Mariah Carey: How She Created More #1 Hits Than Any Other American (Exclusive Interview)

The New York Times Magazine polled more than 250 music insiders and gathered six Times critics to choose the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters. One artist who made the list was Mariah Carey. The writer Danyel Smith met Carey in Los Angeles to talk about writing era-defining hits like “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby,” the pleasures of collaboration and some of the ways she’s been undercredited as a writer — despite having created more No. 1 hits than any other American.
The New York Times Magazine polled more than 250 music insiders and gathered six Times critics to choose the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters. One artist who made the list was Mariah Carey. The writer Danyel Smith met Carey in Los Angeles to talk about writing era-defining hits like “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby,” the pleasures of collaboration and some of the ways she’s been undercredited as a writer — despite having created more No. 1 hits than any other American.