HAPPY 10TH YEAR, BUTTERFLY !

 

10 YEARS AGO TODAY. September 16, 1997, Mariah released her 6th studio album, "Butterfly." The release of this album is in hindsight one of the (if not the) biggest turning points in Mariah's career.

For the first 6 years of her musical career, Mariah has established herself as a successful pop artist, a great vocalist who was known for her wide vocal range, her ability to hold long notes during her famous power ballads, showcasing big belts and vocal acrobatics in her recordings and live performances, and releasing radio-friendly hits with sugary lyrics and catchy pop hooks.

At the downside, Mariah was critically attacked for being formulaic, and was often criticized for the use of "melisma" in her singing. Extreme naysayers went as far as accrediting her success to her discoverer (and then husband) Tommy Mottola and song-writing partner/producer Walter Afanasieff.

"Butterfly" changed everything

"Butterfly" came out two years after the release of one of Mariah's biggest selling albums to date - "Daydream" (20 million records sold worldwide). During the break between the albums, Mariah endured several personal changes which would later affect her public image and career.

Mariah, who everyone thought of as "the girl next door" decided to finally reveal who she really was. At the risk of losing a great deal of her target audience (and as a result, a good portion of her record sales), Mariah reinvented herself both musically and personally.

"I've definitely gone through a lot of personal changes and a lot of professional changes throughout the course of...process of recording this album, much more so than on any other record that I've done."

In 1997, Mariah set herself free from her marriage (which was later only referred by her as "the situation" for years) by separating from her then husband Tommy Mottola. The move was extremely brave of her, considering the fact Mottola was the head executive of her record label Sony and had a considerable influence on Mariah's releases under the label. In addition, she replaced her professional team including her manager, lawyer and publicist.

Mariah also went through a public image change which was noticeable particularly in her clothing choices, new friends in the industry and seeming much more comfortable and outspoken in interviews. Fans surely remember Mariah's Entertainment Weekly cover story, her MTV's VMA appearance, and the premiere of the "Honey" video in August 1997.



Mariah best described her change when talking about the "Honey" video: "This video is actually much more of my personality than any other video I've done. I'm Mary Poppins in every other video and this time I'm... who am I this time? I'm the bond girl. But compared to what a lot of other people do, I think it's still pretty mild, you have to give me that. I didn't suddenly become a freak overnight."

The biggest and perhaps the most important change however, was in Mariah's music. Inspired by her favorite Hip-Hop acts and going back to her urban roots, Mariah teamed up with established as well as up and coming Hip-Hop artists and producers to work on "Butterfly." Though she had previously worked with O.D.B ("Fantasy" remix), Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat ("Always Be My Baby" remix), never has a heavily oriented Hip-Hop track appeared on a Mariah album before.

"Butterfly" more than made up for it. While its credits show a very extensive list of names (Sean "Puffy" Combs, Q-Tip, Stevie J, The Trackmasters, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Missy Elliott, Dru Hill), "Butterfly" remains a perfectly cohesive and a wonderfully sequenced album. If you ask yourself why, the answer is easy: the consistency is in its theme and more importantly, in its quality.

Among fans, the album is known to have some of Mariah's most personal and detailed lyrics. She writes about love - lost, fulfilled, desired ("My All", "The Roof", "Honey"), she yearns for her lover in "Babydoll" ("Zoning out, thinking about you and me between the sheets"), she exposes stories about her tough childhood and difficulty fitting in ("Close My Eyes", "Outside") and sings about a metaphorical butterfly in the ever appropriate title track.



It isn't just the lyrics that make "Butterfly" so varied and enjoyable. This album introduces Mariah's "whispery" vocals ("Fourth of July") which would play a big part in her future recordings and yet she still delivers her powerful belts and the admired ballads ("Whenever You Call"). In "Breakdown," Mariah effortlessly adapts the staccato singing style of "Bone Thugs-N-Harmony" as she sings about getting over a breakup; and in the cover to Prince's "The Beautiful Ones," Mariah gives us her soulful interpretation of the song.

"Butterfly" may not be Mariah's best selling album but many of her fans consider it more than just a turning point, but an important milestone in her career. Mariah lets us know her as deep as one can by listening to music. She invites us to experience her journey and celebrate her freedom. 10 years after their release, the songs from "Butterfly" are still popular and relevant to today's music which makes it easy to call "Butterfly" a timeless album and in retrospect say it was ahead of its time.