Mariah's career loses its glitter

Mariah Carey’s golden career appears to have lost its lustre. Her British owned record label is reported to be attempting to buy out her £81m contract.

The move comes three months after the commercial flop of her first EMI CD, Glitter.

The Los Angeles Times said EMI is seeking to buy out Carey’s contract with the company’s Virgin label by offering her a huge - but undisclosed - lump-sum payment.

Glitter, the soundtrack to the film in which Carey starred, has sold a disappointing two million copies worldwide since its release in September.

By comparison, her 1993 album Music Box, released by Sony, sold more than 20 million copies domestically and overseas.

The film was also a box-office flop.

It has been a trying period for Carey, who was admitted to hospital after a breakdown in July and suffered a relapse in September. Her health limited her availability to do promotion for the album and film.

The singer’s representative, Cindi Berger, told the New York Daily News she could not offer any comment because ‘‘everybody I would need to reach is on vacation.’’