We don’t want a lot for Christmas, but there is one thing we definitely need – and that’s to hear the secret grunge album superstar singer and songwriter Mariah Carey created over 25 years ago.
The five-time Grammy Award winner is best known for her huge multi-octave range and not necessarily for her rock vocals — but somewhere around the time she was recording her 1995 hit record Daydream, she went from singing “Always Be My Baby,” to working on an alternative album. And the entire album was recorded on the sly.
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Carey mentioned this 180° a few years ago when she was promoting her memoir. Now, according to an interview on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, the recordings have been found, and she’s eager to finish what she started all those years ago.
Fun fact: I did an alternative album while I was making Daydream 👀 Just for laughs, but it got me through some dark days. Here's a little of what I wrote about it in #TheMeaningOfMariahCarey 🤟 S/O to my friend Clarissa who performs the lead w/ me as a hidden layer #Chick #TMOMC pic.twitter.com/Re23t5whcd
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) September 27, 2020
“I think this unearthed version will become, yes, something we should hear,” she explains. “I’m working on a version of something where there’ll be another artist working on this with me as well.”
So cryptic, Mimi! We can’t imagine what the finished product will entail, but we also know anything Mariah Carey touches turns to gold, considering she has four platinum records in her repertoire.
Carey has said that these recordings were made as a therapeutic release during a time when she was making headlines in the music industry. The stress and constraints of what Daydream entailed were enough to inspire her to go the opposite genre.
The ex-wife of Nick Cannon says she used to drive around shouting the lyrics, knowing no one but her had ever heard them, or knew their significance. She even says she almost released it under a pseudonym, inspired by bands like Hole, Green Day, and more.
NPR notes that she didn’t just sing on the album, she also had a hand in its cover art. She reportedly designed it with an image of a cockroach and some “scrawled lipstick.”
No other details are known at the moment, but if the timing is right, we could be getting the best holiday present along with the best holiday song. And also, we hope some high-pitched screamo is involved using her signature range.
