Mariah Carey (Getty)
There’s no bigger diva than Mariah Carey. When the Elusive Chanteuse isn’t at the centre of the latest viral internet meme or putting dolphins to shame with her signature five-octave vocal range and whistle notes, she’s making headlines across the globe.
Speaking to People magazine recently, the “We Belong Together” hitmaker revealed she’s been secretly living with bipolar II disorder for nearly eighteen years.
She was diagnosed with the condition in 2001, shortly after being hospitalised for exhaustion.
The singer had put out a new album every year of the 1990s, and the pressure of her booming career eventually caught up.
Carey told People that, at the time, she was “working and working” and in “constant fear of letting people down”.
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(Getty)
After receiving the diagnosis, the Grammy winner admitted that she “didn’t want to believe it.” But now, after the “hardest couple of years” of her life and receiving medical treatment, she’s in a good place.
Despite all the obstacles she’s come up against – such as the uncommercial success of 2001 film Glitter and the 2016 New Year’s Eve debacle – Mariah has proven time and time again that she won’t let anything or anyone get in her way.
Here are five times the queen of diamonds shut down the haters.
1. ‘That’ tweet after her disastrous NYE performance
Mimi’s tweets are, as you’d expect, iconic and just a bit extra.
When her set at the 2016 Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve was engulfed by technical difficulties, the 48-year-old crooner was slammed with a barrage of criticism.
While Carey’s management at the time pointed the finger of blame at the production team, Dick Clark’s camp suggested that the show was a disaster because she turned up late for rehearsals.
Whatever the case, the superstar showed her human side by tweeting “Shit happens,” and wishing everyone a Happy New Year.
The tweet has racked up over 60,000 retweets.
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2. She’s been vocal about her beef with Madonna
Just a few years after Mariah’s 1990 debut, fierce competitor Madonna sparked a feud between the two singers when she allegedly said she’d rather kill herself than be Carey.
Of course, this didn’t go well down with Mariah or her loyal fans, the Lambily. In a video interview, she responded by saying: “I haven’t paid attention to Madonna since I was in fifth or sixth grade, when she used to be popular.”
It quickly became an iconic part of pop culture.
3. She released the ultimate diss track
Mariah has also faced shade from Eminem. At the start of the millennium, the rapper told Rolling Stone that he and Carey had been involved in a relationship.
However, he explained that he wasn’t “really feeling it” and “I just don’t like her as a person.”
Carey famously responded to these rumours by releasing diss track “Obsessed” in 2009.
Em got his own back with his own shady single, called “The Wanted”, in which he says “Wow Mariah, didn’t expect you to go … ‘fore I put all them phone calls out.”