"Infinity" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on April 27, 2015 by Epic Records as the lead single from Carey's sixth compilation album, #1 to Infinity.
Background[]
The only new recording to be included on the compilation, "Infinity" was released on April 27, 2015, to coincide with Carey's Las Vegas launch party. The accompanying music video was directed by Brett Ratner.[2] The song received positive reviews from music critics.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] One of the lines in the song, talking about Fritos, also received generally positive feedback, with fans "freaking out" over the reference.[12]
Critical Reception[]
The song was met with generally positive reception from music critics. Critics complimented the song's inspirational message, but many theorized that the lyrics addressed Carey's divorce from Nick Cannon, although Carey stated it was not necessarily about her personal life.[13] Alexa Camp from Slant gave the track a mixed review, saying the song "will likely be better remembered for its lyrical content". Musically she felt that "Infinity" had the "string-and-brass-laden production", and stated that "it's primary function seems to be to mask the singer's ailing voice".[14] E. Alex Jung of Vulture commented that "Infinity" showed "empowering lyrics, soaring vocals, and a chorus with multisyllabic words", and suggested that the lyrical content is related to her former husband Nick Cannon.[15] Jessica Goodman of Huffington Post praised Carey's performance and described it as "signature breathy vocals and super high notes".[16] Alyssa Bailey of Elle labeled the song "a wonderfully nostalgic breakup anthem".[17]
Andrew Unterberger for Spin was complimentary of Carey's vocals, and called song "a sweeping ballad". Underberger commented that "Infinity" is "a torch song that’s stadium-sized in both sound and emotion", but he felt that the song will not be her 19th Hot 100 number-one hit.[18]
Live performances[]
"Infinity" was performed as the encore of every single show of #1 to Infinity from May 6, 2015 to August 31, 2016. For the final shows of 2016 and 2017, the song was replaced by "It's Like That."
To promote its accompanying compilation album and concert residency, a medley of "Vision of Love" and "Infinity" was performed at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards on May 17, 2015. The same medley was performed the following day on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (among other songs cut from the final broadcast) and at Main Street, U.S.A. for Live! with Kelly and Michael on May 19, 2015 during their week-long Disneyland take-over, airing on May 22, 2015. Carey also performed the medley during private concerts at One World Observatory in New York City on May 28, 2015, at Glock Horse Performance Center in Treffen, Austria on May 29, 2015, and at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas on June 5, 2015 as part of the 2015 Walmart Shareholders Meeting.
Charts
| Charts (2015) | Peak
positions |
|---|---|
| US Top Twitter Tracks (Billboard) | 3 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 18 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) | 25 |
| UK R&B (Official Charts Company) | 27 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 28 |
| Sweden (DigiListan) | 52 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100) | 71 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
| France (SNEP) | 85 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 154 |