Mariah Carey Free Screensaver. Photos slideshow. Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1969) is an American pop singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director and actress. She debuted in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola and became the first recording act to have its first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.Mariah got her big break after singing background vocals for singer Brenda K. Starr. Starr gave Maria's demo tape to Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola at a party. Legend has it that Mottola listened to the tape in his limo while driving home from the party and was so impressed that he immediately doubled back to the party to find Mariah. Mariah's 1990 debut album was a smash hit with four #1 singles. She was an overnight success, earning Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. Her follow-up albums Emotions and MTV Unplugged were also big hits. Mariah earned millions for herself and for her record company. fter signing an 80 million dollar deal with Virgin in 2001, Mariah started to show signs of burnout. She eventually experienced a meltdown, posting suicidal messages on her website, showing up on TRL in only a T-shirt and babbling incoherently. Her movie, Glitter, not only bombed, it received scathing reviews and became a media punchline. The attendant soundtrack (which was her Virgin Records debut) also sold poorly. As a result, Virgin paid Mariah 28 million dollars to go away. Then The Emancipation of Mimi changed everything. Maria's new album, a mix of R and B and hip-hop, hit big. We Belong Together is her biggest hit ever (and the biggest hit ever for her label, Island Def Jam Music Group) and Mariah is now the #1 most successful female artist of al