Mariah Carey is worth your money.

 

It’s a statement that a story written by Pocholo Concepcion in “The Nightlife” (Sept. 7, 2014) didn’t exactly subscribe to. Titled “John Legend worth watching; Mariah Carey, maybe not,” the article implied, or rather encouraged people, that it might be better to spend your cash on going to a bar instead of watching Carey perform at the Mall of Asia Arena on Oct. 28.

 

There were several factual errors mentioned, to wit:

 

Concepcion quoted an unnamed source saying that tickets to Carey’s concert is “Not doing great, but seven more weeks to go.”

 

Concert promoter Wilbros Live’s Winston Llamas said this was not even close to the truth: “Mariah Carey’s concert has already sold 50 percent on its first week and is moving faster than we have expected…”

 

(My source spoke directly to SM Tickets staff.—Pocholo Concepcion.)

 

Carey parted ways with her longtime record producer Jermaine Dupri because of unimpressive album sales. This is not true. Carey and Jermaine have been friends and co-producers for the longest time. For a while, Dupri became Carey’s manager, but their magic in the studio did not translate into a successful management team.

 

So Carey and Dupri parted ways as talent and manager, not as co-producers. In several interviews, Dupri has repeatedly said that he and Carey will continue to make music together—and that they’ll always be friends.

 

(“In the wake of disappointing album sales, Jermaine Dupri is out…”—Billboard.com, Aug. 6, 2014)

 

Concepcion called Carey’s latest album, “Me. I am Mariah. The Elusive Chanteuse” a flop because it sold only 100,000 copies.

 

But what the article forgot to mention was that this figure refers only to US sales… It was the top foreign album in the Philippines when it was released in late May…

 

(The 100,000 sales figure was reported by Billboard, recognized as the world standard of a record’s success or failure.—Pocholo Concepcion)

 

4. Legend’s show was allegedly more worthy to watch because of a No. 1 song. The writer is clearly in the wrong path… Legend has one No. 1 song. Let’s not forget Carey has 18.

 

(Almost 10,000 people watched Legend’s Sept. 26 concert at Smart Araneta Coliseum.—Pocholo Concepcion)

 

5. The article quoted an un-named “young Filipino singer who has gained international exposure and idolizes Carey” as saying: “Sira na ang boses niya.”

 

It’s a highly subjective issue… We’ve reached out to Jessica Sanchez, one of the most talented and relevant vocalists in the entertainment industry today.

 

Here’s what Jessica has to say about Carey’s voice and influence: “Her voice is ridiculous. The notes that she hits is just crazy! I wish I could do that…”

 

(I was quoting somebody more prominent than Jessica. More importantly, videos from Carey’s Tokyo and Korea shows uploaded last week don’t lie.—Pocholo Concepcion)

 

Carey’s “Filipino fans… seem undecided on watching her.”

 

This is not even close to the truth… Even before tickets became available, fans had already reserved seats through Wilbros Live. As Llamas said, more than half of tickets were sold during the first week of the tickets’ release.

 

(Last Friday, SM Tickets staff said, “Available pa po lahat ng sections.”—Pocholo Concepcion)

 

Kenneth del Rosario is the head of Mariah Carey Philippines, the artist’s official fan group in the country. This is excerpted from his feedback.