Mariah Carey's five-album deal with EMI has been dropped after the record company paid the singer $28m to bring the contract to an end.
The pay-out follows months of speculation that Virgin – a US subsidiary of EMI – wanted rid of Carey following slow sales of her first album under the deal, 'Glitter'.
Carey signed with EMI in April of last year for a reported £20 million per album, one of the most expensive recording contracts in history.
The singer suffered an emotional breakdown just before the release of her debut film - also entitled 'Glitter' - last July. The film was a box office flop.
The album, 'Glitter', sold just two million copies worldwide, compared with 20 million for her 1993's 'Music Box'.
