In 2008, Mariah Carey scored her 18th number one single, setting a record as the solo artist with the most singles on the Billboard chart in pop history. She broke Elvis Presley's record to do that. Undoubtedly one of the most popular pop artists working today, Mariah Carey has seen highs and lows over the course of her career, but through it all, has risen to meet her challenges. No wonder that her fans are so fiercely loyal-but it makes sense, considering the great, heart-rending music she's made over the years.

Carey's career was built on her amazing voice, capable of five octaves and allowing her the freedom to sing in a vast range of styles in many different genres of music. To classify her as "adult contemporary" overlooks her the influences of hip-hop, R&B and contemporary pop that blend together in her enormous body of work.

Carey broke into the music scene shortly after graduating high school, when she moved to New York and soon after found herself impressing the head of Columbia Records. With a deal sealed, she released her 1990 self-titled debut. The album was a hot seller, and Carey was formally introduced to the spotlight as an important musical artist to watch in the future. She had four number one singles on that album-the first of many.

By the end of the decade she had several hit albums under her belt, and had decided to make the jump to film. A movie based on her life story and rise to fame was planned, and Carey began to record music for it. This was an emotionally stressful time for Carey, and unfortunately the soundtrack to the movie is not ranked among her best. The film, Glitter, was released in 2001 and was widely panned by critics and the public, and even today has a stigma that it can't quite shake. This could only have produced more stress for Carey.

But after a period of recovery, she came back strong, hitting another high point in 2005 with The Emancipation of Mimi, a concept album of sorts that intimately bared her emotional tribulations up until that point through an alter ego named Mimi.

Carey is still recording, despite the hardships she's been through, and is on the road to being considered a legend of pop.