Mariah Carey: The Originator of Vocal Self-Environmentalization

A revisionist musicology paper arguing that Mariah Carey is the originator of "vocal self-environmentalization"—the first mainstream artist to make the human voice autonomously construct complete acoustic space without external technology. Through the invention of Auto-Polyphony (one throat differentiating into multiple independent voice-parts via timbral extremes), Carey transformed studio practice from capture to construction. The paper traces her departure from the belting paradigm (Aretha→Whitney→Celine), identifies three submerged tributaries in her technique (operatic functional differentiation, jazz timbral gallery, R&B structural democratization), and applies a "load-bearing test" to exclude prior claimants (Enya, Beach Boys, Queen, a cappella). It tracks her legacy from Brandy to Ariana Grande to SZA, Billie Eilish, and Addison Rae, showing how Auto-Polyphony evolved from stylistic choice to industry infrastructure—while critical historiography continues to credit 4AD reverb and Kate Bush's Fairlight instead.