Mariah Carey nudges 'The King' to one side

Singer Mariah Carey has passed Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 US singles and is now second only to the Beatles.

But while the diva was in full celebration mode after learning of her latest milestone with her 18th chart-topper "Touch My Body", she was also quick to put her accomplishment in perspective.

"I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionised music but also changed the world," she said.

"That's a completely different era and time ... I'm just feeling really happy and grateful."

Carey's single is the new No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart: The song also is No. 1 on the trade magazine's digital download chart.

She had been tied with Presley with 17 No. 1 singles; the Beatles are the all-time leaders with 20 (Madonna also beat a Presley record this week, surpassing the King for the most top 40 hits with her 37th for her hit "4 Minutes".

Carey said being in such company was gratifying not only because of her personal success, but what it meant for women and minorities.

"For me, in my mind the accomplishment is just that much sweeter," she said. "In terms of my ethnicity, always feeling like an outsider, always feeling different ... for me it's about saying, 'Thank you Lord, for giving me the faith to believe in myself when other people had written me off."'

"Touch My Body" is the first single off of Carey's upcoming album "E=MC2," due out April 16.

Carey, 38, said this is the most enjoyable point of her nearly two-decade old career, and that is now her priority, not trying to set sales records or even making pop history.

Via ukpress