Mariah Carey may have money and fame but her childhood wasn’t easy. In her new book, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” the Grammy award-winning singer opens up about her difficult time growing up, her reputation as a diva, and race. In a recent interview with The Guardian Carey did not hold back.
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Carey, 50, recently made headlines when fans learned from her memoir that her sister Alison Carey, allegedly drugged her and tried to sell her when she was just 12 years old. Mariah says memories of her instability at home still impacts her today.
“I think my staying up all night started from having such a dysfunctional family. Oftentimes, whoever was in the house was doing whatever it was that they were doing, and that felt kinda unsafe to me, so I started staying up,” she told the publication.
Carey, who is biracial, also digs into the topic of race in her new book. Born to a white mother and Black father the singer says she had major identity issues growing up.
“I can’t help that I’m ambiguous-looking,” she said, “and most people would assume that it’s been to my benefit, and maybe it has in some ways. But it’s also been a lifelong quest to feel like I belong to any specific group. It shouldn’t have to be such a freaking thing…”
The singer has always had a reputation for being a diva. In 2002, she was featured on an episode of Cribs that solidified her diva status, if it was ever in question. A vibrant Carey took the camera crew through her mind-blowing New York City home eventually ending up in a tub blowing bubbles with just a towel on. She tells The Guardian being titled as high maintenance doesn’t bother her.
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“You know what? I don’t give a s–. I f—– am high-maintenance because I deserve to be at this point. That may sound arrogant, but I hope you frame it within the context of coming from nothing. If I can’t be high-maintenance after working my ass off my entire life, oh, I’m sorry – I didn’t realize we all had to be low-maintenance. Hell, no! I was always high-maintenance, it’s just I didn’t have anyone to do the maintenance when I was growing up!”
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