WHITNEY AND MARIAH Team Up On Hit Tune `When You Believe'

Jet, Dec 14, 1998

When word got out that Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey were teaming up for a duet, music lovers everywhere knew they were in for a real musical treat.

And the two superstar divas certainly aim to please by serving fans a real, soulful feast on their smash duet When You Believe.

The song, produced by hitmaker Babyface, is featured on the soundtrack for the animated Biblical movie The Prince of Egypt and has become an immediate hit on pop and soul charts.

The inspirational song is included on both of their new albums-Whitney's My Love Is Your Love, her first studio album in eight years, and Mariah's #1's, a collection of her No. 1 hit singles.

"A powerful ballad; (songwriter) Stephen Schwartz is a genius," says Whitney about the song. "You have to be a child of God to understand the depth of this song. Mariah and I did it as we felt it."

Mariah explains in her album liner notes why she chose to put the tune on her album. "Because to me, it almost is a miracle that Whitney and I are on a record together! After meeting and working with Whitney Houston, I have gained a whole other layer of respect for this truly talented woman in so many ways."

And forget those rumors about a rivalry between the two ladies of song. The super-talented vocalists clicked immediately in the studio and have become fast sister-friends.

They also recently made their first joint appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Whitney describes their musical friendship in EBONY'S December issue.

"I enjoyed working with her very much," Whitney tells EBONY.

She points out, "Mariah and I got along very great. We had never talked and never sang together before. We just had a chance for camaraderie, singer-to-singer, artist-to-artist, that kind of thing. We just laughed and talked and laughed and talked and sang in between that ... It's good to know that two ladies of soul can still be friends."

Whitney sings up a soulful, hip hop contemporary storm on her new album. She has assembled some of the hottest producers to contribute to the album, which is winning her new fans and satisfying her older fans.

Among those lending a hand are musician-producer Wyclef Jean of the Fugees fame, who produced the title tune My Love Is Your Love.

"What can I say?" Whitney notes. "Just a beautiful song. What a lyric! I can't talk about it--just listen to it"

Babyface, who produced the Houston-Carey duet, also contributed several other cuts, including Until You Come Back and You'll Never Stand Alone.

"Babyface is a mind reader," she notes of Until You Come Back. "How I feel about my husband. Period."

Young hip hop producer Rodney Jerkins kicks off Whitney's album with the first tune, It's Not Right, But It's Okay. "It's a funky, up-tempo thing, gets you moving-in more ways than one. I think every woman feels this way at one time or another," Whitney says.

Other highlights include Heartbreak Hotel featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price. "These artists can sing," exclaims Whitney. "I had so much tim with it, I'd probably still be there. As for the title, I've stayed in that place before, but I checked out."

While Whitney is delighting her audience with her first nonmovie soundtrack album in eight years, Mariah is thanking her fans with her new album featuring 13 of her No. 1 singles. Appropriately titled #1's, Mariah dedicates the album to the fans who have supported her since day one.

"This is not a greatest hits album," she says in the liner notes. "It's too soon. I haven't been recording long enough for that! This album is a `thank you' and an acknowledgment of my gratitude to all of you out there for making these records #1 on the charts."

The album features hits like Vision of Love, Dreamlover, Hero, Fantasy, One Sweet Day and Honey.

In addition to her duet with Whitney, the songbird's new album also features three other newly recorded tracks like Sweetheart, with hip hop superstar Jermaine Dupri,Whenever You Call, a duet with Brian McKnight, and I Still Believe.

And just as Whitney has become a major actress, Mariah is hoping for the same kind of luck and acceptance. She will reportedly work with comedian-actor Chris Tucker in the movie Double O Soul.

Meanwhile, her fans can see the platinum-selling songstress on her upcoming TV special, "Mariah Carey Around the World," slated to air Dec. 15.

As When You Believe continues to climb the charts, the two songbirds are already thinking about teaming up again on other musical ventures.

"We talked about doing other things together, enterprise-wise, which is cool, because she's got a good, vivid mind, that girl," Whitney tells EBONY. "She's a smart lady. I really like Mariah."