Mariah Carey (/məˈraɪə/; born March 27, 1969)^[a] is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" and the "Queen of Christmas", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, signature use of the whistle register, and songwriting. Carey rose to fame in 1990 with her eponymous debut album. She was the first artist to have her first five singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, from "Vision of Love" to "Emotions".

Carey's debut album was released under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she married three years later. Carey achieved further success with the albums Music Box (1993), Merry Christmas (1994), and Daydream (1995), with singles including "Hero", "Without You", "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby", and "One Sweet Day", which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart (1990s). After separating from Mottola, Carey adopted a new image and incorporated more elements of hip hop with Butterfly (1997). Billboard named her the Artist of the Decade (1990s), while the World Music Awards honored her as the best-selling female pop-artist of the millennium.