When Pavarotti met Mariah Carey
Pavarotti was well known for his incredible duets, but one of the most memorable was his performance with Mariah Carey.
Who was Luciano Pavarotti?
Born in 1935, near Modena, Italy; Pavarotti was the only son of a cigar factory worker and an amateur tenor. Following in his father’s footsteps, he began studying music in 1954 with Arrigo Pola, a respected local teacher, whose inspiration got him into an award-winning male voice choir, Corale Rossini.
He had many incredible achievements throughout his life, including making his debut as Rodolfo in La Boheme at the Teatro Municipale in 1961 and taking part in La Scala tour of Europe in 1963. He became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances, bringing opera music to the masses by appearing onstage with pop and rock singers such as the Spice Girls and Eric Clapton.
Sadly, Pavarotti died in 2001, aged 71, due to progressed pancreatic cancer. He passed away in his home after embarking on a farewell tour around the globe.
Who is Mariah Carey?
Born in Long Island, New York, in 1969, Mariah Carey is the daughter of a vocal coach, who encouraged her to start working on her voice at a very young age. After moving to the big city to pursue a career in music, she married Tommy Mottola of Colombia Records, who signed her up for her first album. This won her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The subsequent albums of Music Box, Daydream and Emotions were all met with the same level of success.
In 1994, she recorded one of the most famous Christmas pop songs of all time, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, which to date has sold 16 million copies worldwide. A record-breaking single, it holds 3 Guinness World Records: the highest charting Christmas song on the Hot 100 by a solo artist; the most streamed song on Spotify in 24 hours, with over 10.8 million streams; and the most weeks in the UK Singles Top 10 Chart for a Christmas Song.
She continues to write music today, although she has become increasingly involved in the acting community in recent years through her work on films such as Tennessee and The Butler.
When Pavarotti met Mariah Carey
In 1999, ‘Pavarotti and Friends’ was held in Modena’s Novi Sad Park. A concert that saw Pavarotti perform with his good acquaintances from the music industry; for his performance of ‘Hero’, he asked Mariah to come and perform a duet with him.
The pair walked out together, side by side, before taking to their standing mics. Carey led the single with the first verse, whilst Pavarotti took over on the second. It seemed as if the two got along exceptionally well, working in perfect harmony together.
When the song drew to a close, Pavarotti took Carey’s hands and kissed them, then put his arm around her in thanks as the two smiled to the crowd, thanking the audience.
“Pavarotti’s a legend” Carey said. “His voice is one of the most incredible ever, so I was honoured when he asked me to perform with him. Music has a universal voice and, as there are so many people in need, particularly now, it’s an important time for artists to get together, not only to raise money but also awareness for great causes.”
Their combined love for music made for a successful collaboration and it had a memorable impact on the audience. Their meeting was one of joy and professionalism, still commented on by YouTubers, vocal coaches and fans to this day.
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