Image: Warbling songstress

Best Known For: Her topsy-turvy singing career

Early Life: Born March 27, 1970, in Huntington, New York, the daughter of an opera singer-turned-vocal coach and an engineer. She was named by her parents Patricia and Carey after the Lerner and Loewe song They Call the Wind Mariah from the musical Paint Your Wagon. Her parents split when she was three and her mother coached her singing at home. She attended Greenlawn's Harborfields High School, after which she swept hair in a salon and was fired from several waitressing jobs. Luckily, her five-octave vocal range landed her a job as a backing singer for Brenda K Starr.

Career: Sony music boss Tommy Mottola signed her immediately after hearing her demo tape. Her debut 1990 album caused a stir thanks to her versatility. It sold six million copies and picked up various awards, including a Grammy. Her 1991 follow-up, Emotions, proved just as successful, as did her next four albums. However, the bubble burst in 2001 when her contract was scrapped following her flop film Glitter and its accompanying album. She's making a comeback next month with another movie, Wisegirls, and an album of the same name. Despite her problems she still holds the record for the most singles sold by a female artist, and has spent the third most time at the top of the US charts behind Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

Love Life: Divorced from Tommy Mottola. She's also dated baseball player Derek Jeter and Latin singer Luis Miguel.

Don't Mention: Her 2001 emotional and physical breakdown. She spent time recovering in a Connecticut mental hospital.

Quote: "Butterflies are always following me, everywhere I go."

Tonight: Fame Academy, BBC One, 8.30pm.