Mariah Carey Will Rehash Her Secret ‘90s Grunge Album
Photo by Amy Sussman/FilmMagic Reading Time: 3 minutes
Two years ago, Mariah Carey confessed in her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, that she secretly released a grunge album back in the ‘90s. Now that she has successfully unearthed this hidden music and is planning to rehash the record with her original lead vocals.
Mariah Carey Has Finally Dug Up Her Hidden Grunge Recording
It’s been revealed that the Mariah Carey had previously worked on an alt-rock album under the band named Chick. Later, the singer admitted that she also wrote and produced Chick’s record, Someone’s Ugly Daughter. Sony/BMG released the album, but it eventually vanished without strong trace.
The past record featured Carey’s friend and former roommate Clarissa Dane as the lead vocalist. However, there was also some unheard tracks where Carey acted as the lead singer.
In 2020, Carey tweeted about her hunt for the original version of the song. In the Tweet she explained that there was a version of the album where she was the lead vocalist. She was bound and determined to find it.
Finally, during her recent interview with Rolling Stone, Carey revealed that she has found her lead track version. Fans were excited to hear that the album was found, since Carey plans to release it. Even though Carey didn’t reveal her release plan, she teased that the grunge record might be done with “another artist.”
The Secret Album was Created during her Daydream Era
In her memoir, Carey wrote that the secret grunge album had helped her loosen up. The popstar used to look forward to her alter-ego midnight band sessions because that was her unrestrained creative outlet.
“I was playing with the style of the breezy-s, punk-light white female singers who were popular at the time. You know the ones who seemed to be so carefree with their feelings and their image. They could be angry, angsty, and messy, with old shoes, wrinkled slips, and unruly eyebrows, while every movie I made was so calculated and manicured,” she wrote. “I wanted to break free, let loose, and express my misery — but I also wanted to laugh.”
Additionally, the singer divulged that her personal life was suffocating during Daydream, and the alt-rock album catered her “desperate need of release.” At the time, Carey’s label demanded for her to stick to her operatic and soft music style, which is why her alt-rock era was unknown for the most part.
Someone’s Ugly Daughter Was Influenced by ‘90s Alt-Rock Classics
A quick Google search confirms that Chick released an album in 1995, in present day a couple of their music videos can be found on YouTube for songs “Demented” and “Malibu.”
Over nearly two decades, many people didn’t notice Carey’s involvement in the group. Unless you’re a super fan, you probably wouldn’t have recognized her singing baskup. Apparently, the popstar directed one of the music videos and even supervised the packaging.
Dana Jon Chappelle, her former engineer, stated that the grunge album was influenced by Sleater-Kinney, L7, and especially Green Day’s Dookie. This was most likely as Carey described the album as her parodic attempt at alt-rock.
Now that Mariah Carey has tracked down her originals, fans are excitedly waiting for her official release. If the stars will align, Carey’s grunge music might actually be on Spotify.
