Mariah Carey Teases Her Secret Grunge Album Again—Will Fans Finally Hear Her Lead Vocals?

Mariah Carey has opened Christmas season with a reminder that her musical history still holds unfinished business. Her new "It's Time" video revisits Chick, the alternative-rock project behind Someone's Ugly Daughter, just days after she offered another tantalising hint about releasing the version featuring her own lead vocals.

Together, the appearances have revived interest in a record that complicates Carey's carefully polished pop image-and raises questions about the creative freedom she had at the height of her 1990s success.

During an October 30 Reddit AMA, Carey responded to another request for the long-awaited recordings: "I get asked this about once a week." Her answer followed: "#notyet (this is a hint!)" She supplied no release date, leaving fans with renewed encouragement but no confirmed timetable.

Her annual holiday video then gave the project a prominent showcase. Before the familiar Christmas transformation, Carey performs "Hermit," a song from Someone's Ugly Daughter. The opening brings her rock experiment into the spotlight at the very moment audiences expect her festive persona to take over.

The album already exists-but the version fans want remains unreleased.

Someone's Ugly Daughter appeared in 1995 under the band name Chick, with Carey's friend Clarissa Dane singing lead. Carey's involvement became widely known following her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. The continuing campaign concerns the recordings with Carey herself at the microphone, rather than an entirely unheard collection of songs.

The circumstances behind that distinction give the story its weight. According to collaborators interviewed by Pitchfork, Carey and her team recorded the rock material during late-night sessions while making Daydream. Sony refused to release the project with her lead vocals, and Dane's voice was layered over hers. The experiment offered Carey room for anger, humour and roughness beyond her established image; executives regarded that departure as a problem.

That history makes a possible release more consequential than another celebrity rarity emerging from storage. Hearing Carey's original vocals would allow listeners to assess how she approached these songs herself: the character she adopted, the emotions she emphasised and the relationship between her pop songwriting and this more abrasive material.

It would also shift attention towards Carey as an author of her musical identity. The familiar public story celebrates her extraordinary voice. Chick adds another dimension: her desire to decide what that voice could express.

For now, the distinction between anticipation and announcement remains essential. "Not yet" leaves the possibility open; it does not establish a release schedule. The Christmas video gives the music fresh visibility, but fans are still waiting for a formal announcement of Carey's lead-vocal edition.

Chick - Someone's Ugly Daughter: Original 1995 Tracklist

The following is the original album sequence, not a confirmed tracklist for any forthcoming Carey release.

1. "Joe"
   

2. "Love Is a Scam"
   

3. "Violent"
   

4. "Malibu"
   

5. "Demented"
   

6. "Freak"
   

7. "Agony"
   

8. "Surrender" - Cheap Trick cover
   

9. "Hermit"
   

10. "Prom Queen"
    

11. "Stork: Orphan in My Room"