Mariah Carey

USA, 1988–now

American singer and songwriter (b. 1969). A five-octave range with a whistle register at the top, and a run of self-written hits from 1990 on; by inviting rappers onto her singles she helped fuse R&B and hip-hop into the sound of 1990s pop.

MusicRoots documents 4 artists who influenced Mariah Carey and 0 artists Mariah Carey influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Mariah Carey?

• Minnie Riperton — Carey has repeatedly named Riperton as the largest influence on her singing; the whistle register is Riperton's before it is hers.
• Aretha Franklin — Aretha Franklin is among the gospel-rooted singers Carey names as her influences.
• Whitney Houston — Houston is the immediate precedent for the kind of pop-gospel singing Carey came into the charts with.
• Stevie Wonder — Stevie Wonder is among the writers Carey names, and the model for a singer who writes and produces her own material.