Every once in a while, a musician‘s tell-all book is actually revealing. In her autobiography, Mariah Carey shed some light on her Christian faith. While she’s no gospel singer, there’s definitely some spiritual overtones to her music.
Mariah Carey said her Christian faith awakened her dreams when she was a child
In her 2020 book The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” singer discussed a formative experience. “In the middle of a violent storm, very young, I was given a glimpse of God’s vision for me,” she said. “As a child, awakened to my dream, I believed with my entire being in what I was meant to do and who I was meant to be, long before anyone else did.
“And holding on to that belief required everything I had,” she added. “Along the way I was given signs of hope, but mostly I faced chaos and calamity, heartbreaks and brutal betrayals to derail me. Some almost killed me, or worse, almost killed my spirit.”
Carey said her loved ones didn’t always treat her right. “The toughest truth was that the people I loved the most hurt me the worst,” she wrote. “The ones closest to me were the ones who came closest to stripping me of my dreams. If I have learned anything in this life worth sharing, it is, protect your dreams. Even in the face of disadvantages and dysfunction, you can’t let anybody define, control, or take away your vision of your life.”
Mariah Carey gave her fans some advice
Carey went on to list all of the types of people who people should ignore if they get in your way. They include presidents, bigots, brothers, sisters, spouses, classmates, influencers, moguls, and cowards hiding behind their keyboards.
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Carey ended the book with a famous quotation from Jesus, where he says that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. Carey feels that faith is hard to define. Despite this, she says faith has defined her life. She connected her triumphs to a lyric from her hit single “Hero,” where she sings “Lord knows / Dreams are hard to follow / But don’t let anyone / Tear them away.” That song continues to empower people across the globe.
She didn’t emphasize her Christian faith as much as other singers
Some popular singers, such as Elvis Presley, Kanye West, Bob Dylan, and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, have delved into gospel music. Carey is not one of those singers. However, The New York Times reports her 2014 album Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse takes some musical influences from gospel music. Certainly, a few of the lyrics mimic biblical language.
Sadly, the masses never heard that side of the album. The only hit from Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse was “#Beautiful,” a duet with fellow R&B singer Miguel. While that’s a pretty love song, it doesn’t have the transcendence of other tracks on the record.
Whether her songs are religious or not, Carey will always have a place in the hearts of millions.
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