Mariah Carey’s ‘Grunge’ Album Resurfaces

Mariah Carey’s secret grunge album from the ‘90s has resurfaced, with the R&B icon unveiling some previously unreleased songs from that period in a pair of interviews.

In the ‘90s, Mariah Carey recorded the backing vocals for a grunge album called Somebody’s Ugly Daughter under the band name Chick.

As her label at the time didn’t allow her to release grunge songs with lead vocals, the version released featured Carey on backing vocals – credited under the pseudonym D. Sue – and her friend and co-writer, Clarissa Dane, taking the lead.

Consequence of Sound reports that Carey put her grunge era in the spotlight. In a chat with SZA for Apple Music, she shared previously unreleased songs, Hermit and Love Is A Scam, with the guitar-led tracks reminiscent of bands of the era, such as Hole and Veruca Salt.

Chatting about the album on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday (29 September), Fallon played a segment of the song Prom Queen, a punk-infused track with a melodic chorus. You can check out the snippets of Mariah Carey going grunge below.

@chetkincaid

Mariah Carey Previews "Hermit" from her secret 1995 grunge album 'Someone's Ugly Daughter.’ #mariahcarey #hereforitall #hermit #someonesuglydaughter #creatorsearchinsights

♬ original sound - Chet Kincaid

Produced by Dana John Chapelle, Somebody’s Ugly Daughter was reportedly inspired by Green Day, Sleater-Kinney and L7.

The recording sessions for Somebody’s Ugly Daughter took place while Carey was making Daydream—one of the highest-selling records of all time, featuring the hit singles Fantasy and Always Be My Baby.

Sony/BMG released the grunge record, but the absence of any credit to Carey reduced any natural interest that many fans would have had in the release. Without effective marketing for Chick as a band, the record faded into obscurity, becoming a curiosity of the grunge era.

Interest in the release intensified in 2020, following Carey’s thoughts on the project being printed in her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

At the time, she revealed that the project stemmed from a need to rid herself of negative emotions, stating, “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.”

Chick was intended to provide that release. In 2022, Carey stated that a version of the album existed with her on lead vocals and that she would “not stop until we find it.”

In the interview with Jimmy Fallon, Carey explained that she was “rebelling” with Somebody’s Ugly Daughter, saying that she “loved” her R&B hits, but at the end of the night, while the band was still in the room, she wanted to hear some grunge riffs.

Mariah Carey returns to Australia for the first time in eleven years this month, as a headliner of the national travelling festival, Fridayz Live. She’ll be joined by Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Jon, Eve, Jordin Sparks, and Tinie Tempah.

Fridayz Live will take place at a sold-out Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday, 17 October, and rapidly selling shows at Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium on Saturday, 18 October, Perth’s Langley Park on Friday, 24 October, and Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Saturday, 25 October. Tickets are available here.