Mariah Carey only records her new album at night. The "Hero" singer - who is currently working on her new record, entitled "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" - is driving record producers to distraction with her refusal to work during daylight hours.

Mariah wrote on her page on social networking website Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning: "In the studio. driving the engineer crazy cos I'm a control freak and once again we're STARTING at 1:16 am..perfectly normal: )"

Mariah Carey has gained 15lbs during the recording of her new album. The "Hero" singer is gorging on calorific treats as she works on her next release and is embracing her new, curvier figure.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "Mariah loves food. Right now she's making an album and eating everything and anything she wants. She has put on about 15lbs, but she loves the curves."

Mariah Carey's nose "ate away" her face in her new movie. The "Hero" singer had to don prosthetic features for her role as a dowdy social worker in "Precious" but suffered an intense allergic reaction to the materials used to create it.

She said: "We tried to do a prosthetic nose but it started to make me break out so we had to rip it off."

Mariah Carey's husband has called Eminem a "homophobic has-been." Nick Cannon is upset over the song "Bagpipes From Baghdad" on Eminem's latest album "Relapse," which suggests Mariah - who briefly dated the controversial rapper - should split up with him.

He wrote on his blog: "Not only has his music not evolved, but also homeboy is still obsessed with my wife. The same female that wouldn't let him get to second base from 8 years ago."

Mariah Carey is suffering from insomnia. The singer is struggling to get to sleep at night and has taken to watching her husband Nick Cannon doze peacefully while she is wide awake.

She wrote on her Twitter page: "I just finished working out. Whooo! Quite naturally, 'its 5am and I still can't sleep'(sung like 'crybaby' from 'Rainbow' 99)lol Who's up?"