Mariah Carey

Hails From: Huntington, N.Y.

Bio: Mariah Carey is a pop and R&B singer, songwriter and sometime actress who became the best-selling diva of the 1990s. Carey's distinctive style utilizes her fluid and flexible five-octave vocal range. Originally signed to Columbia Records, run by Tommy Mottola (whom she later married, then divorced), Carey released several No. 1 hits, including "Vision of Love," "Hero" and "One Sweet Day." After splitting with Mottola, she signed to Virgin for $80 million in 2000 in what was then the largest record contract of all time. Her sales lagged, however, and Virgin bought out her contract for $28 million in 2002. Many wrote her off, but by 2005 Carey was back on top with her CD "The Emancipation of Mimi."

Discography
"The Emancipation of Mimi" (2005)
"The Remixes" (2003)
"Charmbracelet" (2002)
"Greatest Hits" (2001)
"Glitter" (2001)
"Rainbow" (1999)
"#1's" (1998)
"Butterfly" (1997)
"Daydream" (1995)
"Merry Christmas" (1994)
"Music Box" (1993)
"MTV Unplugged" (EP) (1992)
"Emotions" (1991)
"Mariah Carey" (1990)

Notable: Despite her huge success as a singer, Carey's feature acting debut in the semiautobiographical "Glitter" was a box-office bust. To compound the misery, the soundtrack to the film was released on Sept. 11, 2001.

Grammys: Best new artist (1990); best pop vocal performance, female, "Vision of Love" (1990)