.

Mariah Takes on New Name

Diva baptizes herself -- and new album -- "Mimi"

November 23, 2004 12:00 AM ET
Mariah Carey's new album, The Emancipation of Mimi, will arrive in stores March 22nd and feature guest spots from Snoop Dogg, the Neptunes, Kanye West and Jermaine Dupri. In a post on her Web site, Carey lamented the album information's early leak and explained the cryptic title.

"'Mimi' is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me...just one of those little things that I've kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life," Carey writes. "By naming the album The Emancipation of Mimi, I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me.

"Most importantly," she continues, "I am celebrating the fact that I've grown into a person and artist who no longer feels imprisoned by my insecurities or compelled to try and live up to someone else's vision of 'Mariah Carey.' I now feel I can honestly say, 'This is me, the real me, take it or leave it.' For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am. And that's what the music of this album and its title reflect."

The album's first single, "Say Something," features Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams.

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