Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and
philanthropist. Under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola,
Carey released her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990; it went
multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993 and success with
hit records Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993), and Merry Christmas (1994), Carey
was established as Columbia's highest-selling act.

In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million records
worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 1998, she
was honoured as the world's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World
Music Awards. Carey was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium
in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, she is the third
best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63.5 million certified albums.