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Originally posted by thereisarainbow
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Hello everyone,
I'm new here. I've been reading this thread for a long time and felt now was a good time to contribute!
Up until the pandemic, I was working in the office of a major European publicist who often worked with Mariah alongside many others (George Michael was another RIP)
I started early 2000's working as an intern and worked my way up. Along the way, I had lots of exposure to MC and her camp and I have always been a fan.
I wanted to contribute regarding the discussions about her voice and it's current condition. From what I've seen, its part of a bigger picture re: MC. I'll try and make this as concise as possible.
My first experience with MC was during her summer UK 2001 promo tour for Glitter. I was assisting the senior PR at a taping of a show for a now defunct MTV channel in the UK, MTV Base and MC was doing an hour long special with them and Trevor Nelson for the album. We taped early afternoon and MC requested champagne. I was dispatched to go and find a couple of chilled bottles of Cristal (not easy to find even a single one chilled but I digress) that MC could have to 'loosen' her up during the interview. The glasses were kept just out of shot by their seats and not to be filmed. It did loosen her up and it was a great interview. This became standard procedure when MC was in the UK doing press with us. Never in the morning but as soon as the afternoon came, a bottle of wine, mostly white, or champagne would be on hand and once emptied would be restocked with another in a nearby ice bucket. It was just what it was. MC never appeared drunk and it always seemed to chill her out and led to her having a better time during press. She mentioned her voice often regarding smoke she could detect in a nearby room or the temperature of the air con etc and seemed very concious of it and the affects on her voice. She would often move interviews to her hotel room or a smaller room because it was better for her voice and we always went out of our way to make sure she was comfortable on this front with all she needed. That time, MC didn't do any promotional performances. In the UK back then, most were mimed to track anyway as it was easier to edit and you could get more performances out of an artist without rehearsal or soundcheck requirements. But she mentioned a few times that she was glad she didn't have to sing anytime soon because even her speaking voice was 'tired'.
MC came back later that year and again in 2002 and 2003 for promotional appearances, none of which were live vocals and it was business as usual re: ensuring whatever beverage she needed was there and that she was happy and comfortable. We attended two of her live dates on the Charmbracelet tour (this was different as we would just see the show and then see her afterwards, we wouldn't be there before)
I remember she had sounded incredible in Birmingham and got great reviews for London and she was really happy. There was a Halloween party the night before her final UK date in Manchester and she went out and partied with friends and dressed up. Normally she would never usually do this, she would always be on vocal rest- but she wanted to. As a result, she cut some songs from the Manchester set list and I remember the general feeling was that she was a bit annoyed at herself but managed to get it back together as she went onto Europe. But this was the beginning of a relaxing towards what I heard from colleagues were always previously golden rules regarding her and her voice.
The first time I saw MC drink before a show was Live 8. The mood was really tense in the camp that day as she was worried about her voice on such a large scale event. She skipped the rehearsal to sleep and woke up, went into makeup, left the hotel and got to her trailer. I remember her drinking a little wine through a straw before she went on to loosen her up and it did. She really went out like a performer and let the vocals be whatever they were going to be. But this was the beginning of a pattern that from what I gather exists up until this day. MC is very nervous about live performance events that she can't control. Her US team would frequently only green light performances that could be dubbed or touched up after. Obviously an event like a Good Morning America is a must do promotional wise and MC would agree to it and her schedule would be amended as such that she had a day off before to rest her voice etc.
I remember a dinner MC had with George Michael and the lady I worked for. I wasn't there but I heard about it afterwards. GM had invited a friend of his who I think worked with him vocally and worked in opera too. A coach of some sort. Naturally there was wine during dinner and I think this friend of George's made a comment to MC about the drink not being good for her voice and MC didn't take it well and there was a bit of tension at the table. This I think encapsulates the issue at hand. MC's voice was always her USP. It is what made her who she is. She knows it better than anyone and often said it had a mind of it's own- like some days it just didn't want to co-operate. That combined with MC wanting to make up time she lost in her younger years by being more social and partying/drinking, it led to a more relaxed approach. Factoring in drinking, which is apparently like pouring acid on your cords for your voice and it makes sense why MC is where she is at today. I think she always knows she can pull it back and go back to what works- she abstains from alcohol for a bit, gets the vocal rest she needs and is reassured that her voice largely bounces back- look at her Beacon performances for example after Rockefeller or how she wanted to prove she still had it on the Charmbracelet tour. That fighter in MC comes back out and decides to make the necessary changes. But it doesn't last.
She is surrounded by teams of people she curates, people that faciliate what she wants. Liron who works for her today, started by working a fan site called MariahDaily and was then hired by MC. These people won't tell MC that the drink isn't working or advise better ways. They are all on the payroll and whilst a lot of them I've met have been lovely, working for MC is like an alternate reality and she calls the shots. So if she wants a drink to loosen up before a show, she has it. No one questions her. And she has nothing to prove. But it has led to the devaluation of the overall brand of MC with these high profile appearances that aren't in line with her legacy as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. It's a vicious cycle.
I'm new here. I've been reading this thread for a long time and felt now was a good time to contribute!
Up until the pandemic, I was working in the office of a major European publicist who often worked with Mariah alongside many others (George Michael was another RIP)
I started early 2000's working as an intern and worked my way up. Along the way, I had lots of exposure to MC and her camp and I have always been a fan.
I wanted to contribute regarding the discussions about her voice and it's current condition. From what I've seen, its part of a bigger picture re: MC. I'll try and make this as concise as possible.
My first experience with MC was during her summer UK 2001 promo tour for Glitter. I was assisting the senior PR at a taping of a show for a now defunct MTV channel in the UK, MTV Base and MC was doing an hour long special with them and Trevor Nelson for the album. We taped early afternoon and MC requested champagne. I was dispatched to go and find a couple of chilled bottles of Cristal (not easy to find even a single one chilled but I digress) that MC could have to 'loosen' her up during the interview. The glasses were kept just out of shot by their seats and not to be filmed. It did loosen her up and it was a great interview. This became standard procedure when MC was in the UK doing press with us. Never in the morning but as soon as the afternoon came, a bottle of wine, mostly white, or champagne would be on hand and once emptied would be restocked with another in a nearby ice bucket. It was just what it was. MC never appeared drunk and it always seemed to chill her out and led to her having a better time during press. She mentioned her voice often regarding smoke she could detect in a nearby room or the temperature of the air con etc and seemed very concious of it and the affects on her voice. She would often move interviews to her hotel room or a smaller room because it was better for her voice and we always went out of our way to make sure she was comfortable on this front with all she needed. That time, MC didn't do any promotional performances. In the UK back then, most were mimed to track anyway as it was easier to edit and you could get more performances out of an artist without rehearsal or soundcheck requirements. But she mentioned a few times that she was glad she didn't have to sing anytime soon because even her speaking voice was 'tired'.
MC came back later that year and again in 2002 and 2003 for promotional appearances, none of which were live vocals and it was business as usual re: ensuring whatever beverage she needed was there and that she was happy and comfortable. We attended two of her live dates on the Charmbracelet tour (this was different as we would just see the show and then see her afterwards, we wouldn't be there before)
I remember she had sounded incredible in Birmingham and got great reviews for London and she was really happy. There was a Halloween party the night before her final UK date in Manchester and she went out and partied with friends and dressed up. Normally she would never usually do this, she would always be on vocal rest- but she wanted to. As a result, she cut some songs from the Manchester set list and I remember the general feeling was that she was a bit annoyed at herself but managed to get it back together as she went onto Europe. But this was the beginning of a relaxing towards what I heard from colleagues were always previously golden rules regarding her and her voice.
The first time I saw MC drink before a show was Live 8. The mood was really tense in the camp that day as she was worried about her voice on such a large scale event. She skipped the rehearsal to sleep and woke up, went into makeup, left the hotel and got to her trailer. I remember her drinking a little wine through a straw before she went on to loosen her up and it did. She really went out like a performer and let the vocals be whatever they were going to be. But this was the beginning of a pattern that from what I gather exists up until this day. MC is very nervous about live performance events that she can't control. Her US team would frequently only green light performances that could be dubbed or touched up after. Obviously an event like a Good Morning America is a must do promotional wise and MC would agree to it and her schedule would be amended as such that she had a day off before to rest her voice etc.
I remember a dinner MC had with George Michael and the lady I worked for. I wasn't there but I heard about it afterwards. GM had invited a friend of his who I think worked with him vocally and worked in opera too. A coach of some sort. Naturally there was wine during dinner and I think this friend of George's made a comment to MC about the drink not being good for her voice and MC didn't take it well and there was a bit of tension at the table. This I think encapsulates the issue at hand. MC's voice was always her USP. It is what made her who she is. She knows it better than anyone and often said it had a mind of it's own- like some days it just didn't want to co-operate. That combined with MC wanting to make up time she lost in her younger years by being more social and partying/drinking, it led to a more relaxed approach. Factoring in drinking, which is apparently like pouring acid on your cords for your voice and it makes sense why MC is where she is at today. I think she always knows she can pull it back and go back to what works- she abstains from alcohol for a bit, gets the vocal rest she needs and is reassured that her voice largely bounces back- look at her Beacon performances for example after Rockefeller or how she wanted to prove she still had it on the Charmbracelet tour. That fighter in MC comes back out and decides to make the necessary changes. But it doesn't last.
She is surrounded by teams of people she curates, people that faciliate what she wants. Liron who works for her today, started by working a fan site called MariahDaily and was then hired by MC. These people won't tell MC that the drink isn't working or advise better ways. They are all on the payroll and whilst a lot of them I've met have been lovely, working for MC is like an alternate reality and she calls the shots. So if she wants a drink to loosen up before a show, she has it. No one questions her. And she has nothing to prove. But it has led to the devaluation of the overall brand of MC with these high profile appearances that aren't in line with her legacy as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. It's a vicious cycle.
Did you work for connie? How was that?! I met her a few times...
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