An alternative project recorded in 1995 reached the public after decades of waiting.
What once seemed like an urban legend has become reality: Mariah Carey’s lost grunge album will finally be officially released. The alternative project, created by the artist in 1995 and kept out of public reach for almost three decades, will reach streaming platforms on second half of 2026marking one of the most anticipated moments of the singer’s career.
The information was confirmed by sources from the record company in the section Weirdfrom the newspaper The Sun. Fan desire, they say, weighed heavily on the material leaving the archives. “Ever since Mariah revealed the existence of this album, fans have been clamoring for its release. After years of informal conversations, everyone decided to move forward. The album is expected to be released in the second half of 2026,” the source said. She concluded by saying that the long wait was worth it and that audiences would find “a totally different Mariah.”
The story of the secret album begins in 1995, when Mariah, then at the height of pop and R&B, decided to explore a more raw, sarcastic and distorted artistic side, inspired by the alternative rock and grunge that dominated the decade. She worked on a full album, alongside her friend Clarissa Dane, but the project was immediately met with resistance from the industry. Executives didn’t want to associate pop music’s biggest voice with a sound that deviated from its commercial norms.
The album therefore ended up being released discreetly, under the group name Chick, with Clarissa taking over lead vocals. Mariah participated solely as a backing vocalist, using the pseudonym D.Sue. The album went almost unnoticed, but became a cult object among die-hard fans.
In 2020, during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Mariah explained that she “got into trouble” when creating the alternative album because everything was extremely controlled by music industry bosses at the time. The possibility of distributing it under a pseudonym even existed, but the idea did not move forward. The same year, she detailed the process in her autobiography, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. In the book, he explains that he wanted to play with the aesthetic of alternative rock and experiment with the artistic freedom he saw so much in bands of the era.
Mariah Carey came with everything
The singer wrote that she admired women who appeared with an unpretentious look, with rumpled clothes, messy hair and an aggressive attitude. These artists could express their sadness and anger without aesthetic pressure. Mariah, for her part, lived under constant surveillance. “I wanted to break free, let go and express my sadness, but I also wanted to laugh,” he said.
When participating in the podcast Bodybuildersin 2024, Mariah stated that she still wanted to officially release the album. Presenter Matt Rogers asked her directly if she was going to release the material, and she responded, “I know, right? I’m upset I haven’t done it yet… but who should I release it with?” Rogers even suggested she release the material independently, something homemade, and Mariah admitted she was considering that option.
Now, with the release confirmed, fans are preparing to discover a very rare side of the singer. The album Someone’s ugly daughter promises to show a vulnerable, ironic and unfiltered Mariah, totally free from the constraints that marked a large part of her career in the 1990s.
For many, it is one of the most curious and treasured releases in modern pop music. And after almost thirty years of waiting, the world will finally be able to hear the hidden grunge of one of the greatest voices in history.
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