Mariah Carey is legendary for many reasons — her voice, her songwriting, her iconic moments that have now cemented themselves into the pop culture lexicon. With 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, it's hard to differentiate her success by year, considering every year she surpasses some record or acheivement.
But this year — when we all needed it most — she gave us so much. Here are just some of the many things she did to make 2020 a little more festive, a little more fun, and a little more Mariah.
1. Mariah began the year by getting inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They're super late, but we forgive them in honor of our queen.
I can't believe it... The SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME!!!! 😱🤯 This is truly one of the greatest honors of my career. I'm so proud and humbled to be in the company of such legendary songwriters - both previously inducted as well as the incredible class of 2020! 🙏🦋 @SongwritersHOF
2. Mariah then embarked — or continued, I should say — on her The Butterfly Returns residency in Vegas. She served vocals, sang a new fan fave medley, and even revisited some of her older songs, like "Endless Love," "Breakdown," "Crybaby," "Say Somethin," and others.
3. She gave us backstage moments, too, collaborating with JoJo in an impromptu performance of her rarely acknowledged 1993 ballad "Everything Fades Away."
4. By the time we were all in quarantine, Mariah fed us and truly gave #JusticeForGlitter by putting the underappreciated masterpiece of a soundtrack on streaming platforms.
5. To commemorate her Grammy-winning album Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah gave us a bunch of a cappella moments from her house, serving vocals and iconic robes.
6. A few months later, Mariah launched #MC30 to celebrate 30 years of her iconic career. She opened her vault of unreleased/unpublished material and gave us HQ performances...
7. ...HQ music videos...
View this video on YouTube
8. ...new remixes...
Going back to the first album this week for #MC30 🦋 haven't listened to these remixes in a minute 😉 https://t.co/WBnoqRIB3A
9. ...and even a never-before-seen "Underneath the Stars" music video:
The long lost video for Underneath The Stars is finally here! ✨✨✨It's one of my favorite songs from the Daydream album and somehow never got released. I'm so happy to have found it for #MC30 💖 https://t.co/Ik9V3vtZvQ
10. One of the best parts of this mess of a year was the fact that Mariah consistently gave us some of her best performances in her home studio. We got to hear classics like "Hero," "Joy to the World," "Always Be My Baby," "Through the Rain," "Vision of Love," and more reinterpreted in the best way possible:
Are you KIDDING. Belts, highs, lows, and whistling so good the headpiece fell off. WOW @MariahCarey 😍
11. Mariah also released "Save the Day," a song that sampled Ms. Lauryn Hill and the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly." The song encouraged people to stick together and do their part during this tumultuous time, and the song's lyric video paid homage to prominent Black historical figures, past and present.
We're all in this together ❤️ I'm honored to team up with @wearepushblack to bring you the "Save The Day" lyric video! It's up to us to make a change and we hope this inspires YOU to take action! #GetOutToVote https://t.co/My2FqN67qr
12. But that was just the beginning. "Save the Day" was a preview of The Rarities, an entire album of unreleased/new songs that Lambs have been waiting actual decades to hear.
13. The Rarities was released almost simultaneously as one of Mariah's biggest and most personal projects ever — her introspective, beautiful memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey with Michaela Angela Davis. The book showed us a new side of Mariah, as she detailed some of the most difficult and triumphant moments of her life.
14. Arguably better than the book itself was the audiobook, where Mariah sang songs from The Rarities and her entire discography, while explaining the meaning and inspirations behind the songs. The audiobook — which features Mariah singing, talking in different accents, and sometimes getting emotional — is truly amazing to experience as a fan.
Mariah Carey singing a snippet of “Close My Eyes” for the audiobook version of her memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” out 9/29. (via Billboard)
15. Mariah also was featured on Busta Rhymes' song "Where I Belong" in October. We love a reunion between Busta and Mariah and an updated "I Know What You Want" moment.
View this video on YouTube
16. And after that (!), Mariah released Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, a sparkly, festive, fun Christmas show, where Mariah performs a Christmas concert to spread holiday cheer during a year when cheer and festivity were sparse.
17. In that special was Mariah's incredible collaboration with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. The three powerhouses sang "Oh Santa," and Mariah and Ari's whistle register harmony lit up the internet, rightfully so.
I'm exhausted just thinking about everything Mariah did this year. But truly, there is no artist that listens and gives to their fans like Mariah. Thank you, Mariah, for making 2020 a lot less bleak. <3
