Mariah Carey has sealed her spot as one of the greatest songwriters and musicians of all time due to her iconic music catalog which includes her 1997 album "Butterfly" which celebrates its anniversary today.
In a phone interview with Variety, Mimi revealed that she was never fascinated with butterflies when she was a child despite other kids loving it.
However, when she was creating the album in the mid-90s, a big realization hit her: she was leaving her a point of her previous life behind and underwent a "metamorphosis to become a grown woman who was strong enough to get out of that situation."
Another incident that made her leave a part of her life was her marriage with Tommy Mottola, the Columbia Records executive who was 20 years her senior.
Despite guiding her to the career that she wanted, a successful musician who's constantly dominating the charts, Mottola also made her suffer by putting her on a strict diet and giving her a "girl-next-door" image during her early years in the industry.
Carey finally had the courage to divorce him and that was the time when she was working on the hit album.
"Butterfly" was a different sound from the singer at the time as she initially sang the soul genre. She explored her musical skills by incorporating R&B and hip-hop.
The album changed her life as it dominated charts and became certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also amassed a whopping 10 million purchases worldwide.
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Mariah Carey on Prince Defending Her Despite Hating Her Cover
Among the songs on the album was a cover of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones," she collaborated with Dru Hill for the track to have a new life.
However, the songstress found out years later that the legendary musician didn't like it nor believe in the concept.
At the time, she was working on "Glitter" when she spoke to Prince. However, even though the icon didn't like her cover, he praised her for her work on the song "Honey."
In addition, the late singer also vouched for her when record executives didn't understand why she was "veering from a successful formula."
"he defended me to record executives who didn't understand my decision to make an album like that," Carey revealed. (via Yahoo! Entertainment)
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