By Carl Lamarre,Trevor Anderson
Copyright billboard
Skip to main content
Trending on Billboard
The Voice is back.
After a seven-year hiatus, Mariah Carey released Here for It All last Friday (Sept. 26). The 11-track project, issued via gamma., is the latest chapter in the five-octave singer’s storied, record-setting career. In addition to the singles “Type Dangerous” and “Sugar Sweet” featuring Shenseea and Kehlani, the album includes additional guest appearances by Anderson .Paak (“Play This Song”) and The Clark Sisters (“Jesus I Do”) as well as a cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings gem “My Love.” (Check out Billboard’s ranking of the album’s 11 tracks HERE.)
Here for It All brings to 16 the total number of studio albums that Carey has released since bursting onto the scene in 1990 with her self-titled debut album on Columbia Records. And along the way, the singer-songwriter has racked up a host of chart and industry accolades that alone could take up a whole page.
Among those on the Billboard front: 19 Hot 100 No. 1s (18 self-penned), the most of any solo artist; most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with 97 (Rihanna is second with 60); most years ranking at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with 21 (no one else has more than 10); and the only artist with No. 1s in every year of a decade (‘90s, plus into 2000).
That’s not counting Carey’s five Grammy Awards, induction into the Songwriters Hall of fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and being presented with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the recent 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Plus this winter, her gift that keeps on giving — “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — could become the longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1 ever.
But first, to commemorate the release of Here for It All, members of the Billboard staff have ranked all 15 of Carey’s preceding studio albums.
Merry Christmas II You (2010)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Released to mixed reviews, 2010’s Merry Christmas II You is Carey’s second holiday album. While it may not hold a candle to her 1994 seminal, nine times platinum-certified Merry Christmas, this 13th studio album does boast the up-tempo charmers “Oh Santa!,” a No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit, and “When Christmas Comes” (also released as a newly recorded duet with John Legend in 2011). In addition to those and two other original songs, the gold-certified album includes covers of standards like “O Come All Ye Faithful”/”Hallelujah Chorus,” featuring Carey’s late mother Patricia Carey, and Carey’s new spin on her signature holiday anthem, “All I Want for Christmas is You — Extra Festive.” — GAIL MITCHELL
Hidden Gem: “O Holy Night”
Glitter (2001)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
In 2001, Mariah Carey released her eighth studio album, Glitter, as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The 12-track project was a departure from her signature pop-R&B ballads, as she segued into a world of ’80s disco and hip-hop flavor, featuring rap heavyweights Ja Rule, Fabolous, Ludacris and Busta Rhymes. Despite the star power, both the film and album were widely panned by fans and critics alike. She and Mystikal were a mismatch on “Don’t Stop (Funkin’ 4 Jamaica)” while her cover of Indeep’s 1982 classic “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” failed to leave an impression. Despite her misteps, Glitter had some bright spots: the star-studded remix of “Loverboy [Remix]” was a highlight, while her soaring ballad “Lead the Way” showcased her vocal wizardry. — CARL LAMARRE
Hidden Gem: “Lead The Way”
Charmbraclet (2002)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Like a pro athlete needing a year after a brutal injury to get fully back in game shape, Charmbracelet saw Mariah Carey rebounding from her personal collapse in 2001 not quite yet back at full strength — the singles felt low on power and hooks by her standards, and her peerless vocals didn’t quite reach the heights they had on prior (or would on future) projects. But songs like “The One,” “Subtle Invitation” and closer “Sunflowers for Alfred Roy” — written for Mariah’s father, who’d recently passed — found a bewitching intimacy in their low-keyness, and Mariah was able to put the drama of the early ’00s behind her by simply getting through Charmbracelet, allowing her to prove on her next album just how back she really was. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Hidden Gem: “Subtle Invitation”
Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse (2014)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Coming after a half-decade break from original albums, Elusive Chanteuse came out in a very different pop and R&B world than the one Carey had last left — one upended by alt-R&B stars like The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, and infiltrated by high-energy EDM — and, outside of the previously released sublime Miguel teamup “#Beautiful,” failed to generate the kind of hits Mimi had grown accustomed to. It wasn’t a particular failing of the actual tracklist, though: the charms of Mariah are still on full display in post-disco groovers like the Wale collab “You Don’t Know What to Do” and the Q-Tip co-produced “Meteorite,” and George Michael’s “One More Try” is one of her most inspired ballad cover choices to date. — A.U.
Hidden Gem: “Thirsty”
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
The title of Mimi’s twelfth studio album emphasizes the icon’s imperfections, but the album itself certainly isn’t without its own flaws. While she certainly hits some of the most dazzling highs of her ’00s (“Obsessed,” “Up Out My Face,” “It’s A Wrap” and “H.A.T.E.U.,” among them), Carey fails to leave much of a major impression with much of the rest of the album. The sparkle and sheen of Emancipation and E=MC² gave way to stab at Tricky Stewart-helmed ‘10s R&B that overly relied on a whispery vocal approach and closed with a sickeningly saccharine Foreigner cover. Reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200, Memoirs remains the last MC album to spawn a Hot 100 top 10 single, with the No. 7-peaking “Obsessed.” — KYLE DENIS
Hidden Gem: “Languishing (The Interlude)”
Rainbow (1999)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Like her previous album Butterfly, Rainbow found Carey leaning further into hip-hop sounds and adding two Hot 100 No. 1s — the irresistible, funky “Heartbreaker” with Jay-Z and the sing-off-for-the-spotlight anthem “Thank God I Found You” with Joe and 98 Degrees – to her growing tally. The former also appears on Rainbow as a bumping remix boasting Da Brat, Missy Elliott and DJ Clue, with Snoop Dogg swinging by for the sultry “Crybaby” and Usher blending vocals with her on the TLC-esque “How Much.” Terry Jam & Lewis’ production gives her plenty of space to explore her sultry side, perhaps best exemplified on “Bliss,” a song that makes whistle tone sound downright orgasmic. — JOE LYNCH
Hidden Gem: “Bliss”
Music Box (1993)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
A cover of rock band Badfinger’s “Without You” is one of three global hits featured on Carey’s third studio outing, preceded by the now-classics “Hero” and “Dreamlover.” Released in 1993 as the follow-up to 1991’s Emotions, Music Box finds Carey reuniting with “Hero” co-writer/co-producer Walter Afanasieff (who collaborated on her first six albums). However, she also began flexing her wings in a softer, more contemporary pop and R&B/hip-hop direction, working for the first time with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (fourth single “Never Forget You”) and David Hall (“Dreamlover,” sampling the Emotions’ “Blind Alley”). Debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, Music Box also spun off a fifth single, the ballad “Anytime You Need a Friend.” — G.M.
Hidden Gem: “Now That I Know”
E=MC² (2008)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
After fine-tuning the blueprint of the modern pop comeback with her blockbuster Emancipation album, Carey kept the party going with a victory lap titled E=MC² and colloquially known as Einstein. Re-teaming with most of the Emancipation dream team, Carey spent E=MC² doubling down on the sexy, shimmering swagger of her comeback record with freeing expressions of her sexuality (“Touch My Body”) and club-ready bangers (“Migrate,” “I’m That Chick”). If ever there was an album that exemplified life truly beginning at the top of your 40s, it’s E=MC², which only makes its gorgeous gospel-steeped closer (“I Wish You Well”) all the more poignant. — K.D.
Hidden Gem: “For the Record”
Emotions (1991)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Carey’s insane winning streak from the decade’s beginning kept rolling right into quick-released 1991 follow-up Emotions, which spawned an all-time euphoric dance-pop blast in its Hot 100-topping title track and another pair of fan-beloved top five hits in big ballad “Can’t Let Go” and the gospel-tinged “Make It Happen.” The album’s bench gets a little thin as it goes on, but “If It’s Over” was a spellbinding enough torch song to earn a memorable Unplugged treatment the following year, and the heartbreaking “The Wind” is one of the best album closers of her career, jazzy and eerie and totally indelible. — A.U.
Hidden Gem: “The Wind”
Merry Christmas (1994)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
The gift that keeps on giving, MC’s approach to Merry Christmas was a head-scratching decision ahead of its 1994 release, as perplexed executives understood Christmas music as legacy act territory, not for primetime 24-year-olds. Safe to say, it worked out well.
Largely free of commercial expectations, Carey plays around with the holiday canon, putting a jubilant, gospel-tinged stamp on “Joy to the World,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child.” The key chestnut, though, is the original “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the omnipresent colossus that tops the Hot 100 each holiday season. Bigger than any song, however, the Merry Christmas miracle may lie in shifting the idea of holiday tunes as a has-been’s game into a winning play for others – with Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande all among the present-day recipients. — TREVOR ANDERSON
Hidden Gem: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Caution (2018)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Mariah, critics and the acknowledgement of age have rarely seen eye-to-eye, but all parties aligned with 2018’s Caution: proof that, some 28 years into her career, Carey could engage with any generation’s R&B. Trading scaling theatrics for a contemporary moodiness and chilled swagger, Carey and her formidable roster of collaborators and producers, including DJ Mustard, Gunna, Ty Dolla $ign, nineteen85, Slick Rick and Blood Orange (the latter two on the same song!) dismiss any naysayers who suggest her career was one-foot-and-nine-toes in the retirement home. Mellow production – save the “Crush on You”-sampling “A No No,” a highlight – allows for more focus on Carey’s lyrics, with tongue-in-cheek winks at her own diva status drawing some chuckles while avoiding a cringe factor. Caution’s tight 10-song track list (remember those?) may not include any Hot 100 crossover megahits, but it’s among the smoothest rides in her fleet. — T.A.
Hidden Gem: “The Distance” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
Mariah Carey (1990)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
Even if Mariah Carey’s eponymous, Billboard 200-topping 1990 debut LP didn’t spawn four consecutive Hot 100 No. 1 singles and announce the arrival of a burgeoning music titan, it would still be one of the strongest records in her catalog. Armed with a priceless set of pipes and a pen that valued edifying vocabulary, idiosyncratic melodic choices and a penchant for sweeping, romantic narratives, Mariah Carey delivered one of the greatest debut albums of all-time.
From the dizzying vocal acrobatics of the classic “Vision of Love” to the post-80s rap delivery sprinkled across deep cut “Prisoner,” Mariah Carey somehow captured the general breadth of its titular star’s sonic profile while simultaneously offering a glimpse into the boundless of her talent across just eleven tracks. Few artists sound as well-rounded and self-assured as Mariah Carey on their debut album, but, then again, there’s only one Elusive Chanteuse. — K.D.
Hidden Gem: “Vanishing”
Daydream (1995)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
In hindsight, Daydream’s arrival smack in the middle of the ‘90s symbolized the bridge between the two halves of Mariah’s catalog that decade, linking the earlier pop and adult contemporary sounds with the hip-hop and layered R&B inspirations that colored subsequent works. Big ballads such as the historic, Hot 100-topping Boyz II Men collaboration “One Sweet Day” and her cover of Journey’s “Open Arms” join radio-friendly fare of additional No. 1s “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby,” both rich with vocal acrobatics. The most interesting texture, however, comes from the near-murmured delivery present on “Underneath the Stars,” “Melt Away” and “Long Ago,” adding new dimensions to her palette with stylistic sonic forerunners to fan-beloved songs like “Breakdown” and “Shake It Off.” — T.A.
Hidden Gem: “Underneath the Stars”
The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the album that music watchers at the time called Carey’s comeback. That’s because this, her Grammy-winning 10th studio project, catapulted the chanteuse back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the first time since 1997’s Butterfly and became her highest-seller since 1995’s Daydream. As the title implies, it was a freer Carey (called “Mimi” by close friends) — on the rebound from commercial and personal travails — who collaborated with a stellar cast of collaborators and guests that included Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Snoop Dogg and The Neptunes. The result was a tasty mélange of R&B, hip-hop, dance, pop and gospel that provided the perfect framework for Carey’s illustrious vocals. Songs like the Grammy-winning classic “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off” and “It’s Like That” still sound just as vital as they did in 2005. — GM
Hidden Gem: “Fly Like a Bird”
Butterfly (1997)
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
settings: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
“The sexy-ass songs started pouring out,” wrote Carey of Butterfly in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. After years of pushback from her label and husband Tommy Mottola (“I heard the refrain ‘too urban,’ which of course was code for ‘too Black,’” she wrote), the soon-to-be-divorced star fully embraced hip-hop rhythms and bump-n-grind R&B on her sixth LP.
The playful, alluring “Honey” drips with a grown-up sensuality that feels warm and hard-earned –never before had her vocal acrobatics sounded so much like a release of deeply felt desire. It took her to No. 1 on the Hot 100, as did “My All,” a Latin-tinged ballad inspired by her secret romance with Derek Jeter. Even so, it’s another single – “my first complete docu-song,” she wrote — inspired by the MLB legend that stands as the album’s finest moment. “The Roof (Back in Time)” flips Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones (Part II)” into a lush, layered and haunted ballad about her obsession over a rooftop rendezvous between the two, marking a new highpoint in her career both lyrically and sonically. That newfound comfort with intimacy rolls over into the sweet, restrained “Fourth of July” and her vocally astonishing cover of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones,” with Dru Hill assisting.
Toward the end of this masterwork, the house- and gospel-indebted “Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)” seems to announce that Carey was through sticking to the genre lanes that had been so rigidly imposed on her from the start of her career. This is where Mimi’s emancipation began – and finding freedom has never sounded sexier. — J.L.
Hidden Gem: “Babydoll”
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Want to know what everyone in the music business is talking about?
Get in the know on
Visit Billboard Pro for music business news
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP
optional screen reader
Manage Account
Billboard Hot 100™
Billboard 200™
Hits Of The World™
Songs Of The Summer
Year-End Charts
Decade-End Charts
R&B/Hip-Hop
Business News
Record Labels
View All Pro
Songwriters & Producers
Artist Index
Royalty Calculator
Market Watch
Industry Events Calendar
Billboard Español
Cultura y Entretenimiento
Switching Stages
GET ACCESS TODAY
