Mariah Carey Net Worth: How Rich Is the ‘Queen of Christmas’?

 Legendary singer Mariah Carey has built an astounding net worth of $350 million. Though she started as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr, today, Mariah is one of the top-selling female pop artists ever thanks to her powerful voice and iconic songs.

Who is Mariah Carey?

Mariah Carey, an American singer. Image source: VOGUE

Born on March 27 in Huntington, New York. Mariah Carey serves as a songwriter, singer, actress, producer, model, musician, author, composer, and actor. During her time at Harborfields High School, she always excelled in arts, such as music and literature, until she graduated in 1987.

Carey is known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic style, and impact on popular music. Mariah is the youngest of three children, and she is a mix of Irish, African-American and Afro-Venezuelan. Mariah has been married twice to Tommy Mottola and Nick Cannon, in 1993 and 2008, respectively. She also has two children.

Carey started creating full-length demos with Gavin and Ben, whom she met at Haborfields. In December 1988, the demo made its way to pop singer Brenda K. Starr, and Brenda continued to pass the demo around town while bringing Mariah to various industry galas and shows as a backup singer.

Eventually, the tape was handed to the head of Columbian Records, Tommy Mottola, and he listened to the tape on his way home. Mottola searched for Carey for two weeks and eventually found her, he signed her immediately and gathered a team that would organize her way to stardom.

Mariah Carey’s debut album was released on June 12, 1990. With a slow start in sales, the album was eventually certified platinum nine times in the US alone and sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Carey has won five Grammy awards over the course of her career. She has also won other awards, including the Billboard Music Awards and the World Music Awards.

Mariah Carey, at some point, also ventured into acting and made appearances in movies such as ‘Precious’ (2009) and ‘The Butler’ (2013).

What is Mariah Carey’s net worth in 2023?

Mariah Carey’s net worth is estimated at $350 million. She has accomplished this by being a brilliant songwriter, a five-star singer, an amazing author, an entrepreneur, a record producer, a model, a composer, and an actress.

Mariah Carey’s success began in the year 1990 when she dropped her first album and sold over 15 million copies. In 1991, she dropped her second album, ‘Emotions’, which was an enormous success too. Then, in 1993, she dropped her third album, ‘Music Box’, which took her career to the next level. Music Box spent 128 weeks on the Billboard chart and sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

After Music Box, she dropped another album, ‘Merry Christmas’, which was also a success and sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Carey’s next three albums sold over 20 million. 10 million and 8 million copies worldwide, respectively.

In the Merry Christmas album, the most notable featured song was ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’ The single can be noted as the most profitable single of all time. It was written in 15 minutes, and it has global sales of 16 million and counting. To date, the song has generated over $60 million in royalties for both Carey and the producer, Walter Afanaseiff. On average, Carey earns around $3 million each holiday season from “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Mariah Carey’s single “All I Want For Christmas Is You” generated over $60 million to date. Image source: Legacy Recordings

In 2001, Carey left Columbia Records and signed the biggest contract in music at the time, a record-setting $100 million, five-album contract with Virgin Music. In 2001, Mariah dropped her first album with Virgin Music. The album was the soundtrack to a movie, and the movie is famously one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.

This album sold over 3 million copies worldwide, which was considered a disaster for Carey because of her past records. However, in no time, Virgin paid Carey $28 million to end the contract early and $50 million to produce one album for Virgin.

After being dumped by Virgin, Carey signed a $24 million, five-album deal with Island Records. Her Island albums sold pretty well, and her biggest hit was ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, which sold 10 million copies worldwide. Carey also released an album under Def Jam Records, and she was then signed by Epic Records, where she remains to date.

In 2012, she was paid $18 million to appear on one season of American Idol. In 2015, she also secured a $30 million contract to undertake a two-year Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace. This helped her become one of the highest-earning women in music for the year, with $27 million in total earnings.

Carey has teamed up with brands such as Pepsi, Motorola, Gillette Venus, Jenny Craig, McDonald’s, Milk Bar, and HSN. In addition to these collaborations, she has ventured into the culinary world with her own line of cookies, Mariah Carey’s Cookies, in partnership with Robert Earl. Not stopping there, she has also introduced her own Irish cream liqueur, Black Irish, influenced by her unique blend of black, Venezuelan, and Irish ancestry.

In light of this, let’s examine Mariah Carey’s’ most significant business endeavors.

Music Career

Mariah Carey, a powerhouse in the music industry for over three decades, is celebrated for her extraordinary vocal range and impactful performances, marking her as one of the most successful and influential singers.

Fragrance Line

Frag Carey has released several fragrances, including M by Mariah Carey, Lollipop Bling, and Forever

Beauty Line

In 2020, Carey launched her own beauty line, Mariah Carey Beauty, which includes a range of cosmetics and skincare products.

Christmas Merchandise

Carey has a line of Christmas merchandise, including ornaments, sweaters, and mugs, inspired by her hit song “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Author

Carey published her memoir titled The Meaning of Mariah Carey in 2020, which became a New York Times bestseller.

The bottom line: Mariah is one of the wealthiest female singers in history

Mariah Carey now has an incredible $350 million net worth. Though she started out small, her amazing voice and iconic songs made her one of the top female artists ever. Between music sales and smart business deals, she became one of the richest singers in history.

If you want to learn more about the net worth of other prominent individuals, check out our articles about wealthy rapper Drake and popular comedian Kevin Hart.