The best-selling female vocalist of the decade, Mariah Carey - the singer talks about enjoying the freedom of a new, single life in her Manhattan townhouse

'You wanna see something funny?' asks Mariah Carey, standing in the spacious kitchen of her new townhouse apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. She walks over to an oil painting hanging on the wall, opposite an enormous stained-glass window. It's of a butterfly - the name, coincidentally, of Mariah's last CD. 'I noticed it after I moved in,' she says in her husky, sultry voice. 'Butterflies are always following me.' Inscribed at the top are the Latin words leviour aura, which translates as "lighter than a breeze." But Mariah sees the painting as having 'something to do with freedom.'

Freedom has been a major theme for this 28-year-old superstar recently. Shortly before releasing the multi-platinum Butterfly album last September, Mariah announced her separation from Sony Music Entertainment president and chief executive Tommy Mottola, the man who discovered her in 1989 and married her four years later. While the couple, who remain on amicable terms, fielded offers for the mansion they had built together on a secluded suburban estate in Bedford, New York, Mariah searched for a place of of her own. The Big Apple was her instinctive choice of location - she'd wanted to live there ever since she was a little girl.

So, last year. Mariah rented three floors of this townhouse in one of the city's most elegant enclaves. It's a comfortable setting - despite Mariah's newly liberated status and her love of hip music and fashion, she also craves security and stability.

'I always felt like an outsider,' she says, by way of explanation. 'That's partly because I'm multi-racial' - Mariah's mother, a former opera singer, is Irish-American; her father is a black Venezuelan - and partly because of not having much money when I was a kid.' Her parents split up when she was a toddler - Mariah and her older brother and sister moved around Long Island with their mother, who often struggled to make ends meet.

Life with Mottola was far steadier. 'With him I was in more of a controlled environment than I'd ever been in, and that was an important part of my growth. Now I feel more independent, more comfortable being alone.'Most significantly, she's at ease in her own skin, and in the city she loves. 'Before, it was a big drama for me to hail a cab by myself. Now I walk around and do what I want.'

These days, the best-selling female vocalist of the decade, with more than 90 million records sold, is looking to develop a movie career. Later this year, Mariah is set to begin shooting the action comedy Double-O-Soul. She's also developing a script and sound track for a film about a family musical act.

To make the transition from living in a giant manor to living by herself. Mariah wanted a sizeable place with a homely feel. 'This felt like home the minute I stepped inside.' she says. 'And you know what's great? I can get up in the night and get something to eat, and I don't feel like there's a goblin lurking behind the door. Being in a humongous house out in the country can be frightening. It was a beautiful place, but of formal, imposing. This feels cosy.'

Part of that cosiness can be attributed to the way the townhouse has been furnished by its owners. Mariah loves the apartment's rich, warm tones, such as the deep red accents in the guest bedroom and the abundance of cherrywood and mahogany in the library. She is equally pleased with the limestone fireplace in the living room. 'That's something I would have chosen. It's very me.'

Mariah has also peppered the place with personal touches. Photos of her - as a toddler with her mum, as an adult with Diana Ross - are everywhere, alongside shots of her friends, relatives and pets. There is more butterfly paraphernalia as well, from hair clips to jewellery boxes; Mariah's pals, who call her "MC", have been lavinshing such trinkets on her since the album came out. In the kitchen are two framed letters from Bill Clinton. I hope to hear you in person someday.' the President scribbled on one.

But it is in the large basement that Mariah's influence is most obvious. She has converted it into a huge walk-through closet complete with a beauty area boasting a professional chair for facials and electrolysis. Even so, Mariah is reluctant to buy this house because it isn't big enough for a workout facility and to store her mind-boggling supply of clothes and shoes. She often has to throw on a robe and ride down to the basement in the elevator - which she shares with the family livingt above her - just to get dressed.

Mariah's clothes are neatly arranged and colour-coordinated. There are rows and rows of trousers, dresses, jackets, miniskirts, halter tops, T-shirts and handbags. Her wardrobe reveals a personal style that veers toward the funky and form-fitting. A current favourite item is a white elastic tube top ('Seven dollars!' she boasts playfully); and her preferred style is a black leather-and-nylon jacket slipped on over tight jeans.

An anomaly in Mariah's jacket collection is a hulking navy-blue number sporting the logo of the New York Yankees baseball team. 'I went to a game the other day and I got cold, so I bought one,' she says coyly.

But Mariah doesn't need much pressing to reveal the real story and confirm that the rumours concerning her relationship with Yankees' star shortstop Derek Jeter are true. She met him about a year ago and, strengthened by the common ground they share, their relationship evolved from friendship. 'His mom is Irish and his father's black - same thing as me. I had never met anybody like that, and that's always been a big part of who I am.'

As the ex-wife of a prominent entertainment-industry figure, Mariah knows that celebrity relationships can be tricky to manage. 'It's bad enough when just one public person is invoved,' she says. 'But with two, it is really hard to have something to yourself.'

Since moving to Manhattan, Mariah has developed a reputation as a night owl. 'As i didn't really go out in the past, I go overboard more these days,' she says. 'But to get my voice into a good place, I have to slepe. When I'm touring, I feel like a hermit. My dancers and singers will be out having fun, and I'm in bed, like, "woe is me".

Her social schedule in New York involves dining out in certain restaurants so frequently that the maitre d's know her favourite foods. These include chicken with walnuts and prawns with Grand Marnier at one gourmet Chinese hotspot. Mariah is not a woman who obsessively diets to keep her figure in check. Her secret is moderation - and good genes. 'I'm not one of those inherently skinny people. If I ate a lot every night, I'd get fat like anybody else.' For exercise she does sit-ups and leg raises at night and occasionally jogs.

By this time the apartment has turned dark, and as the singer settles onto the living room sofa she savours a recent memory. 'I had guests over last week. It was very nice. It wasn't stressful, you know? For so long, everything was a stress-fest. I used to think that was the penance for success.' Mariah leans back, stretches her arms, and sighs contentedly. 'Now I'm just trying to enjoy my life.'





Thanks to Kerry from Mariah Carey Collection for the scans.