In this review, we’ll see if the Mariah Carey MasterClass lives up to its promises and delivers a course worthy of your investment.
Mariah Carey MasterClass Summary
- What you’ll learn: Mariah Carey’s creative process, using samples as building blocks, the importance of background vocals, and taking care of your voice.
- Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes
- Recommendation: 7/10—Despite not being technical enough, the MasterClass is still an entertaining introduction to songwriting and music production.
For a while, Mariah Carey had been toying with the idea of the Butterfly Lounge, a project that takes the audiences inside her studio to watch her write and create music. The core concept was there, but she wasn’t sure which streaming platform would be best for it.
After over a year, she announced that she would let the cameras into her studio for the first time and put up the project as an online course on MasterClass.
The title wasn’t Butterfly Lounge, though. Instead, it followed MasterClass’s typical title structure: Mariah Carey Teaches the Voice as an Instrument.
Throughout the course, Carey illustrates how she turned her voice into a production tool by communicating melodies to her string ensemble. Next, she focuses on background vocals specifically to show how voice can add texture.
By the end of the class, she provides exclusive access to a new version of “The Roof” (from her 1997 album, Butterfly) featuring Brandy Norwood.
She also gives the audience a glimpse into her writing process and provides some general tips for navigating the industry.
So, I decided to check out the Butterfly Lounge and do an in-depth review of Mariah Carey’s MasterClass to help you decide if it’s the right course for you.
In this MasterClass review, you’ll learn:
- What does this MasterClass promise?
- How much does Mariah Carey’s MasterClass cost?
- What’s included in the Mariah Carey MasterClass?
- About the structure of the class
- Key things I learned after taking the MasterClass
- Things I liked and didn’t like about the Mariah Carey MasterClass
- Is Mariah Carey’s MasterClass worth the money?
Quick Q and A
Yes, you’ll need a membership to access Mariah Carey’s MasterClass. Jump to the pricing section to learn more.
Mariah Carey’s MasterClass on using voice as an instrument is 1 hour and 44 minutes long, spanning over 9 video lessons.
Yes. As long as you cancel your MasterClass subscription within 30 days of purchase, you’ll get a full refund. You can easily do so from your account page.
Yes, digging into Mariah Carey’s creative process is a treat, whether you have a background in music or not. Seeing Mariah directing Brandy in Lessons 5 and 6 alone could make the course worth it for die-hard fans.
About Mariah Carey
She’s the second best-selling artist of all time, with only one No.1 hit less than The Beatles. She’s the (untrademarked) Queen of Christmas. And she’s the woman who, when asked about J. Lo, casually said: “I don’t know her.”
Mariah Carey was born in 1969 in New York and basically started singing as soon as she was old enough to talk.
Carey’s mother was a voice coach and an opera singer. So, when Carey was only two years old, she started mimicking her mother’s operatic singing. A couple of years later, she was taking lessons to develop her vocal range and style.
By the time she was 12, Mariah Carey was already doing backing vocals.
However, her musical career didn’t take off until she was 18, with a bit of help from her friend Brenda K. Starr. The two went to a gala hosted by CBS Records (yes, that’s Columbia Records that Sony acquired).
Starr, being a loyal friend, hyped up Carey and convinced her to bring a demo tape to the event. Then, she introduced her to the executive Jerry Greenberg. But as fate would have it, the tape ended up in Tommy Mottola’s hands—the chairman himself!
On the way home, Mottola popped the demo into his car’s cassette player. He immediately saw Carey’s potential and decided she should sign with Columbia. Soon, she was releasing a debut album that sat on top of the Billboard 200 for 11 weeks!
Mariah Carey’s career only went upwards from there, with a total of 19 No.1 hits and 28 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Of course, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is one of those hit songs. But Carey has also made other undeniable classics with a euphoric, flowing voice and complex lyrics.
Take the mid-tempo “Always Be My Baby,” for instance. The lyrics could have easily taken a creepy turn. I mean, she’s literally telling her lover that he’ll never escape. Yet, Carey’s emotion and confidence shift the vibe 180 degrees, making the song upbeat somehow.
In short? That woman can sing.
Fun Fact: The five-octave singer also happens to be a five-time Grammy winner!
“It’s in my genes. My mother was an opera singer. I’m clearly dramatic“
What does this MasterClass Promise?
If you’re just going by the title, you’ll get the impression that Mariah Carey is going to teach you vocal techniques.
But that’s not the BIG promise here.
Instead, this MasterClass is promising inspiration.
A few minutes into the course, Carey says that music saved her life. As you go deeper, you realize that this is the whole theme. In fact, one of the main motivators for creating this course is that she wanted to share the life-changing power of music with others.
So, did Carey live up to her promises? Did she meet my expectations? I’ll cover that at the end of the review (skip ahead if you want to find out). But first, let’s talk about what’s probably on your mind…
How much does Mariah Carey’s MasterClass cost?
You can’t purchase a single-course subscription on MasterClass. Instead, to access Mariah Carey’s course, you have to pick one of the three annual memberships:
- Individual/Standard: $10 per month ($120 billed annually)
- Duo/Plus: $15 per month ($180 billed annually)
- Family/Premium: $20 per month ($240 billed annually)
The prices might seem expensive, but you’re not just getting access to Mariah Carey’s sessions here. The entire catalog (200+ classes across 11 categories) will be available to you, from David Baldacci’s MasterClass on mystery and thriller writing to Karla Welch’s MasterClass on personal style.
You can pick the Individual plan to save money, but you’ll only be able to watch on one device at any given time. The offline viewing feature will also be disabled for your account.
The Duo and Family plans, on the other hand, support offline mode and multiple-device viewing (two and six devices, respectively).
But regardless of which plan you choose, you’ll still get immediate access to all sessions (including Mariah Carey’s lessons) and bonus guides on the online platform.
What is included in the Mariah Carey MasterClass?
Here’s a rundown of what you’re getting with the Mariah Carey MasterClass:
| Runtime: | 1 hour 44 minutes |
| Reviews: | 4.7 out of 5 stars ⭐️ |
| Lessons: | 9 video lessons |
| Materials: | 1 work booklet |
Runtime
Mariah Carey’s MasterClass is only an hour and 44 minutes long, which feels a bit short if I’m being honest. For reference, Timbaland’s beat-making course clocks in at around 3 hours. Christina Aguilera’s singing class and Alicia Keys’ songwriting class are both over 3 hours long.
So, I don’t think you’ll need to watch Carey’s MasterClass at 1.5x speed at all. If you do want to get it done faster, make sure to switch back to 1x during the singing demos.
Supplemental material
Mariah Carey’s class comes with a complementary workbook, but it’s a bit brief. This makes sense when you consider that the class itself is shorter than other MasterClass courses in the same category.
Community access
Mariah Carey’s MasterClass comes with a community page where you can share your thoughts about the online class (and Carey’s impressive talent).
About the structure of the class
Mariah Carey’s MasterClass on using voice as a musical instrument is divided into 9 video lessons, with an average run time of around 10 minutes per lesson.
The last lesson is the longest. But even then, it’s only ~16 minutes, and you can use the video playback buttons to watch at 1.5x speed.
Lesson plan
- Meet Your Instructor: Mariah Carey
- Producing With Your Voice
- Lyricism: Write About the Realness
- Writing With Samples
- Background Vocals, Part 1
- Background Vocals, Part 2
- Instrumentation and Emotion
- Taking Care of Your Voice
- Surviving in the Music Industry
Lesson summary
The course begins with Mariah Carey talking about how she heard Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones, Part II” on the radio one day and was inspired right away. This inspiration drove her to create the 1997 hit “The Roof,” which she reimagines and uses as a running example throughout the class.
But before ending the introductory video, Carey shares some personal stories about how she developed her iconic voice and passion for music.
Perhaps one of the most notable anecdotes is from her teenage years. Little Mariah Carey was essentially producing her first album before she even knew that what she was trying to do was called producing!
Once you get to the “Producing With Your Voice” lesson, Carey starts outlining her creative process. But rather than just talk about what she would or wouldn’t do in the studio, she reimages “The Roof” with a string quartet as an experiment for this MasterClass.
She follows the same “show don’t tell ” approach for her production workflow, singing to show the people she’s working with the melodies she’s hearing in her head.
In Lesson 3, Carey talks about how songwriting is basically just a form of storytelling. This section is full of personal experiences. I think you’ll particularly love the background story behind “Outside.” It’s so emotional and relatable to those of us who didn’t exactly “fit in” as kids!
By Lesson 4, things take a slight technical turn, with valuable insights about using samples as building blocks for making original music. Again, she’s using “The Roof” as an example.
Side Note: When you’re done with Lesson 4, I recommend taking a long break because you’ll want to watch Lessons 5 and 6 in one sitting as a single session.
Lessons 5 and 6 are all about Mariah Carey’s passion for background vocals. Spoiler alert: She prefers them to leads, and she’s not teaching these lessons alone. Brandy Norwood joins her, and together, they tackle the backgrounds on the reimagined version of “The Roof.”
In Lesson 7, the five-time Grammy winner puts the lyrics aside and focuses on instruments. Of course, in “The Roof” experiment, she’s talking about putting some love and longing into the string ensemble.
For Lesson 8, Carey brings back some of the technical aspects, talking about her mother’s singing scales, the importance of vocal rest, and reaching the whistle register. She also shares Luther Vandross’ tips about humidity and how she learned to bring a humidifier to the studio.
Finally, in the last lesson, you get to hear the full version of “The Roof” that you witnessed Mariah Carey and Brandy develop throughout the class. Carey also reflects on her career, how the industry has changed over the years, and the struggle to maintain creative control.
My fast-track lesson plan
Although 1 hour 44 minutes isn’t a huge time commitment at all, I created a fast-track collection for those of you looking for an abbreviated lesson plan. In less than an hour, you can get the most impactful tips, insights, and highlights from Mariah Carey’s creative process.
- Producing With Your Voice
- Writing With Samples
- Background Vocals, Part 1
- Background Vocals Part 2
- Instrumentation and Emotion
Total runtime = ~56 minutes
Key Things I Learned
The MasterClass is full of background stories that Mariah Carey’s fans will definitely enjoy. However, it’s not merely a behind-the-scenes look. There are useful insights to pick up along the way, even if you don’t have much background in music.
Below are a few key learnings that stood out during the MasterClass:
- Whether you write sad lyrics or sweet songs, you should always draw inspiration from real emotions and experiences. Even the small moments can make big songs like “Sunflowers for Alfred Roy.”
- Interpolations can help you reference other songs without needing direct samples.
- Background vocals are truly underappreciated.
- Exaggerated background vocals are good for guiding instrumentation and expressing the right emotion.
- Dissecting background vocals can help you notice all the different textures.
- Voice, like many other instruments, demands maintenance and balanced humidity.
- Typically, 360 deals cover almost all revenue streams, not just music sales.
- Music ownership should be a priority for any rising artist.
Things I liked about Mariah Carey’s MasterClass
For me, the highlight of the MasterClass was the fact that Mariah Carey opted for a practical, running example. She picked one song, stripped it down, and used it to explain her creative process better.
I also loved how she didn’t focus too much on the leads and chose to shed light on the background vocals instead. The fact that the two lessons that tackle background vocals aren’t super technical meant that virtually anyone could easily follow and enjoy the content.
You know what else I liked? Brandy.
Mariah Carey hit the nail on the head by inviting Brandy to the Butterfly Lounge. Brandy’s voice, with all its natural trills, is just perfect for the song. Plus, she doesn’t mimic Carey’s style. She brings her own twist and keeps the reimagined version fresh and unique!
Of course, I enjoyed all the personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes parts. It was nice to hear a star like Mariah Carey open up about her childhood, even the rough patches. After all, the background stories made me realize that she’s an incredibly resilient person and gave me a new appreciation for her lyrics.
I don’t think I’ll be able to hear “Outside” again without thinking about the little biracial girl who feels so misunderstood and lost.
Finally, I appreciate that Carey kept it real. While talking about the business side of things, she didn’t sugarcoat the situation at all. Instead, she made it clear that the music industry is fierce, and some people will try to exploit young artists.
My favorite quotes from Mariah Carey’s MasterClass
- “Mariah Carey, you made it cool for rappers to jump on R&B tracks.”
- “There can be power in anything, from a whisper to a scream. Literally.”
- “I’m not saying that’s the best thing I ever wrote, but it’s real, and it was real for a very long time.”
- “Music saved my life in many, many ways. And if I can do the same for other people, then that’s everything.”
- “I love songwriting. For me, that’s my talent—having melodies run through me. That’s a gift.”
- “Music is expression, a way to put a piece of yourself in the ear of the listener.”
- “Surviving the music industry. I don’t know if I have survived yet. I’m trying. I’m still trying. It’s hard.”
Things I didn’t like about the Mariah Carey MasterClass
There isn’t much that I didn’t like about this MasterClass. However, I can see someone being disappointed by the content if they started this class thinking it’s a technical how-to-sing course.
Mariah Carey doesn’t really dig deep into the technical aspects. In fact, you can expect a “it’s difficult for me to explain” or “I don’t know” here and there. She’s more focused on sharing her passion and experience rather than the proper terminology.
Does the class keep its promises?
Yes and no.
Mariah Carey definitely delivered the dose of inspiration and intense passion I expected from her.
When she sang pitch-perfect renditions of the music in her head to guide players and performers, I immediately understood the appeal of using “voice as an instrument.”
The way she talks about finding power in the producer role is inspiring, even if you’re unmusical. Simply watching her and Brandy exchange riffs and runs made me want to develop a better vocal range.
But here’s where things get tricky.
While the course made me want to sing better, it didn’t actually teach me how to do so.
If you’re already a decent singer, you could dissect Mariah Carey’s creative process to take cues and improve your own songwriting and production.
The rest of us who aren’t as blessed? We can only sit back and watch Carey take it away with a ton of admiration (and maybe a tiny bit of envy) in our hearts.
Is Mariah Carey’s MasterClass worth the money?
Yes if you…
- Need a brief, fun introduction to the world of songwriting and music production
- Are looking to ignite your passion for music
- Are a hard-core Mariah Carey fan looking for some exclusive insights
- Have read Mariah Carey’s memoir and want to know more about her
No if you…
- Are looking for the technical sides of singing and production
- Are likely to end up more envious than inspired by watching someone with immense talent
- Aren’t all that keen on R&B and pop music
Conclusion
Taking everything into consideration, Mariah Carey’s Masterclass can be worthwhile if you need a nudge to find your voice and use it. It’s inspirational, engaging, and brief but not super educational.
The course would also be a great fit for Carey’s fans who just want to watch how the Queen of Christmas creates her hits.
If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a trailer for the class:
