Mariah Carey has long been considered the ‘Queen of Christmas,‘ thanks to the ubiquitous presence of her song ‘All I Want for Christmas.’ Sales and streaming records break each Christmas due to Mariah Carey’s appeal. Now is the time to find out her annual royalty income. However, we will also discuss her total net worth, as we do regularly with other celebrities. Before discussing her yearly holiday royalties, let us focus on Mariah Carey, one of the world’s most successful singers.
Mariah Carey
| Celebrity | Mariah Carey |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $520 Million |
| Birthdate | Mar 27, 1969 (54 years old) |
| Birthplace | Huntington, California, United States |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.75 m) |
| Profession | Music Producer, Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Model, Composer, Actor, Film Producer |
| Nationality | American |
| Annually Income | $49 million |
| Monthly Income | $3 Million + |
Mariah Carey Net Worth 2024
Mariah Carey net worth is an impressive $520 million, earned through multiple roles that she played as a singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and entrepreneur. Mariah ranks amongst the 15 best-selling musical artists of all time, with 200 million albums sold globally – second only to Madonna! Furthermore, she holds more number-one songs in US chart history than any female writer/producer and 15 Billboard Music Awards to her credit! She has won 5 Grammys, 10 American Music Awards, and 15 Billboard Music Awards.
After struggling throughout the 1980s to gain any response for the demo she recorded while working multiple jobs in New York, Brenda K. Starr noticed her and introduced her to those who could help. Mariah Carey submitted her demo tape at Ms. Starr’s urging during a party to Tommy Mottola, the executive at Columbia Records. After listening to the demo, Tommy signed her instantly after tracking her for two weeks. Mariah eventually became one of Columbia Records’ premier talents, dominating charts throughout the 1990s. Her debut album held onto its place on top for eleven consecutive weeks! Her second album was quickly produced and released just a year later. However, it proved less successful.
Nonetheless, her recording for MTV Unplugged achieved triple Platinum certification. She released three other hugely successful albums and co-recorded “One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men. The song held the #1 spot for 16 weeks straight! In addition, she married Tommy Mottola shortly after that.
Things began to unravel quickly after that. Her subsequent two albums were successful but did not match her initial pop success. She wanted more creative control, but her label would not grant it. They became less willing to promote and market her work, and sales declined quickly. Her relationship with Columbia collapsed, along with that with her husband. Eventually, they parted ways sometime during the early 2000s.
Early Life
Mariah Carey was born to parents of African American, Afro-Venezuelan, and Irish descent in Huntington, New York, on March 27, 1969. When moving to New York from Venezuela, Mariah’s paternal grandfather adopted “Carey” instead of Nunez. Her mother worked briefly as an opera singer/vocal coach.
Mariah always showed her interest in music and arts throughout her schooling. She began writing poems and songs at Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York, during high school. She graduated in 1987. There, Mariah met Gavin Christopher and Ben Margulies, who became lifelong friends. Together, they started creating full songs with lyrics and music composition. After graduation and moving to New York City, these three continued working towards producing a demo recording project of full-length songs.
The trio’s demo was passed on to Brenda K. Starr, a notable pop artist. Brenda continued passing it around town while taking Mariah Carey to various industry galas. Upon her request, Mariah presented the demo to Tommy Mottola from Columbia Records. He then took it home, listening in his car on his drive home. After hearing the first two songs presented in the demo, he was convinced that Mariah Carey would become an overnight sensation.
The first album she released was on June 12, 1990, through Columbia, and it became certified 9X platinum within three months. The sale of 15 million copies positioned the album at the number-one spot on the Billboard charts. It also helped her earn two Grammy awards.
Mariah Carey first rose to stardom with 1991’s Emotions album and its subsequent massive success. But 1993’s Music Box catapulted it even further – spending 128 weeks on the Billboard chart and eventually selling 28 million copies worldwide.
Virgin Contract
Mariah left Columbia Records in April 2001 to sign what at that time was an unprecedented $100 Million Five Album Contract with Virgin Music. It became one of the highest contracts ever seen in music history.
Even before the movie’s release, Mariah needed hospitalization due to extreme exhaustion. Reports indicate both physical and emotional breakdowns. Over time, her album sold 3 million copies, an impressive feat by any standard but one which left Mariah and Virgin scrambling for cover because of the $100 Million contract with such poor performance figures.
Virgin was so desperate to escape Mariah that they paid her $28 million so the contract would terminate early. Finally, Mariah made nearly $50 million for producing just one album for Virgin.
Returning to Success
After being rejected by Virgin, Mariah signed a $24 Million, five-album deal with Island Records that saw moderate sales success. Her most successful record is 2005’s “The Emancipation of Mimi,” which sold 10 million worldwide copies.
Mariah released one album under Def Jam before signing with Epic Records in 2015, where she remains. Mariah earned $18 Million just by appearing on one season of American Idol in 2012.
In 2015, she earned $30 million for a two-year contract to perform at Caesars Palace Las Vegas – helping her become one of the highest-earning women musicians worldwide, garnering total earnings of $27 Million during 2015.
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FAQs: Most Asked Questions
What is Mariah Carey’s net worth?
As per trusted sources and celebrity net worth, Mariah’s net worth is $520 Million. She amassed through music sales, compositions, and writings as a composer/voice-over artist and real estate investments.
When did she begin her career?
Mariah began singing professionally during the early 90’s but eventually secured Columbia Records as her record label after Tommy Mottola received an unreleased demo that Mariah gave to Brenda K. Starr.
How much did she earn with “All I Want for Christmas is You?”
This song earned an astonishing $60 Million between 1994 and 2016 alone! That figure does not include what she makes from concerts, specials, merchandise sales, or movies featuring its lyrics.