Why Do the British Press Hate Mariah Carey?

I am an unashamed Mariah Carey fan.  I have been a fan of hers since 1993, and her music resonates with me more than any other artist.  Some of her songs have helped me through difficult times and my ultimate wish in life is to see her perform live one day.  I own every single song she has ever made, and I even follow her on Twitter.  This may be hard to believe, but I am actually British.

Mariah is undoubtedly more popular in the USA than she is in Britain; reviews of her albums are justified over there (good or bad) and whether she is pumping out a synthesiser-enhanced club track or belting out a ballad, she is still adored.  The press in Britain however, seem to have a vendetta against the most successful female artist of our time.  Whatever she does is ‘diva-ish’ and her modern records are ‘dry’, ‘boring’ or ‘tame’ when in truth the deluded journalists at The Sun probably listened to the first few seconds of each track and threw together a ‘review’ filled with their trademark tabloid dross. 

The sad thing is, their readers will believe it, and that is why Mariah’s popularity in Britain will never reach the heights of the mid-90’s. 

Of course, I can’t see it bothering Mariah.  Depite attempts by the press to derail her, put her down or upset her, she has a long and successful career, millions in the bank, fans who adore her no matter what she does and a hot husband.  I can see why journalists at The Sun are a little bitter.  One comment in their latest review (which I came across through a Mariah fansite) said that Mariah’s latest album (Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel) is ‘dire’ compared to ‘refreshing’ new artists such as Tinchy Stryder ‘taking music in exciting new directions’.  If an ‘exciting’ direction for The Sun is the gutter, then fair enough.

American readers, have you heard of Tinchy Stryder? No, I didn’t think so.

Will Tinchy Stryder still be around in 20 years? No. 10 years even? No.

Mariah continues to blow everyone else out of the water in the eyes of her fans and that is all that matters.  The sad thing is, the reputation she has in Britain that has been fabricated by the tabloids is the reason why she hasn’t toured over here since 2002, and British fans like me have not had the chance to see her yet.

I keep my fingers crossed in the hope my favourite artist will announce a few dates over here, but I will not be suprised if she snubs Britain for nations that do not have an unjustified vendetta against her.  It’s a shame for British Mariah fans, but if I were in her shoes I would do the same.