Mariah Carey’s enduring reign over the pop and R&B landscape shows no signs of slowing, as the superstar’s latest album, Here For It All, stormed the charts this week and reignited conversation about her musical legacy. Released independently via MARIAH/gamma on September 26, 2025, the 11-track set marks Carey’s first full-length studio album in seven years, arriving on the heels of the 20th anniversary of her critically acclaimed The Emancipation of Mimi. According to Billboard, Here For It All debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, selling 47,000 equivalent album units in its first week. This achievement also secured Carey her fourth leader on the chart since its inception in 2012.
The new album’s impact didn’t stop there. Here For It All also clinched the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums, Top Current Albums, and Top Albums charts, and made a notable entrance at No. 3 on Top Vinyl records. On the prestigious Billboard 200, Carey’s album landed at No. 7, marking her 19th top 10 album—a feat that places her in rare company. As NPR highlighted, Carey has now become only the third woman to have a new album in the top 10 across four consecutive decades—the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s—joining the ranks of Madonna and Shania Twain.
Carey’s gratitude for her fans, affectionately known as the “lambily,” was clear in a heartfelt Instagram post to her 14.5 million followers. “Thank you lambily for all the love and support for HERE FOR IT ALL! Seeing this album connect the way it has means everything to me,” she wrote on October 8, 2025. The outpouring of support reflects not just the loyalty of her fanbase, but also the continued resonance of her music in a rapidly evolving industry.
The album’s collaborative spirit shines through in tracks like “Play This Song,” featuring Anderson .Paak, and “Jesus I Do,” with gospel legends The Clark Sisters. Both collaborations made waves on their respective charts, with “Play This Song” debuting at No. 5 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart and “Jesus I Do” reaching No. 6 on the Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, according to Rated R&B. Such cross-genre partnerships are nothing new for Carey, who has a storied history of blending pop, R&B, and hip-hop—a legacy discussed by critics and fellow artists alike.
Culture critics Tanika Charles, Pablo The Don, and Michael Blackmon, speaking with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on CBC’s Commotion, emphasized Carey’s pivotal role in shaping the sound of the ’90s and beyond. Blackmon noted, “You have to look at—what I would consider to be—her progeny, which are people like Christina Aguilera to Ariana Grande, and even folks like Leona Lewis. These folks have been molded in Mariah’s shadow, but no one really comes close to having her impact.” The panelists credited Carey with popularizing hip-hop collaborations in mainstream pop, citing her groundbreaking work with O.D.B. on “Fantasy” as a turning point that set an industry standard.
But Carey’s journey to creative freedom was not without struggle. As Pablo The Don recounted, her early career was marked by tension with Columbia Records, helmed by her then-husband Tommy Mottola. Mottola exerted significant control over Carey’s image and musical direction, pushing her toward a racially ambiguous, pop-centric persona. Despite this, Carey always embraced her Black identity and fought to infuse her music with the R&B and hip-hop influences of her East Coast roots. “She really wanted to start pushing her sound. She knew hip-hop—especially on the East Coast, being a girl from New Jersey—was on the rise and she wanted to infuse that into her music. So she really made that push,” Pablo explained.
Tanika Charles further highlighted the industry’s hesitation to support Carey’s vision, observing, “We have this artist who the label is trying to push as a pop artist. They want her to be palatable to a certain audience. So now you incorporate hip-hop, you incorporate R&B, maybe her reach wouldn’t be as global as maybe the pop scene might be. And perhaps the wrong audience would be attracted and maybe it would jeopardize sales. So I think, at the end of the day, it all boils down to money.”
Carey’s insistence on artistic autonomy ultimately paid off, as she not only broke genre barriers but also redefined what it meant to be a pop diva. The critics on Commotion underscored her often-overlooked prowess as a songwriter, with Pablo The Don pointing out, “I think she has co-written, or a solo writer’s credit, on 18 of the 19 No. 1 hits she has. And also I think that is what real impact looks like. It’s so rare to have someone who’s a hitmaker, but also is so ahead of the curve with music.”
Commercially, Here For It All continues Carey’s streak of top 10 Billboard 200 entries for every studio album she’s released, a run that began with her self-titled debut in 1991. This latest album follows 2018’s Caution, which debuted at No. 5 with 51,000 equivalent units, as reported by Billboard. Notably, the sales for Here For It All leaned heavily toward physical copies—a testament to Carey’s dedicated fanbase in an era dominated by streaming.
The week of October 8, 2025, proved to be a competitive one on the charts. As NPR detailed, five albums debuted in the top 10, with Doja Cat’s Vie at No. 4 and Young Thug’s UY SCUTI at No. 6. The No. 1 spot was claimed by the soundtrack to KPop Demon Hunters, which sold approximately 102,000 equivalent album units. Yet, even with Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated The Life of a Showgirl set to dominate the following week, Carey’s presence in the top 10 remains a significant achievement. As NPR noted, “Here For It All looks primed for a short run in the top 10, but since we’re maybe two months away from a Mariah-led holiday takeover, she won’t be gone—from either the charts or our hearts—for long.”
Carey’s continued relevance is not just a matter of nostalgia. Her willingness to evolve, collaborate, and assert her creative vision has cemented her as one of the most influential and iconic artists of her generation. With Here For It All, she adds yet another chapter to a storied career that, three decades on, shows no signs of fading from the spotlight.
