INTERVIEW: Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is on the cover of the November issue of Glamour Magazine.

On becoming rich:
“I was about 20. I went from having $5 to getting a publishing advance of $1 million.”

On advice she’d give to struggling starlets:
“I wouldn’t want to speak to those people specifically, but I would say you need to be very centered, and spiritually know where you’re at, all the time. Don’t read the tabloids. Don’t be obsessed with what people are writing or saying. Live your life for you. My lifestyle has changed since making it. It’s not a financial struggle, but I’m still struggling in a lot of ways.”

On growing up:
“I felt really bizarre as a kid. Mostly because I come from an interracial family [Carey’s mother is Irish and her father is African-American and Venezuelan], and because we didn’t have a lot of money and we moved around a lot. Living in the suburbs is a place that’s all about fitting in. I remember after one particularly bad incident, one of my mother’s friends said in front of me, ‘If this kid makes it, it will be a miracle.’”

On wanting to have a special power:
“Wouldn’t it be really hot if I could just blink and change my outfit right now? How amazing would that be?”

On her love for water and comfort:
“…whenever I’m outside, I want to be in a hot tub. I’m a water person. I would jump in the hot tub in the middle of our interview if it weren’t so freakin’ cold out! But usually when I’m just hanging around, I wear boxers and a tank.”

On bad hair choices:
“Mariah at 12 was a wreck. I accidentally dyed my hair orange. I shaved my eyebrows. Wore blue eyeliner. Disgusting!”

On love:
“With a human being I don’t know, but definitely with a pet. [Laughs.] I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a relationship of the caliber I write about in my love songs.”