British People Don’t Like Mimi or RiRi

Becky Bain | November 30, 2009 11:06 am

What’s wrong with you Brits that you don’t fancy divas from this side of the pond? Rihanna’s Rated-R and Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel are certified flops in the UK, entering the charts at a lowly #16 and #23, respectively (well, not so respectively). Looks like those X Factor appearances didn’t do a damn thing for either singer’s album (and somewhat to our surprise, Mariah’s seam-popping decolletage didn’t add any chart buoyancy.)

So what do British people like?

Their own reality show stars, of course. Britain’s Got Talent’s Susan Boyle is sitting pretty in the top spot, while X-Factor boy band JLS is #2. Apparently the exception to this is the Black Eyed Peas, holding the #3 spot for the moment and perhaps readying to kick these TV show singers to the curb in the next few weeks.

To be fair to you Brits, we don’t seem to like ’em much either—MC’s Memoirs peaked only at #3 on the Billboard 200 before a fairly rapid descent on the chart, and Rihanna’s album is projected to flop here, too.

Not one to contemplate failure as an option, Carey’s going right back to work: amid rumors about her leaving Def Jam, Mariah’s prepping a remix album of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Her manager Chris Lighty Tweeted the news, adding that they’re working on a Target exclusive.

Is there a point in making a bunch of remixes for an album nobody listened to? Or do the powers that be think fiddling around with the tracks and appealing directly to the club scene will woo MC’s fans back into her arms? Good luck, Mimi. In case it doesn’t work out, you can always fall back on your award-winning acting career.

As for Rihanna, the message is pretty clear: given that the ratings for her 20/20 interview were sky high, it seems the American audience, at least, is more interested in listening to her depressing personal life than her depressing music. Drag. But probably nothing that a bona fide hit can’t fix. We’ll have to wait and see if any of Rated-R‘s singles can get anywhere near “Umbrella”-like success.