Mariah Carey’s "Butterfly" [LIVE on Letterman 1997] - SINGER REACTS 

This is why Mariah Carey's voice is not boring to listen. She can produce so many textures in her voice. What a Legend.

I really love how her voice effectively flutters like a butterfly across the entire song. It's really evident in the raw Acapella, and it almost sounds like she interweaves vibrato with a trill and it has this beautifully delicate and vulnerable quality.

this song is one of the most beautiful songs of her, this album is a master P , full of harmonies and raspiness on her voice, she is THE VOICE.

I love Mariah’s constant flipping back and forth between chest and head voice in this song, and how she makes it seem easy to do so. I like how she almost only uses very soft tones for the 2 verses, and leave the punchy belts for the climax. And how she ends it very softly too! Thank you Erika for breaking that down😍, that was really interesting to watch you explain how so much is happening in only a split second when it comes to Mariah’s singing!

Her voice was really raspy in that era. It didn't feel like "cracking" in the traditional sense, but a tonal quality her voice took on during this time period for different reasons

Mariah's voice Is so 😻

This song is really an underrated masterpiece, from the lyrics, to the vocals to the music

i love how you mentioned the backup singers! this is one of my favorite performances by mariah but i can’t help but always sing with the the background singers and their perfect harmonies!

Mariah Carey's voice is a unique instrument. God-given talent - just like yours, Erika. Thank you for blessings us with this video filled with wicked explanations. Also, I love how you edit these videos - gotta say it!!

Mariah incredible voice 🔥🔥

All students have to analyze her , a master perfection vocalist ! Look how she looked the backgrounds when they don’t do the exact note ….. 😅🫣😝

Queen of voice 👑

I love the way you break down every note she sang. When Mariah sings, she makes it look easy and effortless, but when others do it, you can see the struggles.

You never fail to bring a smile on my face with your videos!! One of my favourite Mariah songs and performances. She wrote it from the perspective of what she wanted her ex-husband to say to her. I also love how her style of vocal producing is so intentional. It's almost like her voice was opening up like a butterfly out of a cocoon from the beginning with breathy and airy to the end with belts and a fuller voice. Very emotional and personal for her.

Loving this reaction: the vocal dynamics of this song are out of this world. You can tell the resemblances between Ariana's breathy tone and Mariah's breathy vocals she developed since 1993 and you can clearly hear all over the Butterfly record.

One of my Favorite performances of that Era and the favorite of the song. She sound so fragile and emotional connected with every little note/change/register Very nice analysis and really reminded me of that little details I loved and almost forgot about... Thank you! 💖❤💓🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋❤💜💓💗

Thank you for describing both the technicality and emotions of her performance here. It means a whole lot more from someone who have truly studied music. 💙

mariah is the queen Diva on Earth forever. listen to all of her songs. No one can sing like Mariah Carey . She always makes it very unique. Thanks Erica.

I love your reactions! And how you compare the techniques. It wasn’t: 🚫🚫🚫 It also wasn’t:🚫🚫🚫 It was:✅✅✅

Spread your wings and fly. You are flying there in analyzing one of the most heartfelt songs for me. Nice one. 😀

Your reactions on Mariah are just great. Thank you!

Yes was waiting for this reaction. Great reaction. I love the butterfly album. I love "Outside" the lyrics and vocals are everything to me. I've cried to that song. Mariah uploaded "Outside" as an "a cappella" version, I think you should check that out. You can hear her voice so much clearer as well as the background vocals without the music. It's ear-candy to me. 😊

Omg I just absolutely LOVE all your reactions. And like damn your musical background in there is amazing.

That live!!! I am living for it! I am so blessed she gave it a credit and offered it to us on streaming. what I love is how the technique is bringing so much emotion like she feels her song as she was creating it at that moment. One of her best live ever.

I really love that you show differences between more than one way to sing each phrase. Super clear and interesting 👏💪

great react, i loved the observations about her voice, so interesting!!!🥰

Greatest Vocalist Alive! Great reaction!

this album is the first time I getting know Mariah~ 😊

Hi Erika. Thank you for another great analysis. Your breakdown of Mariah's performance was very detailed. I like this classic song, and I enjoy you going over these relatively unknown performances. Thanks!

i loved your reaction analysis ugh so good

I really enjoy your perspective. Thanks for the excellent breakdown!

Love your videos! I’ve watched Mariah for years so it’s really interesting listening to you break down the vocals ❤

Yaaasss... This is so perfect of her. She is so amazing.

Another great analysis of queen Mariah’s vocals…. The Roof is one of my faves off this album. Can you do My All Live analysis please 🙏

First time watcher and 5 mins into the video and I absolutely love how you are dissecting almost every phrase!! So great to hear someone actually breakdown technically sonically rhythmically psychologically etc how she achieves those MC sounds! Subscribed 😊

Wow this is a great video. And you're an amazing singer.

Mariah 's voice is too busy making riffs and runs, from low to airy and to belt high notes.. Such a gifted lady.

Hey babe!!! I just wanted to thank you as a fellow singer myself (I don’t know how old you are I’m 31) for professionally breaking down this song!!!! This is my number one favorite song probably in the whole world. I always go back to this song when I’m in my singing moods. When I was younger, it got me through break ups. It still kind of does. (🥴But also how come this is like the best song for sticking up for like a cheating ex or some thing😂😂😂😂😂), now that I’m a legit adult and have been through lots of life experience so far in terms of all kinds of relationships; I think about the meaning of this song in just a little bit of a different lens 🤔🧐a more mature lense I suppose. Of corse the sentiment of this songs lyrics 🦋 still holds true a million percent! I just don’t take it as an excuse for a former lovers bad behavior like I once did when I was young and dumb. Idk there’s a lot of variables that go into the meaning… ANyWAYS: my point in saying thanks to you is because I haven’t ever (since I got on RU-vid in 08) seen but maybe 2 entire people on YT cover this song at all or in general period!! I will go and check every year or so to see if there’s somthing new, and here you are full blown breaking it down baby!!! 👏🫡🤗🥳 I don’t know all the correct verbiage when it comes to music 🎼 I just sing 🎤 ignorantly, but I do know that there is probably a reason that there’s not much out there on this particular song. I’ve always been so proud of myself for being able to sing that hook near the end of the song, that starts @13:02 in this video. But the rest of the song is sooooo extremely hard for me to keep up and still sound nice like Mariah; cus it’s so airy and sooo high pitched, and all the other stuff you were explaining 😂😂 So I personally, actually only stick to singing the “hardest” part in Butterfly 🦋 cus it’s the only part of that song that I CAN do and kill 😂😂😂 I would pay 💰 you to teach me how to sing this entire song effortlessly 🙌🏼 I’m a closeted singer 🙃☹️ it’s starting to actually really get to me now that I’m 31 and only 3 people in total (none of my ex boyfriends cus they sucked and NEVER made me feel comfortable enough with them) have heard MY REAL voice. My 6 year old son, who’s my biggest fan has actually given me confidence and more courage to actually do somthing about it! It’s really quite sad, I feel literally like Ariel 🧜🏻‍♀️ and everyone around me is Ursula 🐙 . I have such severe stage fright that even like when I go to record myself, even if I’m alone!!! My singing voice automatically goes downhill all the way, it sounds like some fool on American Idol who THINKS that they can sing 😂!! I can only sing like Mariah/Ariana/ Celine/Whitney ; when I am all alone in my house or 🚿 I don’t even bother recording my vocals on my phone anymore. Whether it’s through video or audio on my iPhone, it sounds like actual garbage! It sounds nothing like what I’m hearing IRL…. It’s the same phenomenon that we have, with not being able to truly know what we look like in a mirror or in a camera. That’s another thing! I don’t even freaking take pictures of myself anymore.😂😂😂😂it just severely pisses me off & adds 10+ pounds to my face and body 1000000 percent 👌🏼 The Camera really do be adding 10 lbs plus 😒 except I only feel that way about myself!! Everyone else looks AND sound’s perfectly great to me lol! I’ll never understand! 😫 I’m NOT good at tech shit! But could you maybe recommend an affordable system for me whether it’s a microphone or I don’t even know what!!!! Just something for me to record my vocals and hear what I am hearing in my ears while I sing!!

Absolutely love this performance! In the studio version, Mariah layered her own vocals in the background but I love how the background singers in this live version take over her backing vocals back and forth, so cool.

"Forever" still doing cameos in your MC videos. Love that 😂

Best reaction vid since you actually explain what is going on with the vocals.

Clearly an educated lamb. Instant subscribe!

You are such a wonderful singer yourself. I'm looking forward to your Album

i really, really appreciate your EVERY, SINGLE, DETAIL in EVERY, SINGLE, LINE 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 REALLY BENEFICIAL FOR AN ASPIRING SINGER-SONGWRITER like me, keep it up, im your new fan

Guys mariah gave that background singer the eye 😂😂meaning someonez doing the wrong note she was singing over mariah thought u would notice the eye since your reactions are detailed

Love you videos! Please react/analyze My All. It's one of my favorite songs ever!

i so love this song

That voice so delicate. Handa down to the most beautiful and technical voice for eternity.

Fav song from butterfly: Babydoll

I love how excited you get!! And yes …. She is full of weird stuff

Way to analyze this beautiful song 🙌🏿

Please react to her the one live performance and lead the way song. You're reaction videos are very fun and educational. Thank you for this. More power ❤️

I love the way Erika demonstrates vocally everything she says verbally; that alone is hard to find on these critiques. That she does so so beautifully, professionally, with such attention to detail, mixing razor sharp intelligience and wit into the mix, is just icing on the cake! This is a wonderful find, thank you so very much Erika Torres!

I subscribed. nice reaction. ❤️

My all, Rooftop and whenever u call are my most favorites from that album..

So happy to see you do this one (any Mariah I'm happy with, let's be honest). The end of this just gives me chills every time. For some reason she has the best "resolutions" in her songs. There is only one MC. Your demonstrations are fire! I love the way she changed the run in this live version at 18:10-18:12. Did she do something different to the scale there because it sounds different?

I love it

Love Mariah! You have my immediate subscription lol 😄 Could you do videos teaching riffs? ☺️

16:55 You imitating her hand gesture is the best thing ever😂😂😂😂 make me chuckle

I remember this performance. I was an avid Letterman Watcher. Lil Fact about Ed Sullivan Theatre ( Where the show was filmed) they kept it very very cold usually in the 50s because of confined space and all The equipment would overheat, She would jest with David over how cold they would keep the Studio. The cold ❄️🥶 affects her singing.

Hands down the best female singer ever walked this earth, what she did with here voice and live...out of this world..❤

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PERFORMANCE

Please react to Mariah's version of If you only knew + Somewhere over the rainbow live. It fulls of riffs and runs and very emotional performance

Love this somg

Hail y the queen...her voice like angel

Yassssssss

Can these karaoke fan people please stop asking to react to other people trying to song a Mariah Carey song. NO ONE CAN SING A MARIAH SONG, BUT MARIAH. Too many singers sing her songs, but they wana sing it word for word like Mariah did it, and not even try to make it their own. They can really get their own music and sound, and stop doing Mariah Carey, cos she's got this. Take a lesson from Ariana after years of copying Mariah's singing style and 90's inspired looks, ARIANA FOUND HER SOUND AND LOOK WHICH SHE'S KNOWN FOR TODAY. SHE'S FINALLY HER OWN ARTIST, COS ITS SAD TO SEE SOMEONE TRYING TO BE ANOTHER PERSON, EVEN OF U ADMIRE THEM, BE YOURSELF.

Hoping to see you react about the "legendary death glare" she did after the phrase "to the sun".

My favorite song on this album is the Butterfly reprise. It's soooooo reminiscent of the club scene!!!!! ❤🐑 🦋 🌈

15:04 this was the era when her nodules were starting to hinder her

Pleasee react to “emotions” live at Des O’Connor (INCREDIBLE WHISTLE NOTES)!!! And “make it happen” live at Madison suqare garden!!

Erika I love your channel and your very detailed review, please go a deep dive with When You Believe live in Oprah

I love love love your analysis. I was wondering (no pressure of course) if you would react to Whitney Houston I Believe In You and Me at the 16th Annual Music Awards from 2004. I think it's very interesting because it is past her "prime" but still shows that she was the vocalist of vocalists

Erika can u please a Cover of butterfly 🦋- would be awesome. I really like u voice ❤

I love you. You are beautiful. You can pull anything off. Thx for sharing your knowledge

Mariah's singing is the most pleasant and beautiful. Other people's singing is annoying. It makes her the best singer.

Hi! You’re so good ! Do you know “whenever you call” ?? Hope can hear you talk about this song😍😍😍😍😍😍

Did you ever listen to Melt Away? One of my all-time fav songs of her. I think you will like it a lot. Don't think she ever performed it live though.

Subscribed

I enjoyed listening to this so much. Would you ever consider FLO’s music? They’re an R&b girl group from London. They have amazing harmonies and I would be really interested in hearing what you think of their approach to singing and harmony. :)

I love myself some raspRiah 😍

Are you a lamb? 🤭 I'm a super lamb! She's my favorite artist, no question. I love your channel! You analyze beautifully, it really opens my eyes (& ears more carefully, haha) Thank you for sharing your dedication & passion. Gnarly May I request that you analyze Emily Bear's "Emotions"? She's 20 & a master pianist. A Disney producer & Emily just received a grammy for a recent album, "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical".

You should react 'Outside by Mariah Carey' it is also from Butterfly album. Her vocals in that song are🔥 the lyric hits when u know the word

mariah done jazz too Listen to her song The Wind from her second album

Not sure if you noticed, but she sang this live version a half key lower than on the studio version. What do you think?

another great reaction, could you please react to katie noonan doing my baby just cares for me on the tv show rockwiz, a great australian voice for you to do an analysis on

QUEEN MARIAH CAREY's Voice Is Magical And Perfect! Even All Her Vibrato's, Agility, Timbers And Tremolo's Are Superbly Controlled, Balanced, Timed, Counted And Measured. Oaahh! She's The QUEEN GODDESS Of All Vocal Acrobatics And Techniques! We Love You So Much QUEEN MARIAH CAREY! 🎤🎼❤️🙏😇 Please Subscribe: ru-vid.com

You have a beautiful voice too

Can u react to Sohyang? Love this reaction!

Can you react to her best live vocals pls.

Who was Mariah side eyeing? Lol it was after she talks about the background singer going on...👀

it's not like (not imitates mariah) it's more like (reproduces mariah), i loved your video!

alan ( 阿兰 阿蘭) 『明日への讃歌 ～Ashitaeno Sanka～ 』from 『alan symphony 2014』by miu JAPAN ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ghwhhpjo2pA.html ‘Singer 2020’ MIASIA - 逢いたくていま ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vZ2f_C-JQvM.html

Well if their riffs and runs are like Mariahs where she is capable of doing 35 notes runs before a 20 second sustained dynamic belts (Lead the way) or 55 notes runs effortlessly live (The One, Shinning through the rain special 2003). Also the album version of Butterfly she harmonizes and barely sing with the background vocals

Oh, Mariah. I'm a fan but I know she has a very complicated history with her voice. In an interview, she said she has vocal nodules and has had them since she was a child. If you watch her early on videos, you'll notice she's very confident with her voice. She opens her vowels throughout. From 97 on, she has shown a lot of restraint. She's lost a lot of her confidence and it seems she fights against her voice breaking. You can clearly hear some choices she makes, like preferring staccato over legato and not opening her mouth in the verse part. I don't think it's a sin to notice that your favourite singer might have some good and bad periods and Mariah is the best example to show how much a voice can change due to psychological/emotional or physical problems.

Can you compare it with the SNL version of the same song?

Would love to hear you sing it 😊 Please

Was the Butterfly era that long ago.

Lol you’re very entertaining

Hola Érika muy buena las reacciones, ahí muchos artistas que me gustaría que reacciones, el primero, Dimash y otro filipino Marcelito Pomoy otra felipina Katerina Velardes y Yésica vilirubin con surrender ( obra de arte)