Mariah Carey’s vocal ability had me hooked with songs like “Vision of Love” and “Emotions”, back when she produced those soul-stirring pop hits that made you vibe along to the verses and drop your jaw in complete awe when she reached those victorious high notes.
Her voice was flawless. One-of-a-kind dangerous – in a good way. And there was no need for her to do anything on stage but stand there and sing. We didn’t need a one-two step, or any sort of choreographed movement. We just wanted Mariah, the songs and that damn note.
But for the past few years, the notes have been soaring in the form of backing tracks and without the live delivery the “pop princess” had been known for. Yep, now we’re getting nothing but horrid lip-synching and tracks that tease us with the “what was” of Mariah Carey’s legendary singing ability.
Sad thing, this is all happening as social media is leading the charge in instantaneous information and the entire world is watch AT ALL TIMES. Television is in to the streaming game and either you’re on point or you become a social media scandal.
So, I’m assuming that, as social media enthusiasts, we’re all aware of the bizarre performance that went down in Times Square on New Year’s Eve with the award-winning artist.
Sheesh. The thing that gets me, is that she completely just gave up. I can’t avoid bringing other artists into this situation. Let’s just say if, Beyoncé or Solange was faced with this debacle, do you think for one second they’d throw in the towel and walk away from the performance? Or would they flex their vocal power and as entertainers are often taught, “keep the show rolling?”
A 2014 performance of Mariah performing at Rockefeller Center wasn’t too good of a look either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PzY8WHzobk
Ouch.
So what’s happening, Mariah?
In reference to the most recent controversy, her team is putting the production disaster on Dick Clark Productions, who handled the broadcast of the New Years Rockin’ Eve live event, stating that there were issues with her earpiece and the crew wanted to create a viral moment.
That may be the case. However, if you listen closely, Mariah’s mic is still on at one point and her notes were just not on point. Maybe, just maybe, the vocal chops aren’t there anymore.
And that’s ok. Her legacy is sustainable. But, here’s the thing that gets me. For her to walk around and present herself as the ultimate goddess of diva land and tossing shade toward other artists, you’d think that her ish would be tight or as close to flawless as possible. Welp, that’s a negative.
When L.A. Reid discusses Mariah, he mentions his love for her embodiment of what a superstar represents, the glamour and the attitude. I get it. But man, you’d think that at some point, she’d have some humbleness about her.
Then, maybe folks wouldn’t drag her so bad when she has a whack show.
