Monday marked the release of the new Mariah Carey single, “Infinity.”  This latest single is the sole new recording from Carey’s forthcoming greatest hits collection #1 to Infinity which is hitting stores in a couple of weeks on May 18.  The new compilation is the singer’s first project since returning to her original label home of Sony after having spent most of the 2000s on Island Records and Def Jam Records.

Since releasing her self-titled debut album on Columbia in 1990, Mariah Carey has released 14 studio albums.  The first seven were on Columbia with whom she remained until 1999’s Rainbow before moving over to Virgin for the 2001 soundtrack to Glitter and onto Universal’s Island Records for 2002’s Charmbracelet.  Carey remained with Universal through last year’s Me.  I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse.  She has now signed a new deal with Sony imprint Epic Records and is beginning a residency at the Colosseum  at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

#1 to Infinity is not the first greatest hits compilation or even the first to be devoted to her record-breaking #1 Billboard hits.  (She’s scored more than any other solo artist in history.)  That would be 1998’s #1s, which included her #1 US hits up to that time along with four new recordings.   Several other compilations followed including 2001’s Greatest Hits and 2011’s The Essential Mariah Carey.  All of these were packages anthologizing her Columbia recordings.  This new compilation is the first to cover her original Columbia tenure and her material at Universal.  (One note about this new compilation:  “Someday” is indicated as being the MTV Unplugged version, but that is not the version that reached #1.  The original studio recording from Mariah Carey is the one climbed to the top of the charts in March 1991).

Mariah Carey has certainly become of the biggest pop stars on the planet.  She has had huge commercial success and her vocal stylings have influenced a whole generation of aspiring singers.  If you would like to sample her biggest commercial hits, this compilation is a good place to start.  Below you will find the press release from Epic Records with more information about this release and Mariah’s upcoming Las Vegas shows.

April 13, 2015 – New York, NY – Multi-platinum global superstar Mariah Carey has been signed to an exclusive contract with Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, it was announced today by Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Chairman and CEO, Epic Records.  Mariah now returns to Sony Music where her hitmaking career began, with a history-making string of 18 Hot 100 #1 hits that made her the best-selling female artist of all time.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back together again with Mariah,” said Mr. Reid. “There is really no one who comes close to Mariah as both a songwriter and a singer, and as the world knows, her vocal range is legendary and truly incomparable.  Her music is indelibly etched into our culture, and she’s shattered so many chart records that she’s now firmly entrenched in the history books.  With a fierce and loyal fan base that covers every corner of the globe, I have no doubt Mariah will do it again.”

Mariah’s first album release will be Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity, arriving in stores May 18th on Epic Records / Columbia Records/Sony Legacy.  For the first time ever, one career-spanning chronological collection will gather all 18 of her Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (17 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history.  Included as the final track on the collection is Mariah’s breathtaking new single, “Infinity” (co-written and produced by Mariah).  Fans who pre-order the album now [directly from Sony] and will receive a special gift

The #1 chart hits on Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity, range from “Vision of Love” and “Love Takes Time” in 1990, through “Thank God I Found You” (featuring Joe & 98 Degrees) in 2000, to “We Belong Together” (#1 for 14 weeks, the second longest running #1 in U.S. chart history, named the Most Popular Song of the 2000s Decade by Billboard, second only to Mariah’s own “One Sweet Day” featuring Boyz II Men, 16 weeks at #1 in 1995, named the Most Popular Song of the 1990s), to “Don’t Forget About Us,” and “Touch My Body,” to name just a few.

“MARIAH CAREY #1’s,” her headlining residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, will kick-off on May 6th, in between the release of “Infinity” and Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity.  For the first time ever, Mariah will perform all 18 of her #1 hits in one production, designed exclusively for the Colosseum, also featuring fan-favorite album cuts, never-before-performed songs, and other surprises.  Presented jointly by AEG Live and Caesars Palace, tickets to the first 18 performances in 2015 are on-sale now: May 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24; and July 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26.  To purchase tickets, go to: thecolosseum.com or axs.com.

You can pre-order #1 to Infinity below on both CD and vinyl!  The CD is due on May 18; the vinyl edition arrives on August 28.

Mariah Carey, #1 to Infinity (Epic Records/Columbia Records/Sony Legacy, 2015)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD

1. Vision of Love
2. Love Takes Time
3. Someday (MTV Unplugged Version)
4. I Don’t Wanna Cry
5. Emotions
6. I’ll Be There (featuring Trey Lorenz)
7. Dreamlover
8. Hero
9. Fantasy (Bad Boy Fantasy featuring O.D.B.)
10. One Sweet Day (featuring Boyz II Men)
11. Always Be My Baby
12. Honey
13. My All
14. Heartbreaker (featuring Jay-Z)
15. Thank God I Found You (featuring Joe and 98 Degrees)
16. We Belong Together
17. Don’t Forget About Us
18. Touch my Body
19. Infinity

Tracks 1, 2, 4 from Mariah Carey (Columbia CK-45202, 1990)
Tracks 3,6 from MTV Unplugged (Columbia CK-52758, 1992)
Track 5 from Emotions (Columbia CK-47980. 1991)
Tracks 7-8 from Music Box (Columbia CK-53205, 1993)
Tracks 9-11 from Daydream (Columbia CK-66700, 1995)
Tracks 12-13 from Butterfly (Columbia CK-67835, 1997)
Tracks 14-15 from Rainbow (Columbia CK-63800, 1999)
Tracks 16-17 from The Emancipation of Mimi (Island Records B0005785-00, 2005)
Track 18 from E=MC² (Island Records B0010272-02, 2008)
Track 19 is a new studio recording