The Emancipation Of Mimi

Mariah's tenth studio album, The Emancipation Of Mimi, was released on April 12, 2005. “‘Mimi’ is a very personal nickname only used by those closest to me… just one of those little things that I've kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life,” Mariah explained about the album title. “By naming the album The Emancipation of Mimi, I am letting my guard down and inviting my fans to be that much closer to me. Most importantly, I am celebrating the fact that I've grown into a person and artist who no longer feels imprisoned by my insecurities or compelled to try and live up to someone else's vision of ‘Mariah Carey.’ I now feel I can honestly say, ‘This is me, the real me, take it or leave it.’ For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am. And that's what the music of this album and its title reflect.”

The Emancipation Of Mimi entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one after selling over 404,000 copies in the US, the highest first-week sales of Mariah's career at the time. It would go on to become her highest-selling album since 1995's Daydream and the highest album by a female artist on the Billboard 200's 2005 Year-End charts, where it came in at number four. The Emancipation Of Mimi was certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 26, 2022, and earned Mariah numerous awards, including the Billboard Music Award for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album, the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album and the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album - Female.

Choosing the album's lead single wasn't an easy task. “Say Somethin'” was announced as the first single in late 2004, with a planned release date of November 30. “[The label] wanted to actually go with ‘Say Somethin'’ as the lead single. They were like, ‘I love it, I love it. It's so different for you. You should go with it.’ I felt like it was a really strong album cut, but I didn't see it as the first single for me, because I thought it was too different,” Mariah explained. “L.A. Reid really wanted an uptempo song, and I have to give him credit for inspiring Jermaine and I to go in and do an uptempo record. We had ‘We Belong Together’ and then I was like, ‘How can we not go with that song first?’ But L.A. planned to release something with a little bit of tempo and then we'd do ‘We Belong Together.’ My gut wanted to go with ‘Shake It Off’ first. In retrospect, it was the right decision, but at that time, I was loving ‘Shake It Off’ so much. I think there was a feeling that maybe ‘Shake It Off’ didn't have a broad enough appeal, which is ironic because it ended up doing better than ‘It's Like That’.”

“It's Like That” was released as the lead single on January 25, 2005. The song peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Mariah's twenty-fifth Top 20 single and her most successful chart entry since her collaboration with Busta Rhymes and The Flipmode Squad on 2003's “I Know What You Want.” “‘It's Like That’ is a song that to me is just very much about having a good time, and really just a fun, party record,” Mariah said about the song. “I went to Atlanta and I was working with Jermaine Dupri. I just wanted a record that was really fun, really like for the clubs and just for the people who were getting ready to go out at night; one of those really ‘Let your hair down, just have a good time, this is my night’ type of thing. This is my song when I go out to have a good time. And that's how we came up with the song, we were just having fun.”

On March 23, 2005, “We Belong Together” was released as the album's second single. The song became Mariah's sixteenth number-one single and spent fourteen consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the second longest-running number-one song in history and the best-performing Hot 100 single of the decade. “We Belong Together” broke several airplay records and became the most heard song in American radio history. It was certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America May 30, 2025, and won numerous awards including the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Song of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

“Shake It Off” was released as the third single in the US on July 11, 2005. “That's probably one of my favorite songs on the album,” Mariah told Lawrence Ferber in 2005. “‘Shake It Off’ can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I'll listen to that song when I've just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off.” On the Hot 100 chart dated September 10, “Shake If Off” reached its number-two peak behind Mariah's “We Belong Together,” marking the first time a female artist occupied the top two positions on the chart. “Shake It Off” spent thirteen consecutive weeks in the Top 10 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America on July 31, 2019.

“Get Your Number” was released as a single outside the United States in late September 2005, peaking at number nine in the United Kingdom (as a double-sided single with “Shake It Off”) and at number nineteen in Australia. “‘Get Your Number’ is a song that I did with Jermaine Dupri, only this time, Jermaine is actually singing on the record which I never in my life would have expected that that was going to happen,” Mariah explained. “He was using it for his album and he had sung the hook and it's a loop of the song ‘Just An Illusion’ by a group called Imagination. When I heard it, he was like, ‘I want to hear you sing it over a loop,’ and I'm like, ‘Well okay. People always criticize me for singing loops, but alright, there's no other loops on the record basically. So alright, let's do it.’ When I started to resing the hook, it just didn't have the same quality as when Jermaine was singing it because obviously we have very different voices. So I made it into a duet where Jermaine is singing his part on the hook and I do the verses.”

After the album's massive success, Island Records announced the release of The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition, which became available on November 15 including four additional bonus tracks: “Don't Forget About Us,” “So Lonely (One and Only Part II),” the DJ Clue remix of “We Belong Together” and “Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do).”

“Don't Forget About Us” was sent to radio on September 26 and became Mariah's seventeenth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, tying Elvis Presley's record for the most number-one songs on the chart. “When we decided to re-release The Emancipation of Mimi album, L.A. Reid felt that we needed to have another mid-tempo ballad to go along with the new, special platinum edition,” Mariah wrote about the song on the #1 To Infinity liner notes in 2015. “I really love this record because I feel it's got so many dynamics and it speaks directly to the person I'm writing to. It still allows people to interpret the song their own way and to connect with however they may be feeling they need to talk to when they listen to the song. I feel like that's what makes it a #1 song. I love the beat, I love the track, I love the musicality of this piece. It's definitely a personal favorite of mine.”

“Say Somethin'” was released as the album's final single on April 3, 2006. “I'd never worked with Pharrell before, although we've been friends for a while,” Mariah explained. “This was the first chance we had to record together. We got into a studio in L.A. and Nelly was in the next room working on his record and Snoop was in another room working on his, and somehow we all ended up in the same studio together. It became a big party.” The song spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at number seventy-nine.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Cover Art
Cover Art
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Publicity Photos
Publicity Photos
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Promotional Material
Publicity Material
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Booklet
Booklet
Standard Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Booklet - Ultra Platinum Edition
Booklet
Ultra Platinum Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Booklet - 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Booklet
20th Anniversary Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Booklet - 20th Anniversary Japan Edition
Booklet
20th Anniversary Japan Edition

Tracklist

Original Release

Track # Song Run time
1
It's Like That
Written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Johnta Austin.
Produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. Co-produced by Manuel Seal.
3:23
2
We Belong Together
Written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Johnta Austin, Darnell Bristol, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Sid Johnson, Bobby Womack, Patrick Moten, Sandra E. Sully.
Produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. Co-produced by Manuel Seal.
3:22
3
Shake It Off
Written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin.
Produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey.
3:52
4
Mine Again
Written by Mariah Carey, James Poyser.
Produced by James Poyser and Mariah Carey.
4:01
5
Say Somethin' (feat. Snoop Dogg)
Written by Mariah Carey, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Calvin Broadus.
Produced by The Neptunes.
3:44
6
Stay The Night
Written by Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Thom Bell, Linda Creed.
Produced by Kanye West and Mariah Carey.
3:57
7
Get Your Number (feat. Jermaine Dupri)
Written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, James Phillips, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, Leslie John, Ashley Ingram, Nick Jolley, Tony Swain.
Produced by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey. Co-produced by LRoc.
3:15
8
One And Only (feat. Twista)
Written by Mariah Carey, Samuel Lindley, Carl Mitchell.
Produced by The Legendary Traxster and Mariah Carey.
3:14
9
Circles
Written by Mariah Carey, James Wright.
Produced by Mariah Carey and James “Big Jim” Wright.
3:30
10
Your Girl
Written by Mariah Carey, Marc Shemer.
Produced by Scram Jones and Mariah Carey.
2:46
11
I Wish You Knew
Written by Mariah Carey, James Wright.
Produced by Mariah Carey and James “Big Jim” Wright.
3:34
12
To The Floor (feat. Nelly)
Written by Mariah Carey, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Cornell Haynes.
Produced by The Neptunes.
3:27
13
Joy Ride
Written by Mariah Carey, Jeffrey Grier.
Produced by Young Genius and Mariah Carey.
4:03
14
Fly Like A Bird
Written by Mariah Carey, James Wright.
Produced by Mariah Carey and James “Big Jim” Wright.
3:53

Bonus Tracks

Ultra Platinum Edition Bonus Tracks

15th Anniversary Edition Bonus Tracks

20th Anniversary Edition Bonus Tracks

Releases

Original Release

The Emancipation Of Mimi was issued on CD and LP. In the United Kingdom, the album includes the bonus track “Sprung,” while Japan got the additional bonus track “Secret Love.”

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Standard Edition (United States)
Standard Edition CD
USA Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Standard Edition (Europe)
Standard Edition CD
Europe Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Standard Edition (United Kingdom)
Standard Edition CD
UK Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Standard Edition (Japan)
Standard Edition CD
Japan Edition

Deluxe Edition

The Limited Deluxe Edition of The Emancipation Of Mimi was available in a three-panel digipack and includes a fold-out poster.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Deluxe Edition (United States)
Deluxe Edition CD
USA Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD - Deluxe Edition (Europe)
Deluxe Edition CD
Europe Edition

Ultra Platinum Edition

The standard edition of The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition was released on CD including four additional bonus tracks: “Don't Forget About Us,” “So Lonely (One and Only Part II),” the DJ Clue remix of “We Belong Together” and “Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do).”

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Standard Edition (United States)
Standard Edition CD
USA Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Standard Edition (United Kingdom)
Standard Edition CD
UK Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Standard Edition (Japan)
Standard Edition CD
Japan Edition

Ultra Platinum Deluxe Edition

The deluxe edition of The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition includes an additional DVD with the music videos for “It's Like That,” “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off” and “Get Your Number;” as well as a special interview.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Deluxe Edition (United States)
Deluxe Edition CD+DVD
USA Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Deluxe Edition (United Kingdom)
Deluxe Edition CD+DVD
UK Edition
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Ultra Platinum Edition - CD - Deluxe Edition (Japan)
Deluxe Edition CD+DVD
Japan Edition

Special Editions

An exclusive special edition of The Emancipation Of Mimi became available in Japan on June 22 including a Bonus DVD which contains a special interview and the music videos for “It's Like That” and “We Belong Together.” In the United States, retailer Target got an exclusive release of the Ultra Platinum Edition with a bonus CD containing the bonus track “Sprung.” In 2019, Japan saw the re-release of The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition on Blu-Spec CD 2. To commemorate the album's 20th anniversary, Japan got an exclusive 2X CD release in 2025 with fourteen bonus tracks.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Special CD + DVD Edition (Japan)
Special CD + DVD Edition
Japan Exclusive
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition - 2X CD - Target Exclusive USA Edition
Ultra Platinum Bonus Disc Edition
Target Exclusive
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - CD+DVD - Special Japan Edition
Ultra Platinum Edition SHMCD
Japan Exclusive
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi<br>
20th Anniversary Edition - 2X 12"
20th Anniversary 2X CD
Japan Exclusive

Vinyl Editions

The 15th Anniversary Edition of The Emancipation Of Mimi was released exclusively on vinyl in November 2020, available in the standard black vinyl, as well as two limited editions: clear vinyl and a gold vinyl pressing sold exclusively by Urban Outfitters. The 20th anniversary of The Emancipation Of Mimi was commemorated with two additional vinyl variants: the first one, pressed with the album's original cover, contains twenty tracks, while the Deluxe Edition comes in a gorgeous five-vinyl box which includes a total of forty-five songs.

Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - Black Vinyl
Black Vinyl
2005
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - 15th Anniversary Edition - Black Vinyl
15th Anniversary Black Vinyl
2020
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - 15th Anniversary Edition - Clear Vinyl
15th Anniversary Clear Vinyl
2020
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - 15th Anniversary Edition - Gold Vinyl
15th Anniversary Gold Vinyl
2020
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - 20th Anniversary Edition - Black Vinyl
20th Anniversary Black Vinyl
2025
Mariah Carey - The Emancipation Of Mimi - 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
2020

Singles

Mariah Carey - It's Like That
It's Like That
Mariah Carey - We Belong Together
We Belong Together
Mariah Carey - Shake It Off
Shake It Off
Mariah Carey - Get Your Number
Get Your Number
Mariah Carey - Don't Forget About Us
Don't Forget About Us
Mariah Carey - Say Somethin'
Say Somethin'
Mariah Carey - Fly Like A Bird
Fly Like A Bird

Lyrics

It's Like That

We Belong Together

Shake It Off

Mine Again

Say Somethin'

Stay The Night

Get Your Number

One And Only

Circles

Your Girl

I Wish You Knew

To The Floor

Joy Ride

Fly Like A Bird

Sprung

Secret Love

Don't Forget About Us

Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)

So Lonely (One And Only Part II)

We Belong Together (Remix)