Why Mariah Carey Matters

The most exciting new book on a popular artist I have read in quite some time. Andrew Chan pays close—even devotional—attention to Mariah Carey’s work, but maintains the critical distance needed to evaluate and historicize it. Combining the passion of the superfan with the analytical wit of our best cultural critics, Chan illuminates Carey’s art and legacy while raising the bar for future appraisals of women in pop. ~Emily J. Lordi, Vanderbilt University, author of The Meaning of Soul: Black Music and Resilience since the 1960s

Virtuosos are the trickiest subjects: as they bespell you they shut you down, they put you on your hands and knees. Andrew Chan's criticism stands straight up. He reveres, but he also explains, connects, analyzes, elaborates; he helps us see Mariah Carey as a tradition, a code, and a curriculum. ~Ben Ratliff, author of Coltrane: The Story of a Sound

Andrew Chan deconstructs the powerhouse that is Mariah Carey through exceptionally intimate writing, breaking her talent into its most fundamental elements. This book is an invaluable, deeply researched document of Carey as a pop anomaly, vocalist, songwriter, and creator in her own right. ~Clover Hope, author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop

In expansive prose . . . , Chan proves that despite a smooth-edged commercial exterior, Carey’s style “foregrounds the ways singing can activate something irrational and untamed within us.” It’s a satisfying tribute to a dynamic and influential singer. ~Publishers Weekly

Required reading for Lambs worldwide: In Why Mariah Matters, Andrew Chan looks beyond Mariah Carey’s undeniable glamour and incredible five-octave vocal range to examine the diva to explore her life as a mixed-race woman in music, her adventurous forays into gospel and house music, and her appeal to multiple generations of queer audiences. ~NYLON

Why Mariah Carey Matters makes the case for Mariah Carey’s place in the pantheon of great musical artists and it’s hard to disagree with its central argument, that for all her accolades, mainstream success and her over-the-top camp persona, we have overlooked the nuance and artistry underneath. ~The Queer Review

[Andrew Chan strikes] an elegant balance of tone and writing as a critic, a reporter, and a memoirist all at once . . . when Carey’s effect on audiences poses a phenomenological hurdle, he spins illuminating personal narratives only to then pivot towards rigorous close-readings of her lyrics, voice, and performances worthy of Barthes’s Mythologies. ~The Millions

Chan's beautiful descriptions of Carey's songs, lyrics, and performances aid in the difficult task of bringing sound to life solely through words...An excellent look at a great artist. Readers will likely find themselves YouTubing the Carey performances described in this book. ~Library Journal

Chan gives nuance in Carey’s work, persona, and legacy...Across 168 pages, Chan humanizes Carey’s world renowned impact in music, also connecting the artist’s poignant lyrics and five-octave singing delivery to his experiences as a queer Chinese-American. ~NYLON

What stands out the most about this book is the intimacy of the author’s writing. . .Chan’s focus stays fixed on Carey’s extraordinary voice, her metamorphosis from ambitious ingenue into a showbiz heavyweight and the impact her music has on legions of loyal lambs, the latter of which is most poignantly displayed in the final passages of the book. ~Xtra Magazine

Chan is one of my favorite writers and an important voice in contemporary music and film criticism. He’s vivid in his assessment of Carey’s musical gifts. He layers in details of his own upbringing to help us understand why certain songs and singers turned him into a student of the art.  I love the way he brings the reader along with him . . . He situates Carey in refreshing context: with Black singers of the ’80s who influenced her sound, and with other female songwriter-producers like Patrice Rushen, Teena Marie, and Angela Winbush, who don’t often receive credit for their prowess behind the boards. ~Oxford American