The Voice as an Instrument
Class is now in session.
This series reveals how Mariah Carey uses her voice to write and produce music—for the first time on camera.
PREPARE TO FLY
Set Design.
We wanted to capture Mariah’s process as authentically
as possible, and so we created two unique spaces,
The Butterfly Garden and The Butterfly Lounge.
The Garden was meant to evoke a tranquil and creative space that Mariah could use to break down her approach to songwriting and the different ways to use your voice. We found inspiration in Roman architecture, hand-painted frescos, and a butterfly motif that is unmistakably Mariah.
The Butterfly Lounge was an elevated and cinematic version of Mariah’s mobile studio of the same name. The space was set with comfortable furniture, a vocal booth, and space for her musical director, sound engineer and a string quartet.
Bespoke custom graphics.
For our custom in-class graphics, we looked to Mariah’s ability to fluidly interpret melody and transform it into instrumentation and lyrics. Utilizing analog scanning techniques, we took hand-painted butterfly specimens and flowers and gave them a fluid movement.
Listen and learn.
The heart of the series is Mariah’s 2022 re-invention of
“The Roof” from her critically acclaimed album, 1997’s Butterfly. Throughout the episodes Mariah breaks down melody, lyrics, samples, instrumentation, and her techniques for vocal production.
The track was released exclusively on MasterClass and was later included as a bonus track on the 25th anniversary of the album.
