LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Mariah Carey is a Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, with a seven-octave range. She is also “Mimi,” the bombshell Mariah alter ego who is known for her love of all things Hello Kitty and hanging with Lindsay Lohan.

Confused? Mariah explained her double life to Allure’s April issue.

“It's a dichotomy, I understand," the 37-year-old singer said. "I understand that people think I am a ditzy moron."

Mariah, who sometimes goes to sleep in terry cloth on a water bed in a steam room, is set to release her new album, "E=MC2," which Allure calls, "a mix of breezy ballads, club anthems, and sexy R&B tracks."

Despite such critical acclaim, platinum selling albums and sold out concert tours though, Mariah said she suffers from insecurities as do, her suitors.

"I've always had really low self-esteem, and I still do," Mariah said. "What's weird about that is being onstage, and the love that you get, and the adoration that you feel from your real fans, it's hard for a partner to compete – just imagine."

Many men have tried to compete — including Derek Jeter, Luis Miguel, Eminem, and music executive Sudack, but Mariah has yet to settle.

She does see marriage in her future, but only when she finds "someone who I would know, 'OK, they're going to take care of me emotionally, they're going to understand who I am…' That's a big deal for me: feeling like somebody else can't fully understand me because they're not in show business. It shouldn't matter, but it does, because the energy it takes to be 'on' is a lot."

Despite her sexy image and her current single, “Touch My Body,” Mariah admitted she has a more conservative approach to relations with the opposite sex. She told Allure she is “a freakin’ prude.”

Mariah’s life has been full of highs (she’s the best selling female artist of all time, Allure noted) and lows (she’s been hospitalized for exhaustion and fought off countless rumors-- including attempted suicide rumors). And through it all she’s waged her way back to the top of the charts, even after being dropped from her record label after the failure of her movie "Glitter.”

"Not to quote 'Swingers,' but 'we all have stories.' I got a freakin' miniseries in me!" Mariah concludes.

Mariah's new album, "E=MC2." will be released April 15.

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