Mariah Carey performed tracks from her new album The Emancipation of Mimi to an invitation only crowd of fans in Tokyo on Thursday.

The pop diva sang the first two singles taken from the album: It's Like That and We Belong Together for about 500 excited Japanese fans, 20 TV Cameras and 30 photographers.

The Emancipation of Mimi is Carey's first collection of new studio material since 2002's Charmbracelet.

The singer used her 35th Birthday celebrations to launch the album in London's West End on March 26.

Carey's visit to Tokyo is her first in two and a half years.

The star is in the city for five days as a part of a cross-media promotional push for the newly released album.

The Emancipation of Mimi is due to be relesed in the UK on April 4, and the US on April 12. (AP)




Above, U.S. pop singer Mariah Carey performs at an event for Japanese fans in Tokyo March 31, 2005. Carey is in Japan to promote her new album 'The Emancipation of Mimi'.

More from Japan...

-- "The Emancipation of Mimi" has debuted at #2 on the Oricon Daily Album Chart on March 30th - the day of the album release. Among international artists, Mariah is #1!

-- On April 1st, Mariah will perform "We Belong Together" on the popular Japanese show, "Music Station."

-- Check out Ryan's site, MCTW for some pictures of the Japanese edition of "The Emancipation of Mimi."

Dizzy diva Mariah Carey is in the midst of a triumphant return to the buzz. Searches on the multi-octave singer are up 16% over the past week and she's plopped her precious self into our top 100 search terms.

Attempting to put charm-deficient "Charmbracelet" and the titanic trainwreck that was "Glitter" behind her, the bodacious belter is declaring herself free once and for all. Her latest album, "The Emancipation of Mimi", is titled to reflect this newfound freedom.

Two-thirds of Carey searches come from ladies, a minor surprise given the sex-kitten image she cultivates. Those looking for even more Mariah are responsible for a spike in searches on "Mariah Carey Pics" (36%). Searches also show she's lost her appeal with anyone past their mid-20s. A whopping one-third of queries on the sexy singer come from the 13-17 age bracket and three-quarters are from those under-25.

Even if the adults don't understand, the first single off the album is zooming up the search charts. "It's Like That" is up 23% over the last week and is currently one of the top songs in search. Mimi is set to drop on April 12, and it'll be interesting to see if pre-release buzz carries over to sustained searches once the disc hits stores.

VH1 and Save the Music are putting together a special concert featuring Mariah Carey, and we want YOU to be a part of it!!

DATE: Saturday, April 9, 2005
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: NYC venue

To receive your FREE Tickets:
E-mail: MTV.PRODUCTION.CASTING@MTVSTAFF.COM
Include in the E-mail:
NAME
AGE
CITY AND STATE YOU LIVE IN
PHONE NUMBER/CELL
ONE PICTURE
NUMBER OF TICKETS REQUESTED (5 MAX)

Make sure to put "MARIAH" in the subject line.
MUST be 18-35
MUST get to NYC on your own

Tickets are limited, and will go fast. RSVP ASAP! We will call you by April 7th to confirm if you will get your requested tickets.


Mike Fortino of MTV Networks is in-charge of the casting for Mariah's Save The Music segment. He writes, "I'm actually quite a big Mariah Fan, which is how I know your site. I just wanted to give some hardcore Mariah fans a chance to see her. I will let everyone know of the details when they e-mail me."

--Mariah will be the cover girl of the April issue of Faces, a Malaysian entertainment magazine. She will also be highlighted in the May 2005 issue of Q, a UK music magazine with a 4-page featured interview. Click on the thumbnails below for larger scans.


UK Media Blitz
Below are scans from recent issues of various UK print media including Sneak, SmashHits, OK, Daily Star, Daily Mirror, and Daily Mail.


Banding Together Project Update
Jeremy invites all Mariah fans to participate in the The Banding Together Project's Contest. He writes, "The Refer-a-Friend Contest!" It's simple as filling out our form at devoted.to/bandingtogether and sending as many as you can to your friends. The more people you refer to the site to purchase a bracelet, the more points you receive. This contest will run from March 22nd to April 1st. You will receive one point for each person you refer! If you accumulate the most points, you will win the "Banding Together Prize Package!" Look for your name on devoted.to/bandingtogether to see where you stand. Updates will be made daily."

--Undray writes: "To everyone who is planning to be in NYC on April 12th for the The Emancipation of Mimi promo events. My name is Undray and I know there a few lambs coming from far far away and will need some guidance or assistance or whatever and don't want to feel lost or anything. A few of us definitely want to get together that day. So if you plan to attend the GMA concert, TRL, Best Buy signing or anything just drop me a line at NakedNiggie@aol.com. I will be more than happy to help coordinate ideas and plans if people want to meet up and do whatever."

Mark your calendars and be sure to catch these special appearances/performances from the lovely Miss M.

Tuesday, April 12 - The Emancipation of Mimi - Album Release Day!

Tuesday, April 12 - Good Morning America Concert live in Times Square on ABC Network @ 8:00am.

Tuesday, April 12 - TRL, Mariah drops by the countdown on MTV @ 5:00pm

Tuesday, April 12 - In-store signing for The Emancipation of Mimi at Best Buy located @ 622 Broadway, NY, NY 10012 at 7:00pm

Wednesday, April 13 - The Emancipation of Mimi special on BET @ 7:30pm. Mariah will perform NEW music from The Emancipation of Mimi album and chat with BET's 106 & Park host AJ.

Sunday, April 17 - Save The Music: A Concert To Benefit The VH1 Save The Music Foundation on VH1 @ 9:00pm

Monday, April 18 - BET's 106 & Park @ 6:00pm on BET. Mariah performs live with the winner from the Mimi I Wanna Sing contest.

Be sure to check MariahCarey.com's Appearances page for all the latest scheduled Mariah appearances.

USA
--Reminder! Please continue to vote for "It's Like That" on TRL, BET & VH1. "It's Like That" managed to place at #3 on yesterday's TRL video countdown despite the phone system error. Click here to start requesting now.

--"It's Like That" is currently #12 on iTunes' Top 100 Downloaded Songs and #25 on Walmart's. Download "It's Like That" for 99¢ at iTunes, Passalong/eBa, Musicmatch, MSN Music, Napster, Real Music Store, Sony Connect and at Wal-Mart for 88¢.

--This week's Mediabase airplay update through March 28, 2005:
"It's Like That" - 47.558M audience impressions, 6843 spins
"We Belong Together" - 17.232M audience impressions, 1923 spins

--It's Like That" is currently at #2 behind Kimberly Locke's Coulda Been on XM Satellite Radio's 20on20. Click on the link to vote or call (866) 267-0441.

--"We Belong Together" is #11 on AOL's Top Played Songs.

Japan
--Mariah is scheduled to perform "We Belong Together" on Japan's Music Station on April 1, 2005.

--Mezamashi TV and Zoom In TV were able to film Mariah upon her arrival at the Narita International Airport. Download video clips from Mezamashi and Zoom In by clicking on the links. Thanks to LoveLoveJack for the video clips.

Australia
--"It's Like That" has now stayed steady at #2 on the Hot30 Countdown for the past 5 days surpassing all but one of the current 4 Aussie Idols in the Top 5.

--After a debut of #10 on TRL Australia, "It's Like That" slipped back out again. TRL had failed to list the song on their website voting form until requested to do so, 5 days after the fact. "It's Like That" needs votes at www.mtv.com.au.

--Channel [V], Australia's most popular Music channel just added the video last week, and is already number 28 on their "Top 50 most requested" videos.

--"The Emancipation of Mimi" is being released next Sunday, 3rd of April, and promotion is already under way. Last night on the Hot30.com countdown, it was reported that an "It's Like That" commercial was played during commercial breaks. Click on the thumbnails to view the posters that are located in the City of Sydney.

UK
--It is predicted by major UK retailer Woolworths that Mariah will reach #2 in the singles chart with "It's Like That!" This means that the single is displayed at the #2 position in-store for the duration of this week. Their predictions are based upon past chart positions by the artist in question, as well as airplay, promotion and general reaction to the track/artist. Other retailers, such as ASDA predict a top five position for the single too!

Holland
--"Making The Video" aired on MTV Holland. "It's Like That" is #21 in its 2nd week on Tipparade.

Germany
--"It's Like That" is #21 on the German singles chart.

--"It's Like That" is #9 on TRL Most Wanted Top 10. Please vote by clicking here.

South Africa
--"It's Like That" is #35 on MetroFM's Top International Top 40 Songs. Click here to vote. The song is at #7 on 5FM's High 5@5. Vote online by clicking here. Other request links: East Coast Radio, P4 Radio.

--"It's Like That" is #20 on the NRJ Euro Hot 30, the chart of the 30 most played songs on the European NRJ stations.

--Steve Harvey mentioned Mariah on 100.3 The Beat, Los Angeles, CA. During his hugely popular radio show, he launched into a dialogue about female artists "not looking the same in person...compared to their videos". However, he commented on exceptions including "Mariah Carey who is outstanding."

--From ContactMusic: Mariah Carey has included her pet dog Jackson P. Mutley in so many of her music videos, he now has a string of fan clubs. The Jack Russell terrier, who Carey calls Jack for short, is now enjoying status as an international celebrity. The HONEY singer says of her pooch, "He's such a star! He's been in my videos and has built up his own fan base. "He has websites dedicated to him - one in Japan, one in the US."

--From eMediaWire: Da Brat, readies to tell it all over again as she gets funkdafied all night long celebrating her birthday on April 9, 2005...She’s invited some of her fav celeb friends like Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, world-renown London turntable master, DJ Kofi, and two of Chicago’s all-stars, Lisa-Raye and Twista, to help raise up all the Aries!

--From Female First: Mariah Carey, it seems likes to keep her feet firmly on the ground - encased in one of her 500 pairs of high heels, which she keeps at her $9 million penthouse.

--From Guardian Unlimited UK: Mariah Carey's support team of 30 includes three animal wranglers whose sole function is to provide kittens for her to stroke.

--From Detroit News: His passion for chintz and the English country have made Mario Buatta one of the nation's top interior designers, with a client list that reads like a who's who including Billy Joel, Barbara Walters and Mariah Carey.

--"Mimi" wallpapers made by Nessa of Spanish Mariah & Gary, and a 'birthday' artwork from Laura. Enjoy!

The day started out with me and all my Mariah friends meeting up to see Mariah on CD:UK. There was such a good line up with Do me bad things, Garbage and Good Charlotte also performing along with Mario and Rachel "No sound comes out my mouth" Stevens. We finally saw Mariah's performance about 1.30pmish (Look out for it on next week's show). The performance was great but as expected she mimed.

That night Mariah was holding a joint birthday and album launch party at a club in central London. A lot of my friends had gotten on the guest list, but I hadn't managed it. I was determined to go in, and luckily one of my friends had won tickets but couldn't make it, so I posed as him. After a bit of arguing, I was in! There were three sections to the club. The normal area, the VIP area which requires a gold wristband, and Mariah's special area which required platinum wristbands to get into. All my friends had gold wristbands. I didn't get one, but that didn't stop me going into the VIP area. It meant I couldn't leave the area at all or I wouldn't be allowed in, but I managed!

The celebrities started turning up. First was Frank Bruno, then Steve Brookstein. My friend Bobby ended up chatting to Steve for quite a while, and when he'd finished declared to me "He's such a nice guy. Sharon Osbourne is a bitch". I didn't talk to him as I'd have felt too 2 faced, so I just smiled. Estelle was next to arrive. She stood next to me, and I ended up talking to her – mainly about Adam, who she says she remembers. Other celebrities that turned up included Alesha from Mis-teeq and up-himself-Usher-wannabe Mario!

Mariah finally turned up just after midnight. She walked past us and I managed to wish her "Happy Anniversary" (Her name for her birthday) and held her hand for a moment...


To read the rest of Darren's story, log on to WorldMix.

Let's continue to vote for "It's Like That" and make it #1!

MTV's Total Request Live
Slipped to #2. Let's put her back at the top spot!
Vote online or call 1-800-DIAL-MTV (1-800-342-5688) during the following hours:
4:25pm - 5:00pm Eastern Time
3:25pm - 4:00pm Central Time
2:25pm - 3:00pm Mountain Time
1:25pm - 2:00pm Pacific Time
TRL airs Monday-Friday at 5:00pm ET/PT.

BET's 106 & Park
#9 (Peak: #4) on last Friday's video countdown.
Click here to vote online or by calling 1-800-617-LIVE (5483) between 5:30 and 6:00pm ET. BET's 106 & Park airs Monday-Friday, 6:00pm-7:30pm ET/PT; Saturday, 3:00pm-4:00pm ET/PT.

VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown
Moved up to #9 on the countdown.
Post your vote online in the Top 20 Video Countdown Message Board. You can also request Mariah's video at VH1 by sending an e-mail to videorequest@vh1mail.com. Don't forget to watch the Top 20 Countdown on VH1 every week! Check out your local listings by clicking here.

Mariah Carey was looking a million dollars – quite literally – when she celebrated her 35th birthday in London at the weekend. The Glitter star made an appropriately dazzling entrance at the capital's fashionable Tantra club in a white Robert Cavalli dress with £1 million worth of diamond jewellery.

And the birthday girl, who is in Britain to promote her new album, The Emancipation Of Mimi, was determined to make it a night to remember. "It's a very happy day for me and I'm very excited," she said. "I love being in London, I have fabulous friends here – it's been extremely exciting."

Those lucky enough to receive an invite were left with sweet memories of the New York diva, who splashed out £5,000 on a spectacular birthday cake statue of herself. Chefs at Harrods spent 18 days working with sugar leaf and white chocolate to prepare the mouth-watering creation in time for the event.

The glitzy celebration came just after Mariah had wowed her British fans with an appearance on Top Of The Pops. Among the celebs who went along to congratulate the chanteuse were Blue boys Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe, along with Mis-Teeq star Aleesha Dixon and footie ace Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

U.S. pop singer Mariah Carey smiles as she arrives at Narita International Airport in Narita, northeast of Tokyo, March 28, 2005. Carey is in Japan to promote her new album "The Emancipation of Mimi," which will be released in Japan on March 30.


Additional photos can be found at Getty Images.

Good Morning America will close down street to present live outdoor concert on April 12th, in-store date for new album, The Emancipation Of Mimi.

Island Def Jam recording artist and songwriter Mariah Carey has decided to kick-off the release of her upcoming new album THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI, with her historic return to live performance - and only one location in America is worthy of hosting the premiere event: Times Square in Manhattan.

The countdown is ON - leading up to Tuesday, April 12th, the album's in-store release date. ABC Television's Good Morning America will inaugurate its live outdoor concert season that day, when Mariah takes the stage on the street outside the show's studio. GMA will close down 44th Street to all vehicular traffic between 6th Avenue and Broadway, and only Mariah's hordes of fans will be able to access the performance area.

With Times Square as the stage's backdrop, Mariah will perform five songs on GMA between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. (EST). A once-in-a-lifetime event, which is being hailed as "The Return Of The VOICE," the event is expected to draw thousands of spectators. Among the songs Mariah will perform: We Belong Together, the brand new single from the album, and It's Like That, the album's first single pick. Both tracks were written by Mariah and co-produced by her with Jermaine Dupri for the new album. We Belong Together" is scheduled to impact at Pop radio this Monday, March 28th.

THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI, Mariah's 10th studio album, is the long-awaited follow-up to 2002's RIAA platinum Charmbracelet, her IDJ debut, which hit #2 R&B and #3 Pop, and contained the #1 Dance Music hit, Through the Rain.

The new album finds Mariah's broad range of musical talents on full display, as every one of its 14 songs bears her signature as writer and co-producer. Carey continues to work with today's top R&B and hip-hop producers, such as The Neptunes, whose distinctive production is heard on two tracks: To The Floor (featuring Nelly) and Say Somethin' (featuring Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams). The other featured guest is Twista, who shows up on One and Only. We Belong Together and It's Like That are among four songs written by Mariah and co-produced by Mariah and Jermaine Dupri, along with Get Your Number and Shake It Off. Fellow IDJ artist Kanye West collaborates with Mariah on Stay the Night. Other tracks find her working with Scram Jones (Your Girl), Young Genius (Joyride), and James Poyser (Mine Again). Three tracks are co-written and co-produced by Mariah and James "Big Jim" Wright (of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' Flyte Tyme Productions), including I Wish You Knew, "Circles, and Fly Like a Bird.

Mariah Carey is an award-winning superstar, producer and songwriter with cumulative total sales of her albums, singles and long-form videos in excess of 75-times platinum in the U.S. alone and 150 million worldwide, making her the top-selling female artist in history. With a record 15 #1 singles, two Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, Billboard magazine's Artist of the Decade Award, and the World Music Award as World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium - Mariah Carey's ongoing career remains an unparalleled success story in the history of contemporary popular music.

Click on the links below to download the MP3 files of Mariah's interview with DJ Steve Sutherland on UK's Galaxy 105 FM yesterday, March 26, 2005. Big thanks to DJ for making the files for us.

Part One

Part Two

USA
--"It's Like That" is currently #13 on iTunes' Top 100 Songs and #29 on Walmart. Download "It's Like That" for 99¢ at iTunes, Passalong/eBa, Musicmatch, MSN Music, Napster, Real Music Store, Sony Connect and at Wal-Mart for 88¢.

--Continue to request "It's Like That" at your local radio stations. Click here to start requesting now.

--This week's Mediabase airplay update through March 26, 2005:
"It's Like That" - 50.754M audience impressions, 7248 spins
"We Belong Together" - 13.636M audience impressions, 1528 spins

--"We Belong Together" is at #28 on the MSN Music Chart. The song is exclusively available for purchase as a digital download single at MSN Music. "It's Like That" is at #38 on the same chart.

--Radio&Records writes, "While "It's Like That" was an upbeat party-starter, the diva takes us into slow jam territory with "We Belong Together." However, don't expect a ballad in the same vein as her sweeping ballads from the early- and mid-'90s. This one is an Urban-based slow jam with a rhythmic instrumental and melody line." For week ending March 25, 2005, "It's Like That" was #18 (prior week at #15) on Radio&Records CHR/Rhythmic National Play while "We Belong Together" was the Most Added Song and New & Active on 41 Rhythmic and on 40 Urban radio stations.

Canada
--"It's Like That" is #11 this week (was #8 last week) on Radio&Records Canadian CHR National Airplay.

--On Mix 96, Montreal, QC, "It's Like That" was #3 on the Top 8@8 countdown. Keep requesting, call (514) 989-2523. On CKOI 96.9's daily Top 6@6 countdown, it was #2 (unable to beat 50 Cent’s Candy Shop atop). Request Line: (514) 790-CKOI.

--#7 on Weekly MuchVibe Countdown. This week, The Game was doing the countdown and he announced Mariah's "It's Like That" to be #7 on the weekly MuchVibe (a subsciption channel, part of Much Music) Countdown.

UK
--"It's Like That" is #13 (new peak) on iTunes UK Top 100 Songs.

Germany
--Vote for "It's Like That" on TRL Most Wanted Top 10 by clicking on the link.

Spain
--For fans in Spain, here's your chance to win tickets to attend Universal Music Spain-sponsored listening parties for Mariah's new album, "The Emancipation of Mimi"! These listening parties are going to take place in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona (April 1st) and Gran Canaria (TBD). Log on to MariahMariah.com for more information.

France
--"It's Like That" will be released on April 25th as a single (including a Morales remix) and a limited edition Maxi with the video and "Sprung" as a B-side.

--"It's Like That" is currently at #14 on Hit Skyrock. Click here to vote.

--Jumped 51 places on the French airplay charts from #68 to #17.

Switzerland
--"It's Like That" was played 24 times on Viva last week! It came at #9 on the Most Played Videos chart. Click here to see the full list.

Greece
--MAD TV, Greece's biggest music TV station premiered the "It's Like That" video yesterday and has been showing it throughout the weekend.

--"It's Like That" is up 5 places to #33 (from #38) in this week's Top 40 on Kiss FM and #16 (from #17) in this week's Hot 40 on Athens Radio Deejay.

Turkey
--"It's Like That" is #1 on MetroFM's Top 10 Airplay chart and #3 on Capital Radio, two most popular radio stations in the country. Click on the links to vote.

Australia
--On the eve of its commercial release in Australia, "It's Like That" jumps to #15 (from #31) on the country's official club chart ARIA, Australia's version of Billboard.

New Zealand
--"It's Like That" was the 2nd most requested video clip last week on C4 Music Channel. Vote at Select Live or by sending a text message to 8824 with the video code s142. The show airs on C4 (TV4) daily, 4pm-7pm.

Taiwan
--Taiwanese fans, visit Mariah Carey Taiwan for the latest "The Emancipation of Mimi" album promo news. The site suggests 5 ways to make a Mariah hit and offers the newest TV ad clips for download.

Click on the links below to download the video files (in AVI or MPEG format) of Mariah performing "It's Like That" at UK's Saturday Night Takeaway aired earlier today, March 26, 2005. Many thanks to DJ for making the files for us.

AVI (XviD codec required to play the video) or

MPEG: Part One | Part Two

-- Smokin' or chokin'? What do you think of Mariah Carey's "It's Like That"? Cast your vote at Entertainment Tonight's website!

-- Check out photos of Mariah outside the Baglioni hotel in Knightsbridge, London following her taping of Top of the Pops at World Entertainment News Network

-- On March 21st, production team Mayhem & Craig C released a 12" vinyl single containing dance remixes of Mariah's "It's Like That". You can purchase the white label release at junorecords.co.uk for £5.99. Click below for samples of the remixes:

It's Like That (Mayhem & Craig C Vocal Mix)

It's Like That (Mayhem & Craig C Dub Mix)
You can stream the Mayhem & Craig C Vocal Mix in full-length at ultimatedancemusic.co.uk.

-- Want to spread the word about Mariah's new single, "We Belong Together"? Check out the brand new e-card that's ready and waiting for you to view and send to your friends. Click here to listen to the new track and pass it along!

-- Mariah's official fanclub, Honey B. Fly, has got 500 copies of the limited edition versions of Mariah's new album, "The Emancipation Of Mimi", available for pre-order at their website for the below-retail-price of $11.98! Be a part of this limited, exclusive opportunity by joining at honeybfly.com.

-- On March 30th, Dutch fans can buy Mariah's new album at Fame Music in Amsterdam, where Mariah has done two in-store album signings, starting at 20.00. The record shop will have a release party where fans can listen to and buy the new album. In addition, 100 limited editions will be on sale! Check out fame.nl for more information.

-- Additional audio clips of all the tracks on Mariah's upcoming album "The Emancipation of Mimi" (including the International bonus track "Sprung") can be found at woolworths.co.uk.

The Alfred Roy Cancer Fund is revving up for another year and we expect it will be a successful one! Last year, the Mariah Carey Fan Association, a group of fans contributing to the fund, collected $730 which was donated to the American Cancer Society in the name of Alfred Roy, Mariah's late father.

This was our memorial gift to Mariah, in gratitude for everything she's done for all of us. This year we continue the fund as a gift to millions of people all over the world suffering from cancer in some way or form. Please join us to make this year equally if not more successful. The fund opens for donations on March 27th, and closes on June 24th. Again, the donation will be made in the name of Alfred Roy and a fanbook that MCFA members will be permitted to contribute to will be sent to Mariah.

Also exclusively offered for Honey B. Fly members, throughout the time span of the fundraiser, auctions will be held on the Honey B. Fly website's messageboards to raise money for the funds. Items to be auctioned include a lovely painting of Mariah, shirts, autographed items, and some rare trinkets, along with other Mariah-related items (butterflies, lambs, sunflowers, etc). The first auction will begin on the boards on March 27th.

For more information, visit www.beautifulmariah.com/alfredroy

Looks like this week’s FMQB cover girl Mariah Carey has her second hit single from her forthcoming CD, The Emancipation Of Mimi, due in stores on April 12. Last week’s Best Bet, "We Belong Together," is showing some early signs of being a major hit with a BIG week of reports including: WPGC, KPTY, KBBT, WZMX, KBMB and KSFM! Already on over 40 stations and WPOW’s Kid Curry is reporting #1 phones in Miami and MC is Top 5 phones at WKTU and KLUC!


--Mariah graces the cover of this week's FMQB Magazine, Q-Beat Special Issue, "The Emancipation of...Mariah" with a featured interview by B96/Chicago APD/MD Erik Bradley.

Below are scans from People, Star, InTouch Weekly and Us Weekly magazines for weekending April 4, 2005



and additional scans from recent issues of Cosmo Girl, Entertainment Weekly, Twist, Makeovers Magazine, New York Post, New York Daily News, New York Newsday, Parade Magazine, The Sun UK and The Mirror UK.

If you are going to be in the New York City area on Tuesday, April 12th (otherwise known as the release day for "The Emancipation of Mimi") you should do everything in your power to meet Mariah Carey at the Noho Best Buy! A limited number of fans who purchase Mariah's new CD at the new Best Buy located at 622 Broadway when doors open at 10:00am on April 12th will get a special wristband that could allow them to go to the front of the autograph line! Mariah will be signing autographs at 7pm on April 12th and this is your chance to be one of the first to meet her!

On this severely cold March night, Mariah Carey is inside a studio at MTV taping an interview for an upcoming broadcast. Walking out of the studio, she is heard muttering to no one in particular, "The abuse I endure is never-ending."

Minutes later, ensconced in one of the cable network's many conference rooms, Carey smiles and laughs. "I'm a little dramatic at times," she says, referring to the "abuse" comment. "I know, I know, it's tough to believe. But it's true."

Sure, the multimillion-selling, two-time Grammy Award winner has experienced great highs and lows in the course of her 15-year career. But on the eve of the April 12 U.S. release of her eighth studio album, "The Emancipation of Mimi," Carey is confident, upbeat and spirited.

"The Emancipation of Mimi"—the title comes from the singer's nickname—arrives March 30 in Japan and April 4 in the rest of the world outside the United States. In all territories, the set will sell as a standard CD and as a limited-edition Digipak (including a pull-out poster) with different cover art.

The album is decidedly pop and R&B, with flourishes of hip-hop. Carey co-wrote the set's 14 tracks and co-produced the bulk of them. She executive-produced the collection with Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid. The album features collaborations with several heavy hitters, including Jermaine Dupri, the Neptunes, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Twista and James "Big Jim" Wright.

The collection of songs rightfully places her voice front and center. It is as if Carey—whose songs are published by Rye Songs, administered by Songs of Universal (BMI)—is returning to the place that put her on the map. Which helps explain the sniping campaign in major markets like New York and Los Angeles that proclaims "The return of the voice." Giggling (again), Carey says, "Oh, so you've seen the posters? That's good."

On a more serious note, she says, "The voice has been here all along. Even if you listen to the oh-so-dissed 'Glitter' [soundtrack], there is a song called 'Lead the Way,' which is one of my best vocal performances ever." She continues, "People who only heard certain singles would be like, 'Why is she singing so breathy?' Some people are of the opinion that if you have a big voice you should use it all the time."

FEELING THE VOICE
Though Carey admits she is a fan of big-voiced singers, "I don't want to hear someone scream at me all the time." When Carey sings, she says, it's not about "showing off so everybody can hear me singing at the top of my lungs. But truth be told, I feel that my voice is in a better place than it has been in years." She credits this to her Charmbracelet tour in 2003: "It was my longest tour ever, and it got me in great shape vocally."

This strength is not lost on Reid. "We are feeling her voice again," he says. "She has an incredible voice—and she is using that voice on this album." Island president Steve Bartels agrees. "There is a level of comfort with Mariah and these songs. She is digging deep into her soul." Because of this, Reid believes Carey will touch people again.

This is already happening. The album's lead single, "It's Like That," is a top 20 hit on The Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. And the David Morales uptempo remix was recently sent to club DJs. Indeed, the infectious track is resonating with many.

In fact, stations like rhythmic top 40 WBBM Chicago are playing the original version and the Scott Storch remix (featuring Fat Joe). "It's Like That" clearly got radio's attention, WBBM music director Erik Bradley notes. "Most programmers were excited to play Mariah Carey again on their station," he explains.

Bradley adds that that was certainly an accomplishment, especially since her last studio album, "Charmbracelet," "was not the airplay monster" that previous albums were. That album has sold 1.1 million in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In addition to championing "It's Like That," WBBM spiked funky album track "Say Somethin' " for a couple of weeks prior to pioneering a second single, the anthemic power ballad "We Belong Together." Bradley says the song should be another Carey slow-jam classic. "Great songs win, and there is zero doubt that 'We Belong Together' is a great song," he adds.

Island has plans to send the album's closing track, the inspirational and spiritual "Fly Like a Bird," to gospel radio.

While radio appears to be wholly embracing Carey this time around, the label is not taking any chances. Simply put, Island VP of marketing Eric Wong says, "we are reactivating her fan base." That process began months ago with the "Return of the voice" campaign and was followed by a promotion spotlighting the alluring album cover art.

BIG-TIME PROMOTION
The Brett Ratner-lensed video for "It's Like That" has been a staple on MTV and BET; it was also the focus of MTV's "Making the Video." Ratner also directed the video for "We Belong Together," which concludes the storyline that began with "It's Like That."

In addition to appearing on the covers of such magazines as Essence and Blender, Carey appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" March 2.

In mid-March she commenced a three-week press and media tour of Europe and Japan. She will return to the United States for several release appearances in New York, including ABC's "Good Morning America," MTV's "TRL," BET's "106 & Park" and VH1's "Save the Music" concert special, as well as a Best Buy in-store.

Also being discussed is an upcoming tour, which will be booked by Rob Light of Creative Artist Agency.

At the center of all this activity is Carey and that voice. "Over the past several years, the [music] industry has produced many stars—not all of which can sing," Reid says. "Mariah can sing. Hers is an extraordinary gift."

Carey is managed by Benny Medina of Handprint Entertainment.

Click on the links below to download the video files of Mariah performing "It's Like That" at UK's Top Of The Pops earlier today, March 25, 2005. Many thanks again to DJ for making the files for us.

AVI (XviD codec required to play the video)

MPEG: Part 1 | Part 2

USA
--Reminder to vote for "It's Like That" on BET, MTV & VH1. Quick links are provided on the right side of this page so please vote now! "It's Like That" was #1 (two days in a row!) on MTV's TRL and #9 on BET's 106 & Park.

--"It's Like That" is currently #15 on iTunes' Top 100 Songs and #29 on Walmart. Download "It's Like That" for 99¢ at iTunes, Passalong/eBa, Musicmatch, MSN Music, Napster, Real Music Store, Sony Connect and at Wal-Mart for 88¢.

--Continue to request "It's Like That" at your local radio stations. Click on the "It's Like That" banner on top and start requesting now!

--This week's Mediabase airplay update through March 24, 2005:
"It's Like That" - 52.389M audience impressions, 7505 spins
"We Belong Together" - 11.614M audience impressions, 1364 spins

--The "It's Like That" video was recently shown on MTV Direct Effect. The show airs Monday-Friday, 7pm ET/PT. Check it out!

--In Dallas, "It's Like That" is being played every hour on Kiss FM 106.1 and the Latin Hip Hop station KDL 106.7.

Canada
--"It's Like That" fell off the video countdown on MuchMoreMusic Top 10, the Canadian version of TRL. Please vote for "It's Like That" by clicking on the link. The show airs Monday to Thursday, 7pm & 11pm ET and Friday at 7pm ET.

--"We Belong Together" is now in regular rotation on Vancouver's The Beat 94.5 FM. "It's Like That" had been #1 ten nights in a row a few weeks ago on the station's BlazinSeven. Request Line: (604) 280-0945

--Other Canadian video request links: MuchMusic Power Shift, M Top 5, and MTV Canada.

UK
--Mariah will pre-record a performance on Top Of The Pops at the BBC studios today. Top Of The Pops begins recording at roughly 7:30pm.

--It's Like That is the Most Played Video in the UK and makes a huge leap on the European Airplay Chart this week moving from 68 to 15!

--"It's Like That" is currently at #3 on MTV Hits. Click on the link to vote.

Germany
--Mariah's live performance of "It's Like That" on Germany's Wetten Dass was watched by over 14.6 million people!

Australia
--MariahOZ reports that Mariah will not be doing any Rove [Live] interviews or any TV interviews for "The Emancipation of Mimi" release in Australia due to Mariah's hectic schedule. Also, Universal Music Australia has an ARIA target for both "Its Like That" and "The Emancipation of Mimi". Their target for the ARIA charts is Top 10 for "It's Like That" and Top 5 for "The Emancipation of Mimi". Visit MariahOZ for Mariah news updates in Australia.

--"It's Like That" has hit the #1 spot on 104.1 2day FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show today! The show airs weekdays, 6am-9am. Request Line: 13 10 60

--#4 on today's TRL Australia. Keep voting for Mariah and make her #1 by logging on to MTV.com.au, click on the TRL link, then click on Vote Now.

--The "It's Like That" video was recently shown on Rage TV.

--Continue to vote for "It's Like That" on the Hot 30 Countdown by clicking here or by calling 1800 15 11 00 or SMS on 1999 30 30.

Latvia
--"It's Like That" is #2 on Capital FM. Continue to vote by clicking here.

Ireland
--"It's Like That" was played on 2FM, the country's number 1 radio station and the DJs were "pretty positive towards the song despite the inclusion of Fatman Scoop, and agreed that it was going to be a hit."

So far, the song has been in good rotation on all local county radio stations as well as all the bigger stations. Chart success in the UK is always mirrored in the Irish Charts.

Japan
--"It's Like That" reaches #1 on the International Airplay Chart in Japan and is the #3 most played song in Japan overall!

Mariah appears on the cover of the May 2005 issue of FHM magazine, where she ranks No. 15 on their list of the 100 Sexiest Women, as tallied by the 15 million votes cast in the magazine's annual poll. The issue hits stands on April 5. Click each thumbnail for a larger, full-scale view.



As a way of justifying her day’s look, Mariah Carey quotes ‘50s sex goddess Joan Crawford: “If you want the girl next door, go next door.” Indeed, the biggest-selling female vocalist in pop history is lounging on a love seat in a Beverly Hills hotel room, her honey-blond hair hanging to mid-bosom level to frame the assets we’ve come to know and love from videos. She’s wearing a wife-beater while squeezed into a pair of black Gucci jeans, her knee-high boots capped with four-inch high stilettos. She’s come a long way from the 20-year-old, biracial Long Island, NY, innocent the world met 15 years ago. Back then she employed her now-legendary four-and-a-half octaves by crooning about dreamlovers and emotions while dressed in high-necked evening gowns. At the time, the future icon said, “People think I’m the Mary Poppins of the ‘90s.”

But that was all before she left her Svengali – Sony mogul Tommy Mottola – who had discovered her at 19, styled her, marketed her, married her and then, some say, all but imprisoned her in his virginal visio