The Emancipation of Mimi turned 20 on Saturday, and it remains one of the albums Mariah Carey likes the most.
“It’s still one of my favorite albums that I’ve done. And, you know, back then when it first came out, everybody was calling it a comeback album. … I didn’t really agree, because you never think you’ve gone anywhere. You know what I mean?” she tells Associated Press.
“I just always really loved the songs and the performances. People seem to really be into it. And new fans came from that album,” she explained, though she agreed “it sort of revitalized my career” after 2002’s Charmbracelet.
“I do think it’s got a fun feeling to it and it definitely feels free,” she says of the album. “I spent a while making that album … working with some great people, some great collaborators. … It was an experience that I’ll never forget, creating that album.”
The Emancipation of Mimi is Mariah’s 10th studio album, but her first, Mariah Carey, released 35 years ago, which is why she was eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination she received in February. It’s her second time being nominated, and she tells AP she is consciously controlling her emotions.
“That’s a huge honor. I don’t know if I’m going to win it, so I don’t want to get too excited about it,” Mariah says. “So, I just want to say that, again, it’s a huge honor and I guess I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t really thinking about it. And here we are.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in late April.
Elsewhere in the interview, Mariah notes she’d love to work with Rihanna, do a family album with her twins and release her ’90s grunge album. She also teased she has “something new” coming soon.
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