Virgin Records ends Mariah Carey's record contract

<br>LONDON (AP) _ Virgin Records America is ending troubled diva Mariah Carey's multi-album contract with a $28 million buyout, Virgin's parent company EMI announced Wednesday. <br><br>The contract

Wednesday, January 23rd 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LONDON (AP) _ Virgin Records America is ending troubled diva Mariah Carey's multi-album contract with a $28 million buyout, Virgin's parent company EMI announced Wednesday.

The contract would have paid Carey a reported $100 million.

``Glitter,'' her first album for Virgin and the soundtrack for her movie of the same name, was a disappointment, failing to live up to the best-selling status of her previous albums for Columbia Records.

It was released after the singer was hospitalized last year for a much-publicized breakdown.

EMI had released a statement earlier this month denying it had agreed to buy out Carey's pricey deal.

The singer's stardom was forged from a wholesome image and soaring ballads that highlighted her multi-octave voice.

But over the last few years, her image has changed. After her divorce from Tommy Mottola, the former president of Columbia and current Sony Music chief, her once demure image became sexier; she also switched musically, using more hip-hop beats instead of the adult contemporary sound that made her famous.