Mariah Carey’s quest for a comeback has officially begun. The legendary songbird shared the first photo of her in the studio just moments ago as she launched the recording process of her new album with her longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri.

Carey, who will appear on the ‘The X Factor (US)’ later this year, released her last studio album, ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’, in 2009. The LP became her only studio record not to be certified platinum after it peaked at gold status. Carey’s husband, Nick Cannon, confirmed that the first record from her new project will be issued by the end of 2011 and will feature the return of her renowned 5-octave voice.

What do you think of the pic?