Carey released her self-titled debut album in June 1990; it was certified nine-time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of nine million copies in the United States. Her second album, Emotions, was released a year later and sold eight million copies worldwide. In 1993, Carey released her most successful studio album to date, Music Box, which was certified Diamond in the United States and topped the charts in many countries around the world.[7][8]Music Box is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 28 million copies sold.[9] Carey's her first holiday album and fourth overall studio effort, Merry Christmas, followed in 1994.[10][11] After Carey's success in Asia with Merry Christmas, Billboard estimated Carey as the all-time best-selling international artist in Japan.[12] The singer's fifth studio album Daydream was released in 1995 and became her second Diamond certified album by the RIAA, with worldwide sales of 20 million copies.[13]
Carey's sixth studio album Butterfly, and the compilation album, #1's, were both certified five-time platinum in the US; the latter remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist, selling 3.25 million copies.[14] While the singer's seventh studio effort Rainbow (1999) received triple platinum certification from RIAA, it was her first album since Merry Christmas to not reach number one in the US. Carey parted from Columbia/Sony Music in 2001 and signed a contract with EMI's Virgin Records worth a reported US$100 million,[15] the largest record contract ever signed. She released her next album, Glitter, which was the soundtrack to the film of same name. The album suffered from poor publicity and became a commercial failure, primarily due to setbacks and delays surrounding its release; ultimately, the album and film would be released on September 11, 2001, a tragic day on which music and movies would be the least of America's concerns. However, in 2018, Mariah Carey fans around the world successfully executed an internet campaign called #JusticeForGlitter; the fan-created petition's goal was to have as many people purchase the album, digitally, as possible. Seventeen years after the failed release of Glitter, and coming from relative obscurity, the album had suddenly reached the #1 spot on the iTunes albums chart, primarily due to the fans' promotions.[16][17]
Carey signed a new deal in 2002 with Island Records and released her ninth studio album Charmbracelet, which also fell short of Carey's earlier success. The singer then took a three-year break to record new material and introduced a hip-hop inspired album, The Emancipation of Mimi, which became the best-selling album of 2005 in the US. It was certified six-time platinum by the RIAA, sold 10 million copies worldwide.[18] In 2008, Carey released her tenth studio album, E=MC², which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Her subsequent release, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), managed sales of two million units while her second holiday albumMerry Christmas II You (2010) shipped over 500,000 copies in the United States.[19] The singer's fourteenth effort, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, was released in May 2014, but experienced meagre sales.[20][21]
After the poor reception from her fourteenth album, Carey eventually went on to secure a multi-album record deal with Epic in January 2015, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.[22] She subsequently came out with her sixth compilation album, #1 to Infinity, and a residency deal to perform at The Colosseum at the Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas.[23] Her fifteenth studio album, Caution, was released in November 2018 under Epic, and was given much higher praise than her most recent works at the time, but became her lowest-selling album of her career with 80,000 copies sold worldwide.[24] In 2019, Carey released a deluxe version of her first Christmas album featuring an extra disc of remixes, live performances and multiple tracks from her second Christmas album.[25] In mid-2020, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Carey's debut album, Carey released a compilation album, entitled The Rarities, which featured unreleased songs, B-sides, demos and live performances.[26] A few months later, Carey announced a Christmas special with an accompanying soundtrack, Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special.[27] The album featured rerecordings of Carey's Christmas discography along with a variety of musical guests, including Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg among others.[28]
Box set of three CDs containing the standard editions of Mariah Carey, Emotions, and Music Box. Released in the US on October 16, 2001.[158] Released in Australia on December 3, 2001.[159] Reissued in the UK on October 14, 2002.[160]
Box set of three CDs containing the standard editions of MTV Unplugged and Daydream, and the Japanese edition of Butterfly. Released in Australia on December 3, 2001.[159] Reissued in the UK on October 14, 2002.[160]
Box set of three CDs containing the standard edition of Charmbracelet, Ultra Platinum Edition of The Emancipation of Mimi, standard edition of E=MC², and extra space for Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. It peaked at number 87 on the US BillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[168]
Box set of three CDs containing the Japanese edition of Charmbracelet, Ultra Platinum Edition of The Emancipation of Mimi, and Japanese edition of E=MC2.
Box set of two CDs containing the Japanese edition of E=MC2 with the "Touch My Body" music video and the digital edition of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
^United States sales figure for Mariah Carey as of May 2014.[40]
^Japan sales figure for Mariah Carey as of June 2015.[41]
^Emotions was released on September 13, 1991, in Europe.[49]
^United States sales figure for Emotions as of December 2021 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[52]
^Japan sales figure for Emotions as of November 2002.[53]
^As of December 2021, Music Box has sold 7,300,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[52] with an additional 735,000 sold at BMG Music Clubs.[59] Unlike RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[60]
^Canada sales figure for Music Box as of January 1995.[61]
^Germany sales figure for Music Box as of October 1995.[62]
^Japan sales figure for Music Box as of June 2015.[63]
^Netherlands sales figure for Music Box as of October 1995.[62]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Music Box as of November 2018.[64]
^United States sales figure for Merry Christmas as of December 2021 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[52]
^Canada sales figure for Merry Christmas as of January 1995.[61]
^Japan sales figure for Merry Christmas as of November 2018.[69][70]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Merry Christmas since 2000.[71]
^As of December 2021, Daydream has sold 7,700,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[52] with an additional 848,000 sold at BMG Music Clubs.[59] Unlike RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[60]
^Japan sales figure for Daydream as of June 2015.[78]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Daydream as of November 2018.[64]
^United States sales figure for Butterfly as of December 2021 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]
^Japan sales figure for Butterfly as of September 1997.[84]
^Rainbow was released on October 27, 1999, in Australia,[89] Brazil,[90] Canada,[91] Japan,[92] and New Zealand.[93]
^As of December 2021, Rainbow has sold 3,000,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[52] with an additional 443,000 sold at BMG Music Clubs.[59] Unlike RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[60]
^Canada sales figure for Rainbow as of February 2000.[95]
^Japan sales figure for Rainbow as of November 1999.[96]
^United States sales figure for Glitter as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[103]
^Japan sales figure for Glitter as of November 2001.[104]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Glitter as of July 2014.[105]
^United States sales figure for Charmbracelet as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]
^Japan sales figure for Charmbracelet as of November 2003.[109]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Charmbracelet as of April 2008.[110]
^United States sales figure for The Emancipation of Mimi as of December 2021 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[52]
^Japan sales figure for The Emancipation of Mimi as of November 2005.[114]
^United Kingdom sales figure for The Emancipation of Mimi as of November 2018.[64]
^Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel was released on September 22, 2009, in Australia,[122] Brazil,[123] Germany,[124] Japan,[125] and New Zealand.[126]
^United States sales figure for Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]
^United Kingdom sales figure for Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel as of November 2010.[127]
^United States sales figure for Merry Christmas II You as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]
^United States sales figure for Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[19]
^United States sales figure for Caution as of November 2018 according to Nielsen SoundScan.[129]
^As of December 2021, #1's has sold 3,848,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[52] with an additional 1,000,000 sold at BMG Music Clubs.[59] Unlike RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[60]
The Remixes: "Issue 716"(PDF). ARIA Report (716). ARIA: 2. November 10, 2003. Archived from the original(PDF, reprint) on December 6, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
The Ballads: "Issue 976"(PDF). ARIA Report (976). ARIA: 2. November 10, 2008. Archived from the original(PDF, reprint) on November 19, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
"Album Runs" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
^ abc"Discographie Mariah Carey"(enter "Mariah Carey" into the "Suchen" box). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
^ abcdeScapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966–2006. RMNZ. ISBN978-1-877443-00-8.
^"Awards 1994". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Switzerland. Archived from the original on May 15, 2004. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
^ abLeblanc, Larry (January 28, 1995). '94 Canadian Sales Are Best In A Decade. Billboard. p. 62. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018. Mariah Carey albums, 'Music Box,' which has done 600,000 copies, and 'Merry Christmas,' which did 200,000 units.
^ ab"Awards 1994". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Switzerland. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
^年度別ミリオンセラー一覧 [1997年RIAJ: Million Sellers 1997] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on April 21, 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2010.