Was a backup singer for freestyle balladeer Brenda K. Starr

Met Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola and gave him her demo

Released her debut album "Mariah Carey", including the breakthrough hit "Vision of Love" and three other Number One singles

Followed up with the comparably successful sophomore effort "Emotions", launching the title hit as well as the chart-toppers "Make it Happen" and "Can't Let Go"

Released the EP "MTV Unplugged" from her appearance on the music series; hit Number One with her remake of "I'll Be There"

Starred in the NBC special "Mariah Carey"

Married Tommy Mottola in June at a lavish $500,000 ceremony

Released "Music Box", featuring the hit "Dreamlover"

Teamed up with Luther Vandross to cover the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie hit "Endless Love"; single certified gold

With the Fresh Air Fund, opened Camp Mariah, a summer haven for underprivileged youth

"Merry Christmas" is released, launching the hit holiday original "All I Want For Christmas"

Released the album "Daydream"

Concert special "Mariah Carey: Daydream from New York to Tokyo" aired on Fox

After sixteen weeks at Number One, "One Sweet Day" her collaboration with R&B quartet Boyz II Men is named the biggest record of the year

Was CEO of Crave Records, a division of Sony that released albums by Allure and 7 Mile

Released "Butterfly", featuring the hit "Honey" and a marking her transition to a more hip-hop inspired sound

Divorced Tommy Mottola in March after a ten month separation

Starred in "Celine, Aretha, Gloria, Shania and Mariah: Divas Live"

Shut down operations at Crave Records in July

UPN aired the concert special "Mariah Around the World"

Teamed up with fellow diva Whitney Houston on the single "When You Believe", the theme song for the DreamWorks animated feature "The Prince of Egypt"

Hit the charts with "I Still Believe", her cover of the Brenda K. Starr hit

Had a small role as an opera singer in "The Bachelor"

Teamed up with rap star Jay-Z for the single "Heartbreaker"

Revisited her middle school and high school alma maters in the Fox special "Mariah Carey's Homecoming Special"

Released the album "Rainbow" featuring the hit single "Heartbreaker"

Presented with Award of Achievement at American Music Awards for having a Number One song in every year of the 1990s; named Billboard's Artist of the Decade

Hospitalized in February for food poisoning and dehydration attributed to oysters she consumed

Performed in the TV special "VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross"

Hit with a lawsuit over the similarities between her hit "Thank God I Found You" and Xscape's "One of Those Love Songs"

Left Columbia Records for Virgin for a contract worth a reported $100 million covering five albums

Suffered very public nervous breakdown; posted bizarre messages on her official Web site, appeared on "TRL" and performed a strip tease, etc.; eventually hospitalized for "exhaustion"

Starred in the feature "Glitter"; also released album of same name; release of both postponed from August to September because of her health problems

Made guest appearance on Fox's "Ally McBeal"

Acted opposite Mira Sorvino in "Wise Girls"; screened at Sundance

EMI, parent company of Virgin Records America, announced buyout of 2001 contract for a reported $28 million in January after repeated denials such a deal was in the works

Signed three album deal with Island/Def Record for $21-$24 million dollars

Released her multi-platinum album "The Emancipation of Mimi", which spawned her sixteenth number-one single, "We Belong Together"; nominated for eight Grammy awards, including Record of the Year

Signed on to star in "Tennessee," an indie drama, in which she'll play a waitress (lensed 2006)

Partnered with Elizabeth Arden to launch her own fragrance line (spring 2007 release)

Signed a lucrative deal with soft drinks giant Pepsi which will see her write and produce 20 exclusive ringtones and star in TV commercials