Mariah Carey has admitted releasing music online means she can interact directly with her fans.
The singing superstar took the advice of good friend Jermaine Dupri, who she has a strong working relationship with, to debut music on the internet.
43-year-old Mariah’s latest song will be released on November 11, via the singer’s Facebook page.
"I think now everybody feels famous because of the Internet but [it's good] for me to be a regular person and reach my fans directly. I think it's a genius concept.
"Honestly, interacting directly with your fans is the best thing you can do because they are the ones who keep you where you are. Longevity is something that not everybody can have," she told MTV News.
41-year-old Jermaine has collaborated with Mariah on some of her biggest hits including Always Be My Baby and Sweetheart, and earlier this summer he took a managerial role in her team.
Releasing music via social media was one of his first executive decisions, an idea Mariah jumped at.
“Jermaine's concept was great because it was something different than I'd done previously, and we needed to reach all of my fans.
"Even some of the biggest new stars that have become meteorites over the past couple of years, you see them flailing and you wonder why. And maybe it's because they didn't have that connections with their fans,” she explained.
Jermaine established his own record label So So Def Recordings in 1993 and has been involved in the careers of some of the biggest names in music.
He signed Lil Bow Wow to the label in 1998, the same year he was involved in the release of Destiny Child’s debut album.
"The internet has made the world flat, so when you have a person like Mariah whose fan base goes from here to other end of the world, why not share [the music] with everyone at once?" Jermaine said.
