In the '90s, Mariah Carey seemed to be so perfect and unstoppable with a string of hit songs and albums. But in the 2000s, that facade faded with what MTV calls "Mariah's Ice Cream Meltdown" on Total Request Live. Four years after that weird 2001 incident, Carey staged a comeback with her hit album The Emancipation of Mimi, which is turning 10 years old — and it ensured the singer's career outlasted the now defunct TRL. Comebacks in pop music aren't always easy, but the genre has seen many try and succeed.
In 2001, Carey made the surprise TRL appearance to promote her movie Glitter and its accompanying soundtrack album, both of which flopped with critics and fans. She was then hospitalized for severe exhaustion and Virgin Records made her buy-out her contract with them for $50 million. ''One blip of a soundtrack does not ruin a life,'' Carey told the New York Times. She took a break, signed with Island Records, and tried to find her voice again. Her next album Charmbracelet came and went, but it was The Emancipation of Mimi that would relaunch Carey's career as we know it.
Her single "We Belong Together" spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, became the summer of 2005's bona fide song of the summer, and reacquainted the world with the brand new Mariah Carey. But she's not the only artist to lose — and find — her voice again. Here are five pop comebacks that prove that you can be down, but never counted completely out of the game.
Kylie Minogue
Before Kyle Jenner became the topic of many conversations, Minogue was the main Kylie in pop culture. In 1988, the Aussie singer sang the hit "The Locomotion" and it became a worldwide sensation, not to mention a total '80s earworm.
Minogue continued singing throughout the years, but not with the same success until 2001's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" reached No. 1 worldwide. The hit tune propelled her album Fever to debut at No. 3 on the Billboard charts. Other hit singles from the album include "Come Into My World" and "Love At First Sight."
Cher
The incredibly successful diva and music icon had an amazing run of hit songs and albums in the late 80s and early '90s. She even won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the movie Moonstruck. But the diva had to slow down, as she was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as the Epstein-Barr virus. "I was so sick I thought I was going to die," she told Vanity Fair. "I went to doctor after doctor."
Cher did some more acting in HBO's If These Walls Could Talk and Fox's The X-Files, but it wasn't until 1998 that she released her next foray in music. Believe was a dance album and a complete departure for Cher. The album and its lead single, also called "Believe," was a huge hit, with the song spending four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and selling 1.8 million copies in the United States.
Santana
In the Summer of 1999, Carlos Santana went from "that guy your dad listens to a lot" to "bona fide contemporary rocker" with the smash hit song "Smooth." With Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 on vocals, that Grammy-winning tune is still inescapable, especially in the summer months. The song swept the Grammys and, according to the satirical website The Onion, "Smooth" is still sweeping the Grammys.
In the 60s and 70s, Santana led a band (called Santana) that blended rock music with a Latin sound. He also plays the guitar like nobodies business. His biggest hit before "Smooth," though, was "Black Magic Woman" in 1971.
