For months, fans have been long awaiting the news of who will win the prestigious Icon Award celebrating immense talent and success throughout one’s career. Billboard took to social media platforms on Thursday, April 11, to announce that Mariah Carey will be accepting the award following the likes of her legendary peers Janet Jackson, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Celine Dion, Cher and more. Mariah will take the stage, that night, to perform a medley of her biggest hits.
While often regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time, Mariah Carey is often overlooked as a songwriter and producer, having lead writing credits on all of her songs and credited as a producer on most of her works. When mentioning her name, many usually note her effortless high notes, also known as the whistle register, which is only the very top of her extensive five-octave vocal range. Mariah has shared her immense talent with the world through fifteen studio albums, countless features, and singles, unreleased tracks, remixes, movies, music videos, fan experiences, and live performances.
Her career dates back to 1990 when her career started with her breakthrough single, ‘Vision of Love.’ ‘Vision of Love’ would become her first of 18 number one singles on the Billboard Hot-100 Chart (more than any other solo artists, only behind the Beatles). From this point on, the world had a taste of Mariah Carey’s irresistibly engaging vocals and lyrics.
Being an innovator in the music industry has led her to achieve accolades such as 5 Grammy awards and the only artist to have two songs of the decades which are ‘We Belong Together’ and ‘One Sweet Day.’ In recent years she has been booked for mega-events such as iHeartRadio Music Festival and Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve (two years in a row) and released her highly anticipated and critically acclaimed fifteenth studio album, Caution. Caution was well received selling near 200, 000 copies worldwide within six months of release, and topping multiple publications’ “Top Albums of 2018” charts. These accolades further go to show that she has engaged numerous generations of listeners and solidified her place as a timeless act, genuinely making her worthy of Billboard’s Icon Award.
Be sure to tune in to the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, hosted by Kelly Clarkson, which will air live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. , and listen in for your chance to win a trip to the show!
Written by Solomon Fortune.
