Award-winning singer Mariah Carey reveals that while the pandemic was devastating for the whole world, it actually helped her voice.
Speaking Wednesday on the Questlove Supreme podcast, Carey revealed the upside of the COVID-19 pandemic putting her career on pause.
“Taking off work has really helped my voice,” the We Belong Together singer confessed. Carey, who boasts a five-octave range, added that she has been using the off-time to de-stress.
She went onto explain that, when she becomes overwhelmed, her singing ability becomes compromised. One example she gave during the podcast is her whistle register, which can hit the G7 note; saying it stops working when she’s anxious.
“When I’m under pressure, it’s always screwed up,” Carey said. “Every part of my voice is screwed up.”
“Honestly, for me, this whole year with COVID and everything, not having to sing for my supper and travel around and not get the right amount of sleep or just be put on this thing where there’s a certain amount of stress, for me, that takes away a lot of stuff,” the five-time Grammy winner dished, adding that she knows this won’t be her reality forever.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to get back in a studio. Like, you gotta, like, get back to singing.’ And I’m like, ‘I know,'” Carey said.
The 50-year-old singer added that, when she does return to the studio, she will take a “different approach” when recording her follow-up album to 2018’s Caution.
Admitting that she felt her last album was “rushed,” Carey said she plans to take more time with her next studio effort so she can fully express herself — especially now that she’s been able to rest her voice.
