Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel makes its way into stores today. Tricky Stewart, the hitmaker extraordinaire who had a heavy hand in producing the album, spoke to Didntinviteme.com about working with one of music’s biggest voices.


Tricky, along with The-Dream, previously collaborated with Carey on her 18th No. 1 hit “Touch My Body,” but the dynamic changed once the Grammy-winning duo was called in to produce the bulk of her latest project. “This time it was totally different because when you spend that much time with someone, you get a sense for who they are on their good days, on their bad days—the whole nine,” he explains.

The pop diva knows exactly what she wants when she hits the studio. “She’s definitely a perfectionist. You don’t get 18 number ones without being a slave to perfection. She always wants to be on top of her game at everything from the writing to the production to the vocals. Everything is about her giving her absolute best.”

The experience brought the two friends closer together. “There’s not a lot of people that can say that they have actually cultivated a friendship with Mariah Carey,” says Tricky. “I can definitely say we consider each other friends. I’ve been to her home several times at this point. It will always be one of my greatest memories making this album.”

Relive the memories on Mariah Carey’s 12th studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, available now.