Mariah Carey Set to Release an Alternative Rock Album
Written by Mousa Zaydon on October 4, 2022
Did you know Mariah Carey recorded a secret rock album in the 90’s, but it was scrapped by her label? According to a new interview, Mariah plans to release the album in full, almost thirty years after it was recorded.
Not many people know this, but during the sessions of Mariah Carey’s critically acclaimed and successful album Daydream in 1995, she recorded a secret grunge-inspired alternative rock album.
Mariah first revealed this secret in her 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. The Pop legend stated how her long-time friend and former roommate Clarissa Dane recorded the lead vocals on the album while Carey worked on the backing vocals (which was uncredited). The album was titled Someone’s Ugly Daughter and released under the moniker, Chick. Mariah’s involvement with the album remained anonymous because her label thought it would be a major risk to her thriving career and didn’t want her to stray away from her mainstream pop image.
The rock album that was recorded at the same time as Daydream, was not remotely close to anything the songbird supreme had released before. Mariah wanted to experiment with different sounds and test her vocal abilities. She was also going through a lot of hardships since she was at the height of her career and was still adjusting to the grueling demands of world-renowned fame. She desperately sought for an emotional release, which is what this grunge album granted her.
In her Memoir, the “We Belong Together” singer stated, “I was exploring my musical range, but I was also filled with rage. It’s always been a challenge for me to acknowledge and express anger. My personal life was suffocating during Daydream, and I was in desperate need of release.”
Almost thirty years after the recordings of this secret album, Mariah has revealed that she has unearthed the original version of the album and plans to release the project in its entirety with her lead vocals. Mariah says when she first recorded the album, she got inspiration from prominent rock acts like Hole, Green Day and Alanis Morrisette.
The band Chick released two music videos to support the album, which can still be found on YouTube today. If you listen closely, you can even hear Mariah’s vocals in the background of “Demented”, my personal favorite track from Chick.
