Mariah Carey”s closest collaborator, producer and now co-manager Jermaine Dupri, understandably thinks that Mimi is the last of the great singers still regularly releasing albums.
We chatted with Dupri at the ASCAP Pop Awards Wednesday night. The video opens as we”re asking why she may be having a bit of a tough time taking off at radio, but he deflected us and explained that “The Art of Letting Go” was never an official single- it was meant to remind the fans what a great voice she has-when we were actually asking about “You”re Mine (Eternal),” which was released as an official single around Valentine”s Day. However, we both agree that Carey is one of the most successful artists ever.
“When I came in to help on the management side, I heard a lot of people saying they weren”t getting the Mariah Carey records they were used to. they weren”t getting the ballads. To this day, Celine Dion isn”t dropping records the way she used to and we lost Whitney Houston. There”s not really a person or people out there that”s putting this type of music out there. I feel like Mariah is that person.”
He reveals that Carey will be touring behind this album, which isn”t always a given with her. He says “yes” when I asked if she was going on a full tour. Carey”s oft-delayed new album comes out May 6, although we don't see it listed as a pre-order on Amazon, so we're checking with the label and will keep you posted.
Dupri is working on new albums on Usher, Jagged Edge, and Bow Wow.