along the lines of, "I wish she could go back to the Hero days, her music was much better before she got all ghetto and concerned with earning street cred"? Lastly, Celine's wholesome, good girl image is still more appealing and acceprable to the public. She is one of those immaculate celebrities. Mariah puts herself out there more often than Celine does, which in itself makes her more susceptible to criticism. It certainly doesn't help that Mariah has no problems playing up and perpetuating her diva persona. Celine is very careful with the people and projects she associates herself with, while Mariah is often a carefree, clueless magnet for controversy. (Thursday 16 January 2020; 21:20)

Songwriter Hall of Fame (92,392) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Mariah would definitely take this over a Grammy or any award, really. Any day. She always saw herself as a songwriter first, and even if she wasn't blessed with such a prodigious instrument, she'd still do well as a songwriter. When you think about it, it really is more of her songwriting than her voice that contributed to her longevity, which it makes it even more of a crime that she isn't as appreciated as a writer than she is as a singer, but it's nice to see that truly addressed with this massive achievement. Congrats. As for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, if Whitney could get inducted, then I foresee Mariah doing so as well in the next 5 years or even less. There's something very inspiring about women pushing through and being honored in male-dominated canonizing institutions. (Thursday 16 January 2020; 19:38)

Re: Important recordings (92,331) (92,339) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I included WBT because while Mariah very much held her own during the battle of the divas in the 90s, the teen-pop and Latin-pop wave towards the end of that decade ushered in a new generation of fans, and the 90s divas started to get weeded out one by one. Only Janet, Madonna and Mariah were left standing. Janet suffered post Nipplegate, and Madonna was a different artist, so Mariah was the only real diva vocalist left as Whitney was in a dark place and Celine just wasn't bringing the hits anymore. The fact that Mariah was able to take her diva-pop into that decade and was able to captivate a new legion of younger fans by the strength of WBT (and, to a lesser extent, the singles that followed) which unintentionally stood out from what was in the airwaves in 2004-2005. It was refreshing to both the older fans and the younger ones. If we're going by influence, it's the Mariah hit that newer R&B starlets like Ella Mai, SZA, H.E.R. etc. actually consciously grew up listening to. (Tuesday 14 January 2020; 19:28)

Charmbracelet singles (92,338) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Sorry, as much as I actually enjoy Charmbracelet, it is one of Mariah's least radio-friendly albums (if not the least) mostly due to her thinner, more airy whispering then. The songs are lovely but most don't really lend themselves well to radio. Considering the current music landscape at the time of release, I feel like the only songs that stood a chance were: 1. Through The Rain (if only for its message and how it plays into Mariah's storyline in 2002) 2. The One (since J.Lo's All I Have was a hit that winter, this would have done well) 3. You Got Me (nice, playful summer bop to be released after the popularity of I Know What You Want has started to die down, which was dropped in the spring of 2003) 4. Yours (sounds like an early autumn track; a shortened, remixed version with JT who was huge at the time) (Tuesday 14 January 2020; 19:12)

Re: Important recordings (92,315) (92,329) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'd say that's pretty accurate. I'd add We Belong Together in there, though. Nothing in 2005 sounded like it, and after its release there would be a whole lot of WBT-style tracks released. (I Belong To Me by Jessica Simpson, Take A Bow by Rihanna, all of the inferior WBT sequels and clones from Mariah herself, and a good amount of Ne-yo's discography. Even J.Lo tried to have her own with Wrong When You're Gone.) I'd also probably add even Breakdown if only for the fact that this track is one of the most praised Mariah songs ever that even non-Mariah fans love it, which is even more impressive considering it practically is a deep cut. (Tuesday 14 January 2020; 11:03)

Re: Mariah (92,326) (92,328) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Okay slow down there - Rare only dropped last Friday, so that would leave it a few more days before sales will officially be counted. As of early projections it's expected to debut at #1 with around 50-55k in pure sales and a possibly larger number in streaming and digital sales on top of that. Selena is a popular artist with a #1 lead song, but she's also one of those whose popularity and singles success doesn't necessarily translate into album sales. Sonically though, Rare is actually quite good. It's almost universally praised by critics. Funny how out of her, Miley and Demi, she technically has the weakest voice but is still the strongest artist. (Tuesday 14 January 2020; 10:52)

Re: The memoir (92,272) (92,274) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Give it the 2010s live performance update. It's actually: tuh-hurn... ahh-out... toooowhoowoowoo... (optional coy "woo?") *awkward hand gesture to cue band* beeeeeeyeeaaah (optional "yeah yeah yeah yeah") ohh... mmmhmmm... (This is officially the weirdest thing I have typed.) (Saturday 11 January 2020; 18:57)

Memoir (92,273) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines To be honest I was never on board with this idea in the first place. Plenty of celebs do it because they know their fans are likely gonna buy it, regardless of the actual quality of the material. And not that there's a particular age to do it or anything, but I feel like 50 is still quite young to release a memoir, especially for Mariah who is still quite active in the industry. To me it always felt like something celebs would do best when they're older and are have decided to retire or at least really slow down. It also doesn't help that many of these celeb memoirs have either been too contrived or over embellished. MOAIA is an album that was criticized for failing to deliver on its title's promise. I fear that this memoir will turn out the same way. I'm open to being possibly pleasantly surprised, and I guess a memoir is probably better than having Mariah direct another implausible Hallmark movie where she's supposedly of the same age as Amanda Seyfried or develop another brand of sugared water (how did that go, by the way?), but I'd much rather her either focus on recording new music or on great ideas to commemorate the milestone anniversaries of her 90s classic albums including her debut album and Daydream. Mariah is free to dip her toes here and there, but when you talk about Mariah Carey, I don't think you'll really ever care about anything else more than the music. She has lived through a lot and has one hell of a story to tell, but if it won't be told right in 2020, then why force it? (Saturday 11 January 2020; 18:47)

What's up with JD and Brian-Michael Cox (92,255) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Caution was very light on Jermaine and didn't feature Brian, so to anyone who's wondering what his latest work sounds like, the most recent thing I have heard from him is Don't Waste My Time, a nice duet between Usher and Ella Mai. He co-produced it with his mentee Brian. It sounds like something straight out of Ella's debut album. Since JD and Brian are two of Mariah's go-to producers, I guess this is a possible taste of what their next collaboration would sound like - sample-heavy, 90s-sounding and hopefully just as spare and minimalist but still distinctively Mariah. (Friday 10 January 2020; 20:15)

Re: Mariah sample (92,245) (92,253) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It's actually a Mahalia song that has Ella Mai as its featured artist, and the supposed Boy sample is directly from the Cam'ron hit Oh Boy, which Mariah's Boy (I Need You) also happens to draw prominently from. Nice collaboration, but I'd much prefer Gut Feeling, Ella's lovelier duet with H.E.R. (Friday 10 January 2020; 12:02)

Yummy? (92,242) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This song. Wow. More like "Yucky". The English language lacks the requisite words to explain how bad it is. It makes Why You Mad sound like a masterpiece. The production is dated as hell for a young artist, unless that was exactly his goal. If it sounds very vaguely familiar from the very first listen, it's probably because it's something that has been done much better before by many other artists. What's funny is that Justin and his team are promoting this new era like it were a result of some profound artistic rebirth or something. It is gonna be a hit - it's Justin after all, but with this coming after Purpose (which I didn't really like much but at least appreciated for showing his growth) - it kind of reminds me of when Katy so heavily promoted the Witness era as "woke-pop" and purposeful pop then came out with singles such as Bon Appetit and Swish Swish. Yummy's lyrics are, well, let's just say the Baby Shark song has some competition, but at least that was geared towards kids. Watch the official lyric video and it almost feels wrong that such words are allowed to appear on screen. Anyways, it's likely gonna top the charts at some point, so good for him. Bring on Adele, SZA, Dua and Rihanna please. (Thursday 9 January 2020; 13:59)

Re: Up out my face (92,203) (92,209) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It's aesthetic is quite unique. Not many videos out there choose red when going for monochrome. It is practically a Target ad. Before the new AIWFCIY video came out, the UOMF video was the last that felt like a real production that at least some thought went into. Mariah and Nicki actually sound and look great as a tandem. It also seems like the last video where Mariah stepped out of her comfort zone (which isn't really saying much) and was open to making a fool of herself (just a bit) and trying a wider variety of facial expressions. All the rest that followed last decade were just a bunch of glamourous vanity shots that alternated between these looks: the sultry, sad, longing gaze, the "yeah I still got it, riiiight?" come-hither look, or the sweet wide toothy grin. It aged well. (Tuesday 7 January 2020; 14:09)

Re: 1.6 billion is for total sales of M's catalogues (92,187) (92,199) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I believe albums are more costly in Japan. At least that's what I have heard from a friend it takes quite a bit more to actually purchase music, especially physical albums and singles, out there, so high sales in Japan are never taken for granted because it's more expensive to support your favorite artist there. That explains why many artists put out special bonus tracks and other treats for the Japan releases of their albums. It's rewarding the fans for their loyalty and apparent extra effort to demonstrate that compared to the rest of the world. They're also one of the biggest music markets outside the US. Also, If it's monetary value they're certifying then that's a weird way to go about things, but is the only way I can think of that can make the 1.6 billion plaque plausible. Even Madonna doesn't have that number, and she's obviously been around longer, earns much more when extensively touring and is more internationally successful in some ways as her albums since the late 90s have done better internationally than domestically. Plus she's the one recognised as the bestselling female artist, at least by Guinness. (Monday 6 January 2020; 21:35)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,195) (92,198) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines A testament to just how epic he was in trolling. (Monday 6 January 2020; 21:17)

Re: I Had A Vision Of Love (92,135) (92,172) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'd actually much prefer I Had A Vision of Love. It's not the most intriguing idea and there definitely are better titles out there, but there's something sentimental about naming her memoir after the chorus of her first ever hit. It also is a safer title since it is all-encompassing in an open-ended way that doesn't promise as much as something like My All would. Since at this point we're really just hoping that the memoir would actually contain interesting revelations rather than a contrived account of what went on in her life and don't really know yet if she's actually gonna deliver on that, I guess it's better that she goes the safe route. I do hope I Had A Vision of Love is just the working title. I'd personally like the actual final title to be something that's butterfly related and less than 5 words, like "Taking Flight" or "Soar". (Monday 6 January 2020; 00:59)

Re: New album (92,139) (92,171) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines You know Andrew is finally back when he goes into his comment-dissecting mode. Fun. You and your signature snark have been missed. You do add some spice to an otherwise overly cautious board. I knew something was off when I noticed that I of all people have started to become one of the more opinionated ones. It felt weird. Anyways, I reacted to your post because I am one of those who have mentioned and will continue to mention ageism on this board. And every time I have, I have never referred to it as if it were some movement by radio stations or music TV channels (if people still watch those) to deliberately discriminate against aging artists. I was actually referring to ageism as a result of the same natural factors you have mentioned that I agreed with. I have only ever viewed it not as an active, conscious effort to push out older artists but rather as a part of the industry that is likely an unintended effect of many causes. But since any '-ism' term is automatically understood as discrimination towards a certain demographic, and since there really isn't a widely known and accepted term to describe this particular phenomenon in the music industry, people perhaps incorrectly resort to using ageism, when they probably mean "unintended" ageism. At least to me, that's what I mean. As for sexism and female under-representation in music, here's a recent study. And as for the gender pay gap, while I do respect the opinions and expertise of economists, I'd rather go with my relatives' actual experiences (there are a lot of Filipinos who work abroad, many of them nurses, domestic helpers and factory workers). Many of them have, at one point or another, hopped from one job to another upon learning that they aren't paid as much as their male counterparts, not for the decisions they make, not for the hours they spend at work (they work an amount of hours men do), and not for any other reasons within their control. Some of them have eventually grown tired of looking for fair, equal compensation between genders for equal work done and eventually decided to settle with companies that still pay women less than men in favor of securing tenure or just having a job that pays, regardless of how unfair it may be. It isn't much of a problem in the Philippines, because fortunately we are one of those countries whose societal patriarchy only results in gender bias towards women in some professions but really doesn't spill over much into the compensation aspect of things, except maybe in a few sectors such as agriculture, where men out-earn women. We do have our Magna Carta for Women which is followed by most employers to help ensure fairness. But we also understand that our situation is more ideal compared to what women in other countries are experiencing. Economists can argue that it doesn't exist, and in some places it probably doesn't, but a closer look at actual experiences don't necessarily reflect that. I don't think all people here blame the radio like it were out to get Mariah. I think many of us actually see ageism (and even sexism) like you do - naturally existing parts of the industry that are out of anyone's control. It's just that ageism and sexism are such negative concepts that when someone brings it up in relation to Mariah or other aging artists, it tends to come across as them being victimised, which isn't necessarily the case. Posts that actually use them as excuses for the underperformance of Mariah's recent releases are quite rare, and from what I have observed, I think most fans of this board know deep inside that the main reason of Mariah's decline in popularity and commercial performance is that times have simply changed, and most have even learned to appreciate and celebrate the smaller wins that she gets at this point in her career. (Monday 6 January 2020; 00:32)

Re: New album (92,087) (92,133) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines While I do agree that the ageism and sexism are terms that tend to be carelessly thrown around more often than they should be, to imply that applying them to Mariah is merely an example of bitter fans blaming everything and everyone else to make her look like the victim all the time is just reductive. Let's talk about quality first. If everything was down to the quality of output, then Mariah shouldn't have had any problems competing with the younger artists and much of their comparatively subpar output that were filling the top 10 when With You and A No No were released. Those songs were no We Belong Together or Shake It Off, but they were much better than and stood out from many of the songs that were released at that time. Besides, quality has always been more of a bonus than a prerequisite for a chart-topping song. You said it yourself, the radio plays by demand to cater to a certain age demographic - that is true. That listeners would tend to gravitate towards artists closer to their age - that also is true. That a genuinely great song released by the right artist at the right time will resonate with the public and be a hit - that's true (although not always what happens). But ageism still plays into this somehow. Take Cher's Believe - that excellent song's success was, while phenomenal, clearly a rare thing that also happened at a period when the listening public was more welcoming of artists in their 40s and 50s and hence were still able to chart more often than they can today, where "more often" still isn't saying a lot. The success of these hits by older artists were also a result of luck, perfect timing, spot-on promotion or benefited from collaborating with younger, then more popular artists. Aretha's last hit was with George Michael, who could do no wrong in 1987. Barbra's last hit was a off of a soundtrack for her successful self-directed and produced movie in 1996, Elton's last major hit was a remake of an old song as a tribute to the beloved late Princess Diana. It took a virtual father-daughter duet remix of Unforgettable (uncommon at the time) for the Nat King Cole song to become a chart hit and be showered with Grammys 4 decades later. J.Lo's last hit largely owed its success to its interpolation of Lambada, its popular music video and her AI stint. Believe was quite possibly the first mainstream pop song to incorporate the blatant use of Autotune, which was new technology and a fresh sound at the time. Michael's last posthumous hit was a shelved Paul Anka composition redone as a duet with Justin Timberlake. Madonna needed a Bond soundtrack in 2002, a cleverly used ABBA sample in 2005, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland in 2008 and Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. as well as a Superbowl headlining deal in 2012 to get her most recent major chart hits. Most of the audience responsible for making Old Town Road the blockbuster that it was had no idea who Billy Ray Cyrus was before the song became a smash. AIWFCIY is a holiday standard that could have taken even longer to reach the top spot if not for streaming and the progressive perennial promotion it has received. This is not to take away from these tracks' merits as hits or their respective artists as hitmakers - it just shows that these songs haven't exactly been the usual regular releases from their artists, and the fact that they were few and far in between shows that their successes were of a rare, special kind. It can't be coincidental that the only thing that these hits have in common are the fact that their artists were over 40 when at the time of their release/resurgence. As for sexism, let's just throw in a bunch of random facts. Men are more easily inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame while it takes women several years of (questioned) nominations just for a select few to get in. Paul McCartney and other male songwriters are more frequently acknowledged than Mariah who has written at least 95% of her charting songs. It's gonna be a more difficult road for a woman who isn't seen constantly near a piano or a guitar to be taken seriously. Men, on the other hand, are almost automatically assumed to write and produce their own material. Very few women producers are ever awarded, let alone nominated for their work, and that's clearly not just because there are less of them than their male counterparts. When male artists are on top, less attention is paid towards the machine that helped propel them there and they are pretty much painted as self-made successes. But for every woman that makes it big, trust that there already is a "man behind the woman" piece already written to help justify her success. We of all fans should know that. If Mariah didn't have such a standout, rare prodigious talent, then she likely would have been lumped together with all the other female artists whose achievements have been credited to every other thing first before their actual talent and creativity. The gender pay gap also exists in the music industry. When it comes to the top players, the biggest record deals in history (upwards $150 million) are all signed by male artists. So if you still think that sexism and ageism are merely convenient excuses that fans of affected stars tell themselves to sleep at night, then sure, you're entitled to that opinion. That's what's true to you and that's all the validation you need. But you also can't fault the fans who notice and acknowledge the increasing evidence pointing to the contrary and that Mariah is not an exception to that. This goes for any female artist out there who is past her prime, a former chart titan, and still doesn't get the credit she deserves in the music industry after all of her years in it. (Friday 3 January 2020; 23:57)

19 weeks (92,083) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Tall order, but should AIWFCIY reach #1 for at least 2 weeks every year, Mariah just might get the record back for longest-running #1 song by the end of the decade. It will be cumulative, but that's gonna make things even more impressive. It's gonna take a while, and many other songs may have a go at it, but it's possible. If Brenda Lee can hit #2 after 61 years, nothing is impossible especially for AIWFCIY. One down, 19 more to go. Lil Nas X better enjoy his record while he can, because it's likely not gonna take another 26 years to break that. (Thursday 2 January 2020; 16:09)

Collaborator / producer wish list (92,079) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I remember hearing Carly Rae Jepsen's All That almost 5 years ago and posting how great Dev Hynes' production is in it. Mariah eventually worked with him and the results were magical. Someone also posted about her working with The Stereotypes & Skrillex. I'm pretty sure someone has also posted suggestions for her to work with No ID and Timbaland and Mariah worked with them as well - all in one fantastic album. So in that spirit I'mma just throw names out there of people that most probably would never would ever associate her with let alone expect her to work with and we'll see what happens: Daft Punk Finneas Max Martin Ilya Mattman & Robin Jax Jones Mark Ronson Calvin Harris Charlie Puth Stuart Price The Smeezingtons Greg Kurstin Diplo Bazzi Lauv Shellback Cashmere Cat David Guetta Bloodshy & Avant Giorgio Moroder And now we play the waiting game. (Thursday 2 January 2020; 10:48)

This decade was complicated (92,065) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This 2010's was the rockiest one yet for Mariah and us lambs. We've lived through more challenges than we used to. We had to: - learn to defend Mariah from dem bashers in much more ways - stomach Stella's reign of terror, the nadir of Mariah's career - accept that Mariah had entered a new phase of her career - a certifiable seasoned veteran - get used to seeing her frequent the charts much less - see her lose a few records - let go of awful career decisions and failed potential singles - watch her make a mockery of herself in public with subpar performances, cringeworthy interviews, off-putting antics, various questionable media appearances and business ventures, and a handful of fashion misses. However, the decade also brought us some of Mariah's sweetest victories: - Roc & Roe - MCIIY - good holiday TV specials - MIAMTEC - Caution - many good public live performances to balance out the bad, - #JusticeForGlitter - being finally recognized by Billboard as an Icon - witnessing AIWFCIY chart higher and higher until it finally became her 19th #1 - breaking and making even more new records. 2018 was an awesome year to be a lamb. We never would have guessed that 2019 would actually top that, especially in an increasingly fickle industry. One thing's for sure: Mariah definitely knows how to end decades with a bang. She was right - you can never write off talent. And with AIWFCIY officially making her the first solo act that has topped the Billboard charts in 4 decades, we're already off to a great start for 2020. I'm grateful to y'all fellow lambs for both driving me crazy and keeping me sane and making this decade much more fun as a Mariah fan. New year, new decade, new chapter, new start. Here's to another 10 years of A+mazing moments, may they be bleak or festive or anything in between. (Tuesday 31 December 2019; 23:48)

Mariah the gimmick? (92,059) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I don't see why some of y'all think Mariah being a holiday fixture is such a bad thing. For one, her other non-seasonal signature hits such as WBT, ABMB, Hero and Without You are gonna keep that from ever fully happening. AIWFCIY is more like a cherry on top kind of success. So what if time eventually comes that she's mostly gonna be known for a holiday hit? At least she has that. A guaranteed career revival off the sheer power of one song every holiday season is an extremely rare blessing - not even The Beatles, Elvis, Michael, Whitney, Madonna, etc. have that. That's the type of longevity that pretty much every act post Mariah's Merry Christmas has aspired for with their own holiday-themed releases but none of them have achieved even a small fraction of AIWFCIY's success. Mariah has been past her prime for decades now. Still, she continues to reaffirm her legend status by majorly coming back twice now in different decades. On top of that, she has a Christmas standard, which in no way cheapens or diminishes her legacy one bit. If anything, AIWFCIY is the one thing that separates her from most legends. Most others are gonna have to keep working and hustling while she could decide to quit right now and still be getting her coins. Mariah's likely gonna grow old to be like Barbra, Diana, Cher, Dolly etc. and still make headlines once in a while, and there's nothing wrong with that because those women rock, but she'll do them one better because she'll be the one with the enduring Christmas hit. (Tuesday 31 December 2019; 16:53)

Re: Grammys (91,958) (91,961) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines What Mariah has lacked in Grammy recognition, she continues to more than make up for in commercial and critical success elsewhere. Sounds like a bigger win to me. You can't lug your Grammys everywhere, but can have hits and one hell of a classic holiday standard that follows you anywhere. (Wednesday 25 December 2019; 00:07)

The Ellen thing (91,959) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Regardless of what you think and how you feel about Ellen or how you view her interactions with Mariah (I'm personally neutral because I don't think she has had any significant impact in Mariah's career whatsoever, or even her life, really), I'll say this - Ellen has always employed shameless pressure tactics on her guests, putting them on the spot many times, basically risking any personal relationship with them just to make her show funnier or more interesting. At times, it has been fun, mostly because the guests were great sports, but most times, it would get more awkward than she probably intended it to be. I mean we are talking about the same woman who hijacked Nick Jonas' plan to announce his upcoming stint on The Voice on social media accounts for his fans first, the one who gave J.Lo a clock with her and A.Rod's faces to tell them time's-a-ticking to jokingly pressure them into an engagement (which they did soon after) and did the same thing to Blake Shelton to remind him of his 4-year relationship with Gwen. And those all happened within the last 6 months alone. It's basically the woman's MO regardless of what the situation may be. She's still on the air, so I guess it's still working for her. On a more festive note, happy Christmas, y'all. Despite all the disagreements, we are still a big dysfunctional family that I wish I knew how to quit. I appreciate all of you in different ways. (Tuesday 24 December 2019; 23:21)

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