Visions of Mariah

Mariah Carey is coming to Manila! But just a year before coming here, she’s been through hell and back. She survived one of the lowest points of her life and career with sheer endurance, gritty determination and a talent not even the devil can deny.

In her past interviews, Mariah openly talked about her struggles as a multi-ethnic teener who encountered racial discrimination, as an aspiring singer who rose above her poverty-stricken background.

Mariah’s Cinderella story could very well be the story of her many fans.

Before hitting it big with her powerhouse voice, she worked as a waitress and admitted to being fired from "20 restaurants" because of her sassy "attitude."

She also labored as a coat checker, beauty salon janitress and part-time backup singer.

It was that last gig as backup vocalist for R&B chanteuse Brenda K. Starr that changed Mariah’s destiny.

For Mariah’s mom Patricia, an opera singer and vocal coach in her younger years, there was no doubt that her daughter was bound for greatness.

It was her mom who first noticed Mariah’s unique musical gifts as a child.

"From the time Mariah was a tiny girl, she sang on true pitch," mom Patricia said, beaming with pride. "She was able to hear a sound and duplicate it exactly."

Mariah’s mom nurtured and honed the child’s talent by giving her lessons at home. To further polish those precious pipes, Mariah also performed in talent shows and folk music festival. She also sang for friends and studied voice under professionals as early as her high-school days.

As they say, practice makes perfect and the same pitch-perfect diva is now drawing crowds and filling up stadiums to the rafters the world over.

After charming all of North America and Europe, this Grammy-winning diva hits Asia with her highly anticipated Charmbracelet World Tour 2003.

Of course, her world concert tour wouldn’t be complete without a stop in the Philippines.

As such, she is set to headline a memorable night of music and memories in the Manila leg of the Charmbracelet tour, which will be held at The Fort Open Field on Nov. 16.

The world tour, presented by Globe’s G plan opti SIM, the world’s most powerful SIM, Petron Blaze and Tommy Hilfiger Watches serves as a triumphant climax for Mariah’s successful comeback bid, which began with the December 2002 release of the chartbusting CD Charmbracelet. The album has sold more than a million copies in the US and a whopping three million copies worldwide.

The Charmbracelet album includes such popular favorites as Through the Rain, Boy (I Need you), and Bring on the Heartbreak, as well as her collaboration with Busta Rhymes, I Know What You Want.

In more ways than one, the tour serves as Mariah’s thanksgiving to her legions of fans who never wavered in their support for her, in spite of the ups and downs of her colorful career.

The Manila show, her very first concert appearance in the Philippines, promises to be an eventful evening for both the diva and her Pinoy fans.

"I am passionate about doing something more intimate for my fans," Mariah told the media. "I’m used to do doing arena tours. But, this tour is about my music and my fans."

Since debuting in the music scene in 1990 with the soaring ballad Vision of Love, Mariah has been churning out hit after hit. Her very first single, in fact, cinched for Mariah two major Grammy trophies for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Declared Artist of the Decade in the ’90s by Billboard Magazine, Mariah set the record for the most no. 1 singles by any female artist (she has 15!) on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart. One Sweet Day, her 1995 collaboration with another recent Manila visitor Boys II Men, still holds the record for most weeks at the No. 1 spot – that’s a remarkable 16 weeks on top.

Indeed, her Manila show will be One Sweet Day for her countless Pinoy fans.

Before her Manila stop, Mariah performed at the Wembley Arena in London, at the Manchester in Manchester, at the Bercy in Paris, at the Filaforum in Milan, and at the Hong Kou Stadium in Shanghai.

After Manila, Mariah will bring back her tour to the US at the Universal City, in Las Vegas, and in Costa Mesa.

The Manila leg of the Charmbracelet tour is set on Nov. 16 at The Fort Open Field, Fort Bonifacio, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Mariah Live in Concert: The Charmbracelet 2003 World Tour is also presented in cooperation with No Curfew, The Official Tommy Hilfiger Watch Store and GMA Network and in part by The Manila Bulletin, The Philippine STAR, Teazann International, East West Global Entertainment, MTV Philippines, Wave 89.1, Jam 88.3, Magic 89.9, Joey 92.3, 99.5RT, 103.5 K-Lite, Crossover 105.1, Me, Meg, Mega, Manual, My Home and BluPrint magazines.

Tickets are available in Ticketworld in all National Bookstore outlets. For inquiries, call 891-5610.