Famous pop singer Mariah Carey took the music industry by storm in the 90s with her remarkable vocals and her stunning voice. Since then, she has gone on to become one of the best-selling recording artists of the 90s and the 00s; but did she go to college?
Mariah Carey didn’t go to college, but instead attended Harborfields High School and graduated in 1987. After this, she decided to pursue a music career, so she moved to Manhattan, where she studied cosmetology before going on to become a world-renowned artist.
Read more below about Carey’s early life and how a 40-mile move from her hometown to Manhattan helped her rise to fame.
Huntington Childhood
Mariah Carey was born and raised in Huntington, NY. She had a turbulent childhood as her parents split when she was just three years old due to the racial backlash they faced for being in an interracial marriage in the civil rights era.
Mariah described her rocky relationship with her father after her parents divorce: “He’s a good person, I don’t have anything against him. It’s just very difficult growing up in a divorced family. The tension, anger, and bitterness between the parents is often put off on the children. And because I was so young when they divorced, it was a major split for me.”
Growing up, Mariah experienced a lot of racial tension for being biracial in America. Often she felt ostracized for not being 100% White in a predominantly White community.
Mariah’s mother, Patricia, a vocal coach, and singer, appears to have inspired the songstress to become a singer from the young age of three! Mariah started singing lessons at age four.
While the songbird was in elementary school, it’s speculated that she was good at artsy subjects, including music and literature.
During her time at Harborfields High School, Mariah started writing poetry and lyrics. Due to her work as a demo singer during high school, the star was frequently absent.
This didn’t stop her from graduating high school in 1987, though!
The Manhattan Move
After graduating from high school, Mariah made a 40-mile move from Huntington to Manhattan – one of the most densely populated cities in New York.
By day, Mariah worked as a waitress and coat checker while studying cosmetology. By night, Mariah was chasing her dreams of becoming a pop star.
Luckily for Mariah, this move paid off as she got signed with Columbia Records soon after she made the move to Manhattan.
With Columbia Records, the world-renowned song artist released her first album containing four number-one singles. After this, she went on to release albums and singles with other record labels and has now had about 19 number one hits.
A Knack For Singing
It’s not every day that you stumble across such a successful singer. In Mariah’s case, she has worked hard for all she’s achieved in her musical career, including the awards that she’s obtained across her time in the industry.
Some awards she has achieved include the World Music Awards’ Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium, the Grammy’s Best New Artist in 1991, and Billboard’s Special Achievement Award for the Artist of the Decade during the 1990s.
It’s clear that Mariah has a deep-rooted talent and a knack for singing since she has spent 82 weeks at the number one position on Billboard Hot 100 – the greatest number for any artist in US chart history.
Mariah, the very iconic songstress, is a prime example of someone who has succeeded without going to college. She shows us all that to be successful; you don’t always need a college degree to help you; all you really need is belief in yourself and a very excellent work ethic combined with a lot of commitment to your goals, and you’re all set to go!