Mariah Carey’s Secret ‘Grunge’ Album Resurfaces With Unreleased Songs
Mariah Carey’s Secret ‘Grunge’ Album Resurfaces With Unreleased Songs
Yes, you read that right — Mariah Carey had a grunge era.
And now, it’s finally resurfacing.
Back in the ‘90s, at the same time she was creating one of the biggest-selling R&B albums ever (Daydream), Mariah was also in the studio secretly cutting records for a grunge project under the band name Chick.
The album, Somebody’s Ugly Daughter, dropped in 1995 with Mariah’s friend Clarissa Dane on lead vocals and Carey hiding in the background under the pseudonym D. Sue.
Why the secrecy? Her label at the time didn’t want the pop queen known for Fantasy and Always Be My Baby releasing distorted guitars and punk-infused choruses.
Fast-forward to 2025, and Mariah is finally putting her rebellious side back in the spotlight.
In a new Apple Music conversation with SZA, she shared two unreleased tracks — Hermit and Love Is A Scam — both sounding straight out of the Hole/Veruca Salt playbook.
On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she let fans hear Prom Queen, a gritty, punk-inspired track with a surprisingly melodic hook.
She revealed that this project was her way of rebelling and letting go of negative emotions during a suffocating time in her personal life.
Produced by Dana John Chapelle, the project was inspired by Green Day, Sleater-Kinney, and L7.
But because Carey wasn’t credited, the album faded into obscurity — until she opened up about it in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey.
Since then, fans have been begging for a version with Mariah’s original lead vocals, and in 2022 she promised, “I won’t stop until we find it.”
Looks like we’re finally getting closer.
Mariah Carey’s Secret ‘Grunge’ Album Resurfaces With Unreleased Songs was originally published on wtlcfm.com
