Mariah Carey isn't just prepping a lucrative Las Vegas residency deal these days, she also is the beneficiary of a brand new record contract. Today (March 12), it was announced that the "You're Mine (Eternal)" singer has moved on from Def Jam Recordings for a new deal with Epic Records.
Carey will follow-up her lowest-selling album to date Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse with a multi-record deal with Epic Records/Sony, Billboard reports. This will mark the return of Carey to Sony Records after 16 years. She last released her 1999 set Rainbow with the company via Columbia. This also marks the reunion of Carey and her longtime mentor L.A. Reid.
Details on the deal are scarce, but Carey's new contract is set to start with a greatest-hits collection that will tie in to her upcoming residency at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace. As Music Times previously reported, Carey's residency will incorporate 18 of her biggest No. 1 hits, ranging from her 1990 hit "Vision of Love" to 2008's "Touch My Body."
The residency, fittingly entitled #1s, is set to begin on May 6.
As far as the money, Carey's deal is a far cry from her last record deal, which was to the tune of $80 million. Though exact numbers aren't available, Billboard reports that a source said Carey asked for a $3 million advance and was refused.
Despite her status as a pop icon and one of the biggest all-time divas, Carey's career has been in a bit of a slide lately. Her latest album Me. I Am Mariah... debuted at No. 3, selling a mere 158,000 copies. Though those are notable numbers for most acts these days, it's Carey's worst-selling non-holiday album to date. Her personal life, which includes declining vocal abilities and a nasty divorce from Nick Cannon has also harmed her credibility.
