In an interview with CNN’s Leading Women to be broadcast on CNN International on Wednesday 28th May, Mariah Carey talks to CNN’s entertainment correspondent Nischelle Turner about:
ON BEING A BUSINESS WOMAN AND A SONGWRITER:
“It's so interesting because really, I was even as a kid. My first record deal, I was fortunate enough to have seen enough documentaries, clearly, I was always interested in the music business. Even though my Mother was an opera singer, that doesn't mean she knew the music business two totally different entities and so I had to learn that. And just know, as a songwriter I was able to, even at that age as a teenager signing the agreement under age and all that, I was able to say, I will not be forced to do other people's songs.”
“The thing is, it's not just singing, I'm writing, I'm producing, I'm putting these songs together.”
ON WHY SHE DOESN’T MAKE ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC:
“I feel like, if I'm not staying true to myself… like what am I doing and why? Why are we – like I guess that question - the answer is because I love making music. And I don't hate EDM, I don't hate certain songs. It really depends on the song, the producer, the artist.”
ON ‘DIVA’ BEING THE MOST OVERUSED WORD IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD:
“It’s so easy for the world to give credit to the men in power. Especially those who we really revere and we respect them for who they are and all of their accomplishments but I think when someone is also known as a, the most over used word in the history of the world, Diva. Um, we tend to look at that and that overrides everything. I'm a songwriter first. It's much easier for the public to accept, 'look who's here, the next, the big manager came along and saved the day. Isn't that incredible they saved the damsel in distress once again’ because nobody can imagine that I participate as much as I do in the making of the music.”
ON STRUGGLING TO FIT IN AND USING MUSIC AS HER OUTLET:
“Honestly I always felt like I had to, um, I didn't fit in anywhere and so music was the thing that I had to cling on to and that made me feel special that made me feel like I had this secret. And I remember once in like, I don't know six or seventh grade… they asked what do you feel- what do you want to do when you grow up? And everybody said, you know, whatever they wanted to be and when I said I wanted to be a singer, I wanted to be an actress they were all like, 'haha.' So I always felt different and I always felt like I had to apologize for being me or I wasn't worthy.”
ON GIVING BACK:
“I feel very blessed to be able to say, I do what I love for a living and to not give back would just be- I don't know that there is anyone who doesn't. I hope that if they don't they start.”
ON SELLING PICTURES OF HER TWINS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR HER CHARITY, CAMP MARIAH:
“I haven't even been able to go to camp Mariah in a long time which is associated with the Fresh Air Fund and they're an incredible organization. That's why when we did have the twins it was something we had to think about in terms of how do you present these children to the world. We did a website, it's still there Dem Babies, and the proceeds went to the Fresh Air Fund for Camp Mariah so all the- any photos of them that we put, that we can control.”
Check out the video interviews below.
