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Mariah Carey Net Worth in 2023

Music

Mariah Carey is Worth $350 Million

Calling all Mariah Carey fans! Think you know everything about our favorite high-note hitting, holiday-anthem rocking, voice-of-an-angel diva? Sure, you may sing along when her tunes hit the airwaves, but did you know that alongside her killer vocals, Mariah is also packing a $350-million net worth? It’s true: behind the powerhouse vocals is a smart and driven woman who’s worked her way right to the top.

Mariah didn’t come from money, she had to work for every dime. Her combination of incredible talent and business savvy allowed her to build a fortune that’s as jaw-dropping as her unique vocal range.

And, as impressive as that vocal range is, Mariah didn’t stick to making music. With chart-topping albums, huge endorsement deals, properties to die for, and smart business investments, Mariah has done incredibly well for herself. She’s fast becoming synonymous with an entire holiday season! Throw in her entrepreneurial ventures to boot and we’ve got one seriously financially-secured diva on our hands!

NameMariah Angela Carey
ProfessionSinger, Songwriter, Actress, Record Producer
Net WorthUSD 350 Million
BirthplaceHuntington, New York, USA
BirthdayMarch 27, 1969 (Aries)
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Relationship StatusSeparated (Previously married to Tommy Mottola and Nick Cannon)

A Look Back at Mariah Carey’s Life and Career Beginnings

Mariah Carey has been singing before she could even tie her shoelaces. She was born into a family of musicians. Her mom—an opera singer and vocal coach—no doubt had her belting out tunes. Though she faced some ugly prejudice because of her parents’ mixed-race marriage, Mariah was undeterred.

After strutting out of Harborfields High School in Long Island, New York, Mariah boldly set off for the Big Apple with nothing but the goal to make it big on her mind. It was in NYC that she jumped in headfirst, starting off as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr .

Magic struck in 1988; her demo tape landed in the hands of Tommy Mottola, an executive at Columbia Records. He heard the star potential and wasted no time signing her up. Thus, began the story of Mariah’s epic career, starting with her debut album in 1990. This album hit platinum and four of its songs—”Vision of Love”, “Love Takes Time”, “Someday”, and “I Don’t Wanna Cry”—scored the #1 spot. Her impressive performance also landed her Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The Value of the Music Box: Mariah Carey’s Primary Career Revenues

A big chunk of change comes from Mariah’s main gig: singing and writing her own songs. She had sold 86 million copies of her early albums like Mariah Carey, Emotions, Music Box, Merry Christmas, and Daydream by 1995. That’s only a six-year span of material. All told, Mariah earned over $250 million for Sony Music during her time with the label, which ended in 1997.

Mariah has also taken her talents on the road to considerable success. Her 2019 “Caution” tour alone pulled in $12.6 million.

And then there’s Christmas. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has been a major moneymaker. Between 1994 and 2016, the song made a mind-blowing $60 million. Every holiday season, this catchy carol brings in around another $3 million in royalties. Were Mariah never to record another song, she could live comfortably off the success of one track heard only in December.

Expanding Horizons: Mariah’s Strategic Diversification of Income

While you probably know Mariah Carey is a boss in the music world, you may not realize she’s got pretty savvy business chops, too. She’s been making bank with deals that go beyond the recording studio. From launching her own businesses to starring in ad campaigns and grabbing some serious royalty bucks, Mariah’s got it all under control.

She’s also no stranger to making TV appearances. Her brief spell as a judge on “American Idol” in 2013 earned her $18 million. She has also featured in various commercials. She landed about $11 million for the 2019 Walkers crisps ad alone. And then there are the big brand partners, like Pepsi, Motorola, Gillette Venus, Jenny Craig, McDonald’s, Milk Bar, and HSN. When she isn’t promoting other brands’ products, she is developing her own—she moved into the perfume game with her candy-themed fragrance line, Lollipop Bling, in 2010 .

Mariah, being Mariah, isn’t satisfied just raking in the royalties. Over her career, she’s had a hand in three separate record labels: Crave Records (1997), MonarC Entertainment (2002), and Butterfly MC Records (2017). While the first two are no longer in operation, Butterfly MC Records is still open for business.

Her ventures are all over the place, running the gamut from yummy (her cookie delivery gig) to classy (her own brand of Irish cream liqueur called Black Irish). She’s even touched the crypto market, joining up with Gemini in 2021.

The Fruits of Stardom: Mariah Carey’s Possessions and Philanthropy

Rewind to 1993 when Mariah and her husband at the time Tommy Mottola (yes, the Sony bigwig) dropped $2 million on a massive 51-acre property in Westchester County. They didn’t just buy, they built. Think a 22,000-square-foot pad to start her real estate empire. She added to her portfolio, picking up a $5.5-million Tribeca penthouse and a $3.5-million place right under it in ’99. Then she welded them together into a super-triplex.

Mariah isn’t just about the Big Apple though. Mimi, as she’s affectionately known, got herself an island paradise in the Bahamas in 2007 for $5 million, then grabbed Fleur de Lys, a Bel-Air mansion for $6.9 million in 2009. There’s also a new Atlanta mansion she bought for $5.65 million in 2021, and her Beverly Hills mansion, home sweet home since 2018.

Mariah also puts her fame to good use. She co-founded Camp Mariah, giving kids from the city a chance to play, learn, and dream about the arts and what they’d like to be when they grow up.

Behind the Spotlight: Mariah Carey’s Personal Life

Take a dive behind the glitter and high notes of Mariah Carey’s amazing career, and you’ll find her real-life story is just as interesting. Yes, her killer voice and fat bank account make her a big shot in the music world, but Mariah’s personal life has its own drama, too.

Mariah was born to a multiracial family. Her mom, Patricia, is Irish, her dad, Alfred Roy Carey, is African American and Afro-Venezuelan. And she’s got an older sister, Alison, and a big brother, Morgan. Because of her parents’ interracial relationship, her family was oftentimes targeted by racism.

Mariah’s big break came when she teamed up with Tommy Mottola of Columbia Records. Work turned into love and they got hitched in 1993. This proved to be an incredibly fruitful period for Mariah, releasing some of her biggest hits. The marriage didn’t last, however, and they called it quits after five years.

Post-Tommy, Mariah fell head over heels for actor Nick Cannon, and the two got married in 2008. They even had twin bundles of joy, Monroe and Moroccan, in 2011. However, their love story ended in 2014, leaving fans in shock. Good news is, they still manage to co-parent like pros. If you follow either Nick or Mariah on social media, you’ll regularly see their twins in photos having a blast with one or both of their parents.

Storms Before the Rainbows:Mariah’s Encounters with Controversy

Living life in the public eye is like trying to walk a tightrope while juggling flaming swords… blindfolded. Even our all-time favorite celebs, twinkling like stars, can’t dodge the drama. Take Mariah Carey—the girl’s had her fair share of challenges and full-on legal battles that left some pretty big footprints on her personal life and career.

Last year, Mariah got tangled up in a trademark tussle over her brand of Irish cream liqueur, ‘Black Irish’. A company out of Dublin reckoned they owned that name for their whiskey in the UK and EU. But Mariah? She didn’t back down and scored a win, securing the ‘Black Irish’ trademark.

Then, she had to switch gears from defense to attack in a copyright clash over her money-maker “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. Early in 2022, a songwriter reckoned Mariah’s holiday classic was ripping off his own tune, released five years before Mariah rocked our Christmas playlists. He filed a lawsuit after chats between both parties turned out to be just dead-ends. In November 2022, the plaintiff dropped the suit—and just in time for Christmas!

These knock-down, drag-out legal battles tested Mariah’s mettle, but also showed her mad skills at defending her creative works. Despite all the drama, she stands tall, an inspiring female force who doesn’t back down.

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