Famous for many of the songs you’ve probably heard, like “Always My Baby,” “Hero,” and “Fantasy,” Mariah Carey has touched the lives of many of her fans with her breathtaking voice. But does she speak Spanish?
Although she’s only fluent in English, Mariah can speak Spanish. This is hardly surprising considering that she comes from a family where her father was Venezuelan, so it’s likely that she picked up a few things from him.
Read on to discover more about the languages this sensational songbird can speak and learn more about a time when she lost her voice before performing.
How Many People Speak Spanish?
According to figures, around 450 million people in the world speak Spanish, making it the second most spoken language in the world, with 43 million people in the US having Spanish as their mother tongue. The US is home to at least 12 million bilingual Spanish speakers.
Spanish is the official language of these countries: Puerto Rico: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela – the country that Mariah’s father was from.
Today, most Spanish speakers are in Latin America after initially being brought there after the Spanish colonization.
Which Musicians Can Sing In Spanish?
Amongst Mariah, there are many other famous singers out there who can sing very fluently in Spanish.
For instance, Enrique Iglesias – I’m sure you’ve heard of him from his popular song “Bailando,” is regarded as one of the top Latin pop artists in the entire world.
Another artist I’m sure you’ll have heard of is Pitbull, whose famous songs include “Timber” and “Rain Over Me” amongst many others, is renowned for mastering the art of singing in Spanglish (Spanish with a mixture of English words) in songs like “Como Yo le Doy.”
Mariah Carey Singing in Different Languages
In the above video, you can hear Mariah singing in many languages, such as Mandarin, Chinese, and Spanish.
Spanish Mariah Carey Songs
Over the years, Mariah has recorded three songs in the native language of her late father. The songs are taken from her albums, Music Box, Daydream and Butterfly.
The songs that she’s recorded in Spanish are: “Hero,” “Open Arms,” and “My All.”
The Spanish titles are as follows: “Heroe,” “El Amor Que Sone” and “Mi Todo.”
Has Mariah Carey Lost Her Voice?
Everyone knows how frustrating it is when you lose your voice for whatever reason, but it doesn’t affect anyone more than singers who literally use their voice to make a living. In her career, it has been argued that Mariah has lost her voice over time.
Bad Singing Technique or Ageing?
Allegedly, due to a lousy singing technique, Mariah lost her voice and damaged her vocal cords. This led to nodules forming, which has apparently negatively affected how she sounds when she sings though I’d argue that her voice is just as remarkable as it was back in the 90s.
Other people have argued that Mariah never lost her voice, but that it has just matured over time. This would be the more logical explanation because as we age, changes occur all over our bodies; this includes changes to our voice box too because as we age, our vocal cords become thinner and less flexible, causing changes to the way our voices sound.
Conclusion
Mariah comes from a family where her father’s native language was Spanish, and her mother’s native language was English.
Although Mariah can only speak fluently in English, it doesn’t stop her from trying to speak Spanish. She has demonstrated that she’s able to sing in Spanish with her songs, “Heroe,” “El Amor Que Sone,” and “Mi Todo.”