# Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse
*Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse* is the fourteenth studio album by the American singer and songwriter [Mariah Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/mariah-carey), released on May 27, 2014 by Def Jam, and her first album of new material since *[Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel](https://www.edgepedia.org/memoirs-of-an-imperfect-angel)* in 2009.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) Some reviews count it as her thirteenth album instead, a discrepancy in how the count treats her releases.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/) The album arrived after a long, stop-start rollout and, per Metacritic, drew generally favorable reviews, with a Metascore of 67 based on 15 critic reviews.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | May 27, 2014, Def Jam; duration 01:01:22[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) |
| Position in catalog | Fourteenth studio album by Time's count, thirteenth by Pitchfork's; first new-material album since 2009[4](https://time.com/119223/mariah-carey-cher-lloyd-robyn-new-albums/) • [3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/) |
| Executive producers | Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/) |
| Title origin | The part before the ellipses is taken from a self-portrait Carey drew at the age of three and a half, reproduced on the back cover[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) |
| Lead single | "#Beautiful" with Miguel, the only one of four singles to climb the charts, yet it peaked outside the Billboard Hot 100 top 10[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/) |
| Guests | Miguel, Nas, Wale, Fabolous, and Carey's twins, credited as "DemBabies"[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore) • [4](https://time.com/119223/mariah-carey-cher-lloyd-robyn-new-albums/) |
| Reception | Metascore 67 from 15 critic reviews; UK Official Albums Chart peak of number 14[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/) |
## Title and context
The album's title has three parts, each with a stated meaning. The opening phrase, "Me. I Am Mariah", comes from a self-portrait Carey drew as a child of three and a half, which is reproduced on the back of the package; AllMusic's Andy Kellman notes the title's first section as its source.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) "The Elusive Chanteuse" adds a self-styled persona; Time called the combined title "so fabulously over the top, it could almost be a joke".[4](https://time.com/119223/mariah-carey-cher-lloyd-robyn-new-albums/)
The record followed what Pitchfork's Jordan Sargent described as Carey's most trying period since the failure of the *Glitter* project thirteen years earlier. It was her first proper album since 2009, and its rollout began almost two years before release with the single "Triumphant (Get 'Em)"; three further singles followed, and "The Art of Letting Go" was relegated to bonus-track status on the deluxe edition.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/) • [6](https://entertainment.ie/music/album-review-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-266681/) Only "#Beautiful", a collaboration with Miguel, climbed the charts, and even that song peaked outside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, a result Sargent called basically unheard of for a major single from a Mariah Carey album.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
Carey herself framed the album as personal accounting. In a statement quoted by *Music Week*, she said it was "a reflection of some of the peaks and valleys that have made me who I am today", and that she had decided to share it with those who had been with her through it all.[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2014/2014-05-17-Music%20Week.pdf)
## Production and collaborators
**Executive production** went to [Jermaine Dupri](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-dupri) and Bryan-Michael Cox, the duo behind "[We Belong Together](https://www.edgepedia.org/we-belong-together)", the 2005 smash that had reestablished Carey as a pop titan the last time her career flagged. On this album, Pitchfork wrote, the pair circle back to the ethos of *[The Emancipation of Mimi](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-emancipation-of-mimi)*, using classic, stately R&B as a framing device.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
The album contrasts sharply with its predecessor, *Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel*, which had been produced strictly by Carey, Tricky Stewart, and the-Dream. Here numerous co-writers and co-producers bring distinct material.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) Among them:
- Q-Tip co-produced "Meteorite", a pumping track sampling [Eddie Kendricks](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-kendricks).[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856)
- Hit-Boy helmed three of the album's strongest tracks per Pitchfork, including "Thirsty", described as a bleepy take-off of "[Niggas in Paris](https://www.edgepedia.org/niggas-in-paris)" whose icy minimalism is softened by Carey's ethereal chorus.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
- Mike WiLL Made-It supplied up-to-date elements alongside Hit-Boy.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856)
- James "Big Jim" Wright, a holdover from the *Emancipation* era, contributed to two gospel-tinged ballads.[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
- [Stevie Wonder](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevie-wonder) plays harmonica on "Make It Look Good".[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/22/mariah-carey-me-i-a-am-mariah-elusive-chanteuse-review)
Carey is listed as a co-writer on every song except the cover of [George Michael](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-michael)'s "One More Try".[9](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/63089/Mariah-Carey-Me.-I-Am-Mariah...-The-Elusive-Chanteuse/) Recording took place across a long list of studios, including Jungle City Studios and Germano Studios in New York, Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood, Beach House Studios in [Eleuthera](https://www.edgepedia.org/eleuthera), and Pon De Islands Studios in Antigua.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856)
## Musical character
Nostalgia runs through the album. "Dedicated" carries a Wu-Tang sample, a throwback verse from Nas, and reminiscent chatter, and opens with Carey singing about sitting down to sing "that good old school shit"; AllMusic counts the album as a couple of covers away from being as nostalgic as the *[Glitter](https://www.edgepedia.org/glitter-soundtrack)* soundtrack.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) Gospel and disco are the two poles Pitchfork identifies as the record's implicit acknowledgment of its maker's age: "Cry." opens the album with Carey's vocals suspended over pianos, "One More Try" moves George Michael's 1980s song into the register of church music, and "You Don't Know What to Do", a Dupri and Cox disco cut, interpolates Inner Life's 1979 single "I'm Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)" and recalls her earlier roller-rink jams "Heartbreaker" and "Fantasy".[3](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
The second half includes gospel-flavored standouts, one of which, "Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can't Give Up Now)", AllMusic describes as an inspired tribute to the Reverend James Cleveland.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856)
## Reception and chart performance
Critical response was mixed to favorable. Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 67 from 15 critics, in its "generally favorable" band, against a user score of 5.6 from 447 ratings.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore) Reviewers differed on what the album was reaching for. The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan praised its "heroic self-belief", finding Carey at her most soulful and melodic despite clutter that included 1990s R&B throwbacks and an appearance by her three-year-old twins, and called the dreamy 1970s disco of "Meteorite" a welcome return.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/22/mariah-carey-me-i-a-am-mariah-elusive-chanteuse-review) AllMusic found the quality level as varied as the sounds, judging that the hour-plus program was weighed down by "Money ($ * / ...)", the cover of "One More Try", and "Thirsty", while concluding Carey was still capable of delivering 40 minutes of strong, supremely voiced R&B.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856) The Daily Beast was more dismissive, though it found her most enjoyable when she pushed past pop classicism into up-tempo R&B.[10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse-review-we-we-are-underwhelmed/)
Commercially, the album peaked at number 14 on the UK Official Albums Chart and spent two weeks in the top 100, with a first chart date of June 7, 2014; on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart it peaked at number 2 and spent five weeks in the top 100.[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/) Time placed the release in a wider context, noting that it appeared in a two-day window alongside new records from [Cher Lloyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/cher-lloyd) and Robyn, and that all three operated outside radio's top 10.[4](https://time.com/119223/mariah-carey-cher-lloyd-robyn-new-albums/)
## References
1. [Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/mariah-carey?recent-sort=userscore)
2. [Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse review by Andy Kellman, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-mw0002669856)
3. [Mariah Carey: Me. I Am Mariah...the Elusive Chanteuse Album Review by Jordan Sargent, Pitchfork (June 16, 2014)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19399-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse/)
4. [Mariah Carey, Cher Lloyd and Robyn Prove There's a Diva for Every Demographic, Time (May 27, 2014)](https://time.com/119223/mariah-carey-cher-lloyd-robyn-new-albums/)
5. [ME - I AM MARIAH - THE ELUSIVE CHANTEUSE, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse/)
6. [Album Review: Mariah Carey - 'Me. I Am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse', entertainment.ie](https://entertainment.ie/music/album-review-mariah-carey-me-i-am-mariah-the-elusive-chanteuse-266681/)
7. [Music Week, May 17, 2014 issue](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2014/2014-05-17-Music%20Week.pdf)
8. [Mariah Carey: Me. I am Mariah ... the Elusive Chanteuse review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian (May 22, 2014)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/22/mariah-carey-me-i-a-am-mariah-elusive-chanteuse-review)
9. [Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse review, Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/63089/Mariah-Carey-Me.-I-Am-Mariah...-The-Elusive-Chanteuse/)
10. [Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse Review: We. We Are Underwhelmed, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/me-i-am-mariahthe-elusive-chanteuse-review-we-we-are-underwhelmed/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2010s albums › Fourth and later albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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