Post-Partum Pop Stars: Now That She’s A Mom, Can Mariah Carey Retain Her Edge?

As soon as news hit the net that Mariah Carey’s twins were born, admirers took to MC’s numerous fan forums to sound off. Amidst the posts laced with congratulations for Moroccan Scott Cannon (her son) and Monroe Cannon (her daughter), a few warranted concerns arose regarding her next batch of tracks. After all,  how is Carey — who has a career’s worth of hits dripping with sexuality (“Shake It Off” and “Touch My Body,” to name a few) — going to re-approach the mic as a mother of two?

As much as I’d love to think that she’ll continue lusting up her performances (nobody works a fan and airtight dress like Ms. Mariah), the safest bet is that Carey is headed for a much softer sound and image reinvention. In fact, I’d say her next album/look/tour is pretty much mapped out already. Expect a lot more ballads, down-tempo covers, candlelit stages and closets filled with looser-fitting clothes. The 90s “Vision of Love” Carey fans will undoubtedly love her leap to the subtle side. However, Millennial Mariah fans — who grew up with her tantalizing choruses and skin-tight skankery — will loathe it.

Regardless of who loves what, this hypothetical move — which will steer Ms. Glitter away from the lusty stuff she’s known for representing (seriously, the lyrics to her #1 hit “Honey” sweat up your thighs) — places Carey closer to Patti Labelle’s adult contempo oeuvre rather than Beyonce’s butt-shaking body of work. Pop history has proven that when top female singers have children, they consciously choose to domesticate their career, as well. There are, however, a few exceptions to the rule.

(Photo: WENN)

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