Caution is Mariah Carey's fifteenth studio album, released on November 16th, 2018, through Epic Records. The album was recorded between January—August of 2018.[2][3]
'Caution' debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 after selling over 51,000 copies in the US, becoming Mariah's eighteenth top-ten album. The album includes featured guest appearances by Ty Dolla $ign, Slick Rick, Blood Orange and Gunna, as well as co-productions with Nineteen85, Mustard, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri and Skrillex, among others.[4]
Background[]
Mariah first announced that she was working on Caution in January of 2018 via a social media post.[2] "Missed my second home. Feels good to be back. Studio time getting started," she captioned a photo of herself sitting behind the boards in a recording studio.[5]
In March of 2018, Carey did an interview with V magazine where she further discussed the album.[6] Carey stated “I’m kind of restarting, and I’m working with Roc Nation now, so that’s great. I had a really incredible meeting—just a musical, good meeting of the minds—with Jay Brown, Jay-Z, and Tata [Tyran Smith], who’s an incredible person,” she said. “We all just kind of threw some ideas around, so we’re starting from the musical place rather than, like, what’s the hook? It’s gotta be done that way.”[7] To support her new Las Vegas residency at Caesar's Palace in July 2018, Carey appeared on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live".[8] During the appearance, she talked about her new music and album.[source?] In August 2018, during her residency "The Butterfly Returns", Carey stated that she would finish the album later that month:
| “ | "I've been working on my new album for a while. This is a labor of love and I'm really excited. This is me at this moment in my life being able to express myself as a writer and a singer. I'm just really in a good place." | ” |
– Mariah on her [then] upcoming album via People Magazine — August 2018[9] | ||
Later in that same month, she teased a photoshoot for a "secret project" which was later revealed as the cover artwork shoot, and for the music video of the first single, "GTFO". On September 12th 2018, Mariah announced "GTFO" as the first promotional single for Caution.[10][11] The single would be released the next day.[12]
Carey took to Twitter on Wednesday (October 31, 2018) to unveil the complete tracklist for Caution.[13] To aid in revealing the track list, the singer sent the names of the ten tracks to ten different fans who tweeted the names of each through images[14]:
The first track to be revealed was GTFO by (twitter handle: @nowBhold_daLAMB). Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 1 GTFO You know this one - a fun opener for the album! Hopefully you like it and if not, how 'bout you... lol #Caution
The second track, With You, was revealed by (twitter handle: @jonnyboy823).[15] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 2 WITH YOU One of the first songs I wrote for the album. For the nostalgia! #Caution
The third track, Caution, was revealed by (twitter handle: @voltronxv).[16] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 3 CAUTION The last song I wrote for this album. Originally titled PROCEED WITH CAUTION and then went on to inspire the album title! #Caution
The fourth track, A No No, was revealed by (twitter handle: @THE_REAL_B_).[17] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Specially selected lambs were given the track names for Caution. A Honey B. Fly logo is located at the top of the letters (Image courtesy of @mr_taylor via Twitter)
Track 4 A NO NO Wrote this one with my friend @PriscillaRenea. Girl power! So much fun in the studio with that gal! #Caution LYM!!!
The fifth track, The Distance, was revealed by (twitter handle: @mr_taylor).[18] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 5 The Distance ft. Ty Dollar $ign I love a good chant! S-P-I-R-I-T! #Caution @skrillex @tydollasign
The seven track, One Mo' Gen, was revealed by (twitter handle: @Aladerri).[19] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 7 ONE MO' GEN A slow jam that adds a great texture to the album. @poobear #Caution
The ninth track, Stay Long Love You was revealed by (twitter handle: @Akosibachie). Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
TRACK 9 STAY LONG LOVE YOU ft. Gunna Had such a fun session with the Stereotypes coming up with this one. It's a feel good record! @Only1_Gunna @Stereotypes
The final track, Portrait was revealed by (twitter handle: @TheTomWebster).[20] Carey replied to the tweet with the following:
Track 10 PORTRAIT A reflection. Cuts deep. #Caution thank you for sharing it Tom
Recordings[]
The following are dates —leading up to the album's release— when Mariah may have been in the studio recording Caution.
- January 19, 2018[2]
- February 24, 2018[21]
- March 18, 2018[22]
- March 19, 2018[23]
- April 23, 2018[24]
- April 28, 2018[25]
- July 13, 2018[26]
- July 17, 2018[27]
- July 18, 2018[28]
- August 21, 2018[29]
- August 22, 2018[30][31]
- August 23, 2018[32]
Singles[]
On October 4th, 2018, "With You" was released as the lead single from Caution. The song peaked at #4 on US iTunes and #3 on the Global iTunes chart. It was also her first lead single not to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, despite having a decent radio performance.
In February 2019, it was revealed that "A No No" would be the second single from the album and that would be sent to radio on March 4. It eventually peaked at #17 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. A remix of the song featuring British rapper Stefflon Don was released on March 15, 2019. Another remix was released on April 5, 2019, this time featuring up and coming rapper Shawni.
Promotional singles[]
On September 13th, 2018, Mariah released the promotional single "GTFO". The song peaked at #2 on US iTunes and #1 on the Global iTunes chart.
On October 18th 2018, "The Distance" featuring Ty Dolla $ign was released as the second promotional single from Caution along with the pre-order of the album. It peaked at #61 on US iTunes.
On October 31st, 2018, "A No No" was released as the third promotional single from Caution, before becoming the second single from the album.
Promotion[]
Mariah did a number of promotional performances to support the album starting from April of 2018. In April, she appeared on a couple of YouTube segments. In June of 2018, she appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show to promote her Las Vegas residency, but also talked about the album. In the same month, she appeared on Lorraine UK, as well as RTL in Germany in support of her Christmas shows. On September 13th 2018, she released the first promotional single, "GTFO", with its music video arriving a day later. A week after its release, she appeared on the "iHeart Radio Music Festival", where she performed a medley of her hits and "GTFO". On October 4th 2018, she released "With You". On October 9th, she performed the song at the American Music Awards, releasing its music video the same day.[33] In November, she also appeared on the "Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival" to perform her hits "Emotions" and "Hero". During release week, she appeared on many radio and TV interviews, most notably,"Jimmy Fallon", "The Elvis Duran Show", "Genius", "Watch What Happens Live", "Kelly and Ryan" and "TRL". On November 16th, she performed "The Distance (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)" on the Jimmy Fallon show, releasing its lyric video on the same day. On November 19th, she performed "With You" on "Good Morning America" as part of promotion for the album. She also released a lyric video for "A No No" a few weeks later.
The Mariah Experience[]
In early November 2018, it was announced that Carey is providing an experience for the Lambily. The special event, called The Mariah Experience, was available from November 16 to December 4 at Sony Square NYC at 25 Madison Avenue in New York City. The Mariah-themed space includes Instagrammable photo sets, multimedia displays, memorabilia and a pop-up shop.[34]
To celebrate the release of Caution, Mariah hosted the interactive installation on opening night at 7:30 p.m. ET, where she personally signed copies of her new record. Fans were able to purchase it at Sony Square NYC that day beginning at 10 a.m. ET. While supplies last, purchase grants one wristband to access the signing. Wristbands were limited to a first-come, first-served basis.
Tracklist[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "GTFO" | Mariah Carey, Bibi Bourelly | Carey, Porter Robinson, Nineteen85, Jordan Manswell | 3:27 |
| 2. | "With You" | Carey, Charles Henshaw, Greg Lawary | Carey, Mustard | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Caution (song)" | Carey, Henshaw | Carey, No ID, SLMN, Luca | 3:15 |
| 4. | "A No No" | Carey, Priscilla Hamilton | Carey, Shea Taylor, Jermaine Dupri | 3:07 |
| 5. | "The Distance" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) | Carey, Ty Dolla Sign | Carey, Skrillex, Lido, Poo Bear | 3:27 |
| 6. | "Giving Me Life" (featuring Slick Rick and Blood Orange) | Carey, Ricky M.L. Walters | Carey, Devonté Hynes | 6:08 |
| 7. | "One Mo' Gen" | Carey | Carey, Fred Ball, WondaGurl, Bear, Dupri | 3:25 |
| 8. | "8th Grade" | Carey | Carey, Timbaland, Bear, Angel Lopez, Federico Vindver, Larrance Dopson | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Stay Long Love You" (featuring Gunna) | Carey, Sergio Kitchens | Carey, The Stereotypes | 3:01 |
| 10. | "Portrait" | Carey | Carey, Daniel Moore II | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 38:26 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Runway" | Carey, Hamilton | Carey, Lido, Skrillex | 3:41 |
| Total length: | 42:07 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Runway" (featuring KOHH) | Carey, Hamilton | Carey, Lido, Skrillex | 3:41 |
| Total length: | 45:48 | |||
Commercial Performance[]
"Caution" debuted at #5 on the Billboard Hot 200, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. "Caution" also debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and the Billboard R&B Albums chart. "Caution" debuted at #4 on the Billboard Digital Albums Chart. "Caution" also debuted at #4 on the Top Album Sales chart. In 4 months, the album was able to sell 191.000 copies worldwide (100,000 in the US). The single A No No went on to sell 686K copies (physical + streams) and With You sold 561K.
Unreleased Songs[]
- "Angel's Cry" was named by Carey at the Genius interview, but any other information on the song remains unknown.
- "Roc n' Roe" is a song recorded with her kids, Monroe and Moroccan, and written by Carey. She first mentioned the song in her Jimmy Kimmel interview in June of 2018, describing the whole situation around its recording. She said that it doesn't have a title yet that is why she has just been calling it "Roc n' Roe". More recently in an interview in November, she said that she is reluctant to release it because the kids sound a lot younger, but she might release it eventually some time after the album's release.
- "Runway (ft KOHH)" is only available on the Japanese version of "Caution".
- Rumors circulated around of a remix for "A No No" featuring Cardi B, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliot, but Cardi recently has denied any involvement in the track.
- None of Jermaine Dupri’s tracks made the final cut of the album. However, he has been producing remixes for the album.
References[]
- ↑ Billboard - Mariah Carey Announces New Album 'Caution'
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Missed my 2nd home. Feels good to be back ?? — @mariahcarey via Twitter
- ↑ Grape Juice — She’s Coming! Mariah Carey Begins Work On New Album
- ↑ Caution — Mariah Carey Network
- ↑ Mariah Carey is back in the music studio — McArchives
- ↑ V Magazine — ME, MYSELF, & MARIAH
- ↑ Mariah Carey Is Working on a New Album and Doesn’t “Give a Damn” About the Grammys via W Magazine
- ↑ Mariah Carey appearing on June 6 "Jimmy Kimmel Live" — MCArchives
- ↑ Mariah Carey spills details on her upcoming album via MCArchives.com
- ↑ Mariah Carey teases new single "GTFO" in sultry lingerie
- ↑ She's back! Mariah Carey announces new single "GTFO" via MCArchives
- ↑ Legendary global icon Mariah returns with new music via MCArchives.com
- ↑ Mariah Carey reveals "Caution" track list
- ↑ About to reveal the tracklist for my new album #CAUTION , and wanted to let the #Lambily do it with me! Let's goooo! via Twitter.com @MariahCarey
- ↑ Track 2 WITH YOU One of the first songs I wrote for the album. For the nostalgia! #Caution via Twitter @MariahCarey
- ↑ Track 3 CAUTIONThe last song I wrote for this album. Originally titled PROCEED WITH CAUTION and then went on to inspire the album title! #Caution via Twitter @MariahCarey
- ↑ Track 4 A NO NO Wrote this one with my friend @PriscillaRenea. Girl power! So much fun in the studio with that gal! #Caution LYM!!! via Twitter @MariahCarey
- ↑ Twitter @mariahcarey — Track 5 The Distance ft. Ty Dollar $ign I love a good chant! S-P-I-R-I-T! #Caution @skrillex @tydollasign
- ↑ Track 7 ONE MO' GEN A slow jam that adds a great texture to the album. via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Twitter — Track 10 PORTRAIT A reflection. Cuts deep. #Caution thank you for sharing it Tom
- ↑ February 24 2018 Picture via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Pon de studio Happy St. Patrick's Day! via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Okay, so it's 5 am.. pon de booth! @mariahcarey via Twitter
- ↑ It's 5:15am here.. so, quite naturally I'm Pon de studio and everyone else is knocked out! "Late nights, playin' in the dark..."#ntt via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Pon de lab via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Night off... #pondestudio @mariahcarey via Twitter
- ↑ My Life is fucking amazing!!! And I ain’t going back and forth with you @JermaineDupri via Twitter
- ↑ Picture Jul 18, 2018 @mariahcarey via Twitter
- ↑ Aug 21, 2018 Picture via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Sippin Tea via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ mariah carey is "off to the studio" in a golf cart via MCArchives
- ↑ Vocals night#focused #inspired via Twitter @mariahcarey
- ↑ Mariah Carey to perform at 2018 American Music Awards VIA MCArchives.com
- ↑ Mariah Carey announces "The Mariah Experience" in NYC via MCArchives
Template:Caution