Mariah Carey. The pop princess on her early success, the personal turmoil that almost brought her down, and her remarkable comeback. by Liz Smith

Mariah Carey strides into the New York City restaurant Chin Chin, her honey-colored hair long and loose, her sun-kissed skin glowing. She has never looked better. Dangling earrings with multicolored stones hung from her ears, and dark blue jeans worn with a cream-colored blouse show off her curves. A huge grin lights up her face, and it rarely leaves throughout our meal.

Certainly, she has plenty to smile about. Her latest album, The Emancipation of Mimi, has sold millions of copies; her hit single "We Belong Together" is her longest-running number one song. But success has been hard-won for Mariah. She was born to a black Venezuelan father and a white Irish-American mother, who divorced when Mariah was only three. Raised on Long Island, she grew up without much money but with a lot of determination: Inspired by her classically trained opera-singer mom, Mariah recorded her first demo when she was still a teen and, by 20, had a hit album. A string of chart-topping songs, from "Vision of Love" to "Emotions" to "I'll Be There," followed.

Her personal life also got plenty of attention: At 23, she married the head of Sony Records, Tommy Mottola, 20 years her senior. But by the time Mariah was 30, her marriage had ended, and the split was made particularly messy by the fact that she was signed to Sony - and her new ex-husband was still her boss. Before long, Mariah switched record labels, but she was running out of steam. A well-publicized breakdown followed, with Mariah making headlines for her bizarre and erratic behavior. She ultimately was hospitalized for exhaustion. Emerging from the setback, a revitalized Mariah neither hang her head nor made excuses. Instead, she got back to work. Recently, she won four prestigious Vibe awards - including artist of the year and album of the year. Today, she's happy to talk about whatever crosses her mind - from marriage to dieting to her beloved dog, Jack.

Liz Smith: First of all, I want to congratulate you on your new album. Did you feel vindicated when it became such a huge hit?
Mariah Carey: I'm not sure I expected this much success. You know when it hits me? In my private moments, when there's not a million people asking me about how I feel about the album. Those are my jump-up-and-down moments, moments of prayer and thanks and gratitude. Because that's really how I feel: grateful, more than anything else.

LS: After your last few albums didn't do as well as your previous ones, were you worried that maybe you'd lost your touch?
MC: Well, I never gave up on myself. But I know that every now and then, everybody has to be a fall guy. I think maybe it's necessary to take that fall, because it's just not real to have a life with just peaks and no valleys.

LS: You did have a lot of harsh criticism over the past few years. Did you ever say "I just can't win"?
MC: Never. That attitude will get you nowhere. I have always had an abundance of faith, and if I were to allow myself to listen to the naysayers, I wouldn't have ever made a record. Since I was a little girl, you know, I've had teachers telling me my dreams were silly or other people telling me I'd never make it, and I never let them discourage me. I feel like my whole life has been a series of obstacles but that I've learned more about life each time I've overcome an obstacle.

LS: Of course, you had a much-publicized breakdown a few years ago. Do you feel that came from pushing yourself too hard?
MC: Yes. It was pressure. It was exhaustion. I had never learned how to say no, because I started out so young in this business. I grew up without any money, and I grew up feeling so different from everyone else because of interracial background. So then when I became famous, and everyone was wanting a piece of me, I didn't know how to say no - I just wanted to belong and make everyone happy, but it was too much to handle.

LS: Do you consider yourself a workaholic?
MC: Yeah, I definitely do. But, you know, I don't consider singing and being in the studio to be work because I could be doing something I hate for a living. So I feel like I'm really blessed. Believe me, I've had jobs where I didn't want to be there. I worked at a bar, and everyone hated me because I was 17 years old and I wasn't allowed to serve liquor, but I also was completely unable to figure out the register. That's how bad at math I am: I couldn't even work the register which is really pathetic because my father was an aeronautical engineer!

LS: Well, luckily, you've found something that you're really great at. But, you know, I don't think many people realize that you're a songwriter as well as a singer.
MC: Yeah, a lot of people downplay the fact that I'm a songwriter. I feel like if people don't see you with a piano infront of you or strumming a guitar or a banjo, they just look at you like you're a diva. But I'm singing songs that I wrote, and the lyrics mean a lot to me. I write about things that are really personal, reflections of whatever was going on at the time.

LS: Although your first major film, Glitter, didn't do well, would you consider acting again?
MC: Oh, definitely. I actually did one other film, called Wisegirls, after Glitter, which was well received. But it was eclipsed by the nightmare of the first experience. But I definitely am going to act again, and I have gotten offers.

LS: Well, you're certainly a big enough celebrity to become a movie star. Every time I open a magazine, I see your picture.
MC: There are probably some very ugly ones in there. Somehow, I can't get them to take my picture only when I look good!

LS: You've always been voluptuous. But now there's this trend toward girls who look almost anorexic.
MC: Right. I know.

LS: Do you feel pressured to try to look like them? Do you feel you have to diet all the time?
MC: No, not really. But I do diet. I just don't go crazy. Like, when I have time off, I'll just spend hours swimming in the ocean. And I like water aerobics because it doesn't feel quite as abusive as actually working out. I have a trainer who travels with me. She's fabulous, but she weighs two pounds soaking wet, so I guess that's inspiration. The thing is, I am muscular, and so if I put on weight, you see the gain, but if I take off weight, then you see the muscle tone. It's not like, if I lose weight, I suddenly look skinny. Genetically, I'm not a skinny person. I'm a big girl.

LS: And you look great. Now, obviously, you had a very high-profile marriage, and the end of that marriage wasn't very pleasant. Did it scare you off getting married again?
MC: I always said when I was little that I was never going to get married because my parents got divorced, and that made me pretty gun-shy. But them when I grew up, I was always the girl who didn't understand why people would live together. I'd always say "Well, if they're living together, why don't they just get married?" I'm actually sort of a prude like that, I guess. But I wouldn't marry anyone unless I was sure I could start a family with that person. I mean, to me, if you're going to get married, it's about having kids. Still, I worry sometimes about having kids when you're really famous, because the kids aren't asking to be brought into this world as famous people.

LS: It's hard on them.
MC: Exactly. There are a lot of things from my childhood that have made me think, "I wish my parents would have considered this a little bit more when they decided to have an interracial marriage" or "I wish this could have been done differently." I'm not complaining. I'm thankful I'm here. I'm just saying that if I can, I would want to give my kids the best chance at feeling like they belong in this world and they're accepted and not different or strange. But I think I'd be a good mom. Jack, my dog, thinks I'm a good mother! [Laughs]

LS: Are you looking to find a new relationship now? And would you date someone in the business?
MC: Well, I just feel a lot of these celebrity pairings are a little weird. And then people get obsessed with these couples, and there's no chance for anything to be normal.

LS: What sort of qualities are you looking for in a man?
MC: My favorite thing is a sense of humor. I really require that because you have to be able to laugh at this whole celebrity world. I can laugh about it now. I do. That's why I need somebody who can keep up with me.

LS: Where do you see yourself ten years from now? Or do you just live day to day?
MC: I go minute to minute. I can't predict the next ten minutes, let alone the next ten years! I just hope I have a good time.

- Good Housekeeping, February 2006