Mariah Carey has confirmed that she will be doing a surprise release for her upcoming 14th album.
According to That Grape Juice via Billboard, the album, which was initially slated for a May 6th release, is now said to be due out in “late May.” On the surprise release, MC said,
“I have to be the one that announces this, especially the title.”
But now her label, Def Jam is singing a different tune. According to Billboard,
Though (Carey) never explicitly said the album would be a surprise release, subsequent interviews with Jermaine Dupri and two sources familiar with the album’s planned distribution confirmed that a digital-first, everything-at-once strategy was in the works. Dupri even went so far as to compare the plan to the way Beyoncé let the fans democratize the typical album rollout. “The challenge with Mariah has always been if I like one record and she likes another, you can never pick a single that satisfies everybody,” he said. “If you just did what Beyoncé did, she just gave you 17 singles and you picked which record you like.”
But Def Jam, Carey’s label, is now telling a different story. According to Laura Swanson, the label’s exec VP-media, the album will, in fact, be preceded by a traditional strategy leading up to a “late May” simultaneous digital/physical street date. “Mariah will announce the date and title in advance of the on-sale date,” she said, noting that the cover and confirmed tracklist will all be included.
Swanson had initially declined comment for Billboard’s cover story before it hit subscribers last Friday (April 25), with Carey’s publicity team at PMK-BNC only indicating that the album’s initial release date, May 6, was inaccurate. Def Jam Recordings CEO Steve Bartels refused to answer specific questions about the release.
Just get the album to the people, MC. After 4 single releases, all getting lack luster reception, maybe she should just put the album out like Beyoncé did.
