"Mariah Carey - Free as a...Butterfly"

Wrapped in tiny, shiny strips of cloth and with the air of her new freedom,
Mariah Carey tastes "Honey" like a "Butterfly", adopts James Bond's tricks and
is interviewed lying on a bed!

As our correspondent in London, Nikos Paravatos, found out, one thing is for
certain: the girl has gone wild!

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It was last May, only one day after their assurance that they "remain
extremely in love", when the pop princess, Mariah Carey, and Sony Music
America lord, Tommy Mottola, announced that their marriage was past. "We
are divorcing amicably, on friendly terms", they announced, not to have us
worry.

That was about the end of another shining showbiz romance with much less
fireworks than those that bathed its beginning. "I feel like Cinderella",
she used to say in those old good days of the wine and flowers. And she was
justified.

Small flash-back to 1989. Having been fired from at least twenty Manhattan
restaurants (where she used to work as a waitress) "due to behaving badly" and
having tried various low class jobs to pay her rent, the young daughter of
Irish opera singer Patricia and Venezuelan creole aircraft engineer Alrfed Roy,
finds herself as "second voice" in a musical event. There, the poor but not at
all stupid Cinderella meets the brunette forty-year-old prince Tommy Mottola -
i.e. her luck in person - "slips" a tape with her songs into his hand and
vanishes in the night. We don't know if there ever was a good fairy, but the
mysterious demo was the glass shoe that conquered the prince's heart and
brought the fair one to the Kingdom of Sony. Ten months later, in 1990, her
first album helps America discover Whitney Houston's "little sister" and paves
Mariah's way to the throne of charts with rose petals. And while "Emotions" of
'91 and the EP "MTV Unplugged" of '92 bring millions to her company, the
love-affair has blossomed. A tiny detail (Mottola happened to be married), is
overcome with no special feelings of remorse and in June of '93 the "illegal"
couple becomes legal in a fairy-tale ceremony, inspired by the wedding of
Charles and the deceased Diana, with 300 VIP guests (including Robert De Niro
and Barbra Streizant). Four years later, and after three more successful albums
had preceded ("Music Box" of '93, "Merry Christmas" of '94 and "Daydream" of
'95), all that remains is the memory of that old gold-dust. "In reality, Mariah
looked more like Rapunzel", say people who knew a lot, and paint the portrait
of a diva imprisoned in Mottola's vast mansion-castle, trapped creatively and
with the only duty of transforming sugary melodies to gold. Is the king naked?
We cannot be certain. The queen, however, is rather more close to half-naked,
judging by her latest appearances - and not only those - with some satin strips
to act as skirt and blouze. Moreover, she replaces sugar with "Honey", is
inspired in her video clip for "Honey" by James Bond and is interviewed lying
on... beds! "Love is responsible for that", whisper her pals and she herself
lets suspicions float in the air about producer and lately hyper-successful
rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs (the one of "I'll Be Missing You"), without
confirming anything, though.

Maybe it's just her newly-found freedom, the perfume of which wrapped
"Music Life's" correspondent in London, Nikos Paravatos, who found
himself face to face with Mariah in the club "Cafe de Paris", where she
went to present the seventh album of her career, "Butterfly". From this
point on, it's the lucky one's turn to speak!

"I'm learning to being alone and I like it!"

Outside "Cafe de Paris", the city's most perfumed club, there was a havoc
of people waiting to see her up close. Thankfully, the regular "Music
Life" correspondent's pass opened us the way to... bliss!

As we entered, my attention was immediately drawn by the beds that were
decorating the place. And in my mind, various pleasant visions about the
night's future were born. Unfortunately, though I sincerely tried, nothing
happened - at least on the beds.

We heard the album at around 10. Suddenly, I realized that I hate both the new
R & B and soul, because the lyrics mean absolutely nothing. "I love you", "You
love me", "What a great love" and you covered everything. Still, Carey has
written decent lyrics for "Butterfly". Lyrics that emerge true feeling,
somewhat raw at times. Of course, we're not talking about Prodigy-mood, but it
is obvious that the lady has gone wild!

Her voice made me wonder how someone can use their vocal chords to make them
sound like played by the fingers. Mariah is in total control of them, like
executing immaculate gymnastics.

She appeared, wearing a hot mini skirt, at around 11, on top of a balcony
where the largest bed was situated. We instantly started taking pictures,
but, in no time at all, the club's security had us circled on the beds I
mentioned earlier, because they said we didn't have the appropriate
licenses and documents for something like that. Strangely, noone else did!
Well, the mini skirt was wasted... A party followed. It was super and lasted
till half pas one. The next day, the Press conference took place at the
Intercontinental, in front of about sixty reporters and photographers from all
of Europe.

Before we began, the Sony employees in charge distributed the lyrics and the
information we needed about the album. Carey, we learn, is 27 years old and has
already risen to being the most successful female singer in her home country.
Her total world sales (before "Butterfly") are 80 million copies and I doubt if
there's any room on her shelves for any more awards - she has already won 26.
So, I started my questions with a personal doubt:

- When you write so personal lyrics, do you ever realize that 80 million
listeners will identify themselves at a certain phase with your soul?

- (Looking me straight in the eyes and shattering my self-confidence into a
million pieces): Now that you mention it, it is a kind of freaky. I realized it
a short time ago at a concert. I was somewhat shocked, because this album's
lyrics relate what I actually went through the past year. Some things in there
are not very pretty. They are, however, real. When I go home at night, I always
listen to the whole "Butterfly" album and I feel much better. To be honest,
though, at the moment I "write", the thing that you mention never crosses my
mind.

- Why did you choose Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" to cover?

- It's my favorite track of Prince and when they proposed it to me I found it a
good idea.

- Do you feel that you have identified your personal life with your career?

- This last year was hard and weird. Everything got mixed up together. There
were feelings that I've known for the first time. I grew up, I separated... It
was also the way that music brought peace into me and stabilized me. That' s
why I feel much closer to this album than the previous ones.

- Really, do you date with "Puffy"?

- I know the rumor's been around, but it isn't true. When you work with
some people, it's natural to go out and have a drink with them. I
appreciate "Puffy" a lot, because he's brilliant and a man of the
"street".

- Why did you make your own label? (Editor's Note: It is called Crane and
the first group it promoted is Allure)

- I brought a lot of people at Sony, however, I often did not aggree with
whom they promoted and how. So, I created Crane. Now I will work as I think is
the best way possible.

- What is the Fresh Air Fund?

- Our goal is to bring inner city kids to a camp, where they will come in
contact with people from radio, television, photography, and music. This
effort has already begun and, you know what? The talent of some of these
kids is unbelievable. They inspire me! I hope the organization gives them
future.

- Should your future husband have the same... income as yours?

- I don't care about it. But, now that you mentioned it, write that at the
moment I'm learning to being alone and I like it!

- What exactly has changed after the divorce?

- Everything changed. My whole life. I get out more, I do whatever I want
to.

- In the video clip for "Honey" you look like a cross between James Bond
and a Spice Girl.

- While I was writing "Honey" I was it Puerto Rico. I jet-skied, I did
hang-gliding, I rode fine-sailers... So, I thought that this background
would fit with the song.

- How do you react when you're having a bad day?

- That depends on the case and the conditions. I am always under control,
though.

- Who is your spiritual guide?

- I have my own beliefs. I draw as much power as I need - and I need a lot -
from myself.

- Have you ever reached a point when you feel that you can write absolutely
nothing?

- No, never. I always write, no matter what condition I am into.


Mariah Carey, super star. A perfect album, her upcoming tour waiting, Crane,
the ghetto underpriviledged children, the comfort to do now whatever she wants
to do... I guess she couldn't find a more appropriate time to be alone.

"Strange race, those Americans", I pondered coming out of the
Intercontinental. As if they're born to do exactly what they do in their
lives. A lady who asked me at the street which bus to take to her home
agreed to this...

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ALBUM REVIEW
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Mariah Carey "Butterfly" (Sony)

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most successful female singer of the
U.S.? Since September 10, the mirror of success, that is Billboard, reflects
Mariah Carey's face, as "Honey" - produced by (her lover?) Sean "Puffy" Combs -
became her 12th single to hit the top. With the taste of honey in her mouth,
-now sexy - Mariah leaves Madonna and Whitney Houston (with 11 No 1 singles
each), eating her dust. "Honey" (in one of the versions of which David Morales
put his hand with Jermaine Dupri), as often happens, is not the best moment of
"Butterfly", since there is the more "black", less sweetish, and just as
"single-ish" "The Roof". The shades of black pour out througout the whole
album, with the help, of course, of Carey's "Whitney Houston-ish"
interpretation. This album is a very decent pop sample and is pleasant to
listen to from the beginning to the end.

Carey's bigger success is that (with Dru Hill's smart contribution in the
vocals) she offers us an acceptation of "The Beautiful Ones" by The Artist
Formerly Known As Prince, which, while not exactly in touch with the shockingly
wild interpretation of its creator, manages not to look like a sacrilege.

"Butterfly" contains 14 tracks, two of which are "Honey" remixes (the
one we already mentioned and one with collaborations by Da Brat and JD).