The first book to critically examine the legacy of pop superstar Mariah Carey. When it comes to Mariah Carey, star power is never in doubt. She has sold hundreds of millions of albums and cut more chart-topping hits than any other solo artist—ever. And she has that extraordinary five-octave vocal range. But there is more to her legacy than eye-popping numbers. Why Mariah Carey Matters examines the creative evolution and complicated biography of a true diva, making the case that, despite her celebrity, Carey’s musicianship and influence are insufficiently appreciated. A pioneering songwriter and producer, Carey pairs her vocal gifts with intimate lyrics and richly layered sonic details. In the mid-1990s, she perfected a blend of pop, hip-hop, and R&B with songs such as “Fantasy” and “Honey” and drew from her turbulent life to create the introspective masterpiece Butterfly. Andrew Chan looks beyond Carey’s glamorous persona to explore her experience as a mixed-race woman in show business, her adventurous forays into house music and gospel, and her appeal to multiple generations of queer audiences. He also reckons with the transcendent ideal of the voice that Carey represents, showing how this international icon taught artists around the world to sing with soul-shaking intensity and a spirit of innovation.

Quality of teaching has proved to be an elusive construct. This book is based on extensive interviews with 18 truly exemplary teachers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The book explains and illustrates the principles of excellent teaching that underpin the way these teachers plan and teach their courses. What content, teaching strategies and assessment tasks do they select? What do they actually do in their classrooms? How do they establish and maintain relationships with their students? How do they improve their own practice through evaluation? These principles of excellent teaching apply across all disciplines and, indeed, across the global higher education community.