Mariah on Whitney in Vibe Magazine

Date: September 28, 1998

From Vibe Magazine
Submitted by: Black Atlantic


Mariah Carey is featured in the cover story in this month's Vibe Magazine. She offers some of her impressions of Whitney Houston's talent and the duet. Here's the relevant excerpt, although I'm sure the article, in part or whole, will be available online at Vibe.com.

Interviewer: Tell me about the song you did with Whitney.

MC: I wish I could tell you more about it, but unfortunately, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds has that under wraps. We've done our vocals, but now he's in the process of changing it around. I kinda liked it the way it was. It's called "When You Believe," for "The Prince of Egypt" soundtrack.

I: One of those big ballads ...

MC: It's a very big ballad but in an inspirational way. The movie is about Moses. That she and I came together on this particular song is important. It's not just like, Here we are -- Divafest '98... I don't think we are trying to outsing each other. You really do hear the differences in our voices.

I: What are the differences?

MC: She just has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have. She sounds really good, really strong. I guess I sound airier and lighter than her.

I: Was it dramatic being in the studio with her?

MC: Not at all.

I: You guys are supposed to have this rivalry ...

MC: You know what's funny? When I came out, people had comments. That had a lot to do with me being put with the producers she'd worked with. When you're a young girl, you don't have control and you're being marketed as the New Little Diva.

I: And there's already a Diva. You guys never had beef?

MC: I had never even really talked to her until this. We never had any issues between us. The media and everybody made it an issue. Over the years, as I got more control over my own music, I did my own thing. I don't think we do similar thing at this point.

I: But I mean if we're talking about the pop princesses of the late '80s and early '90s ...

MC: I didn't come out until the '90s [laughs]. And I hope to be around past the '90s. I don't want to be categorized as "of this era." My goal is to have a career that stands. Otherwise what's the point?