Nov 01, 2026 2:00pm IST
Mariah Carey Is Back With Her ‘It’s Time’ Christmas Video, Drops Fans A Hint About Unreleased Grunge Album
Mariah Carey has officially declared that “It’s time” again, which can only mean one thing: Christmas is around the corner. The singer has returned with her annual holiday video, marking the beginning of the festive season in a tradition that has become almost as familiar as her 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. But while fans are busy welcoming the Queen of Christmas back, Carey has also dropped a little hint that another long-awaited musical surprise could be on the horizon.
This year's video takes a slightly unexpected route before getting to the Christmas cheer. It opens with Carey performing “Hermit”, a track from the little-known grunge album “Someone’s Ugly Daughter”, which she recorded in the mid-1990s under the band name Chick. The project was a collaboration with her friend Clarissa Dane, with Carey writing, producing and contributing background vocals to the record.
As the performance comes to an end, the scene dramatically transforms into a winter wonderland. Carey appears dressed for the occasion, perched atop a Christmas tree as its rather glamorous tree-topper. She then delivers her now-iconic “It’s time” in her signature whistle register, before “All I Want for Christmas Is You” kicks in. And just like that, the holiday season has officially begun.
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Carey's annual festive videos have become an event in their own right. In 2023, she famously defrosted to signal the arrival of Christmas, while the 2022 video saw her preparing for the season on an exercise bike. Last year, she brought in a special guest appearance from Billy Eichner, who played a disgruntled elf. In 2024, she also transformed from Morticia Addams into her signature Mrs. Claus look, giving fans another memorable seasonal moment.
But the appearance of “Hermit” in this year's video has also brought renewed attention to one of Carey's most intriguing musical secrets. The singer recently gave fans reason to believe that her unreleased original version of “Someone’s Ugly Daughter” might eventually see the light of day.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session on October 30, held to mark the 25th anniversary of her “Glitter” album, Carey was asked whether she would ever release the long-shelved grunge project. Her response was brief but enough to send fans into a frenzy. “I get asked this about once a week,” she wrote, before adding, “my answer is…#notyet (this is a hint!)”
For those unfamiliar with the story, “Someone’s Ugly Daughter” was recorded around the time Carey was working on her fifth studio album, “Daydream”, in 1995. While “Daydream” went on to become one of her biggest commercial successes, spending six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the singer was exploring an entirely different musical identity on the side. The grunge project allowed her to blow off steam in the studio, away from the expectations surrounding her pop career.
The album was eventually released under the name Chick, with Dane handling the lead vocals. Carey revealed her involvement in the project in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey”, explaining that she had secretly written and produced the record. However, the version featuring her own lead vocals has remained unreleased, leaving fans wondering if they will ever get to hear it.
Carey has previously expressed frustration about not releasing the original version. During an appearance on “Las Culturistas” in 2024, she said, “I'm so mad I haven't done that yet,” before assuring fans that they would eventually hear it. She also described the experience as something that gave her a creative outlet and plenty of joy.
Now, her latest Reddit response has given fans another reason to keep hoping. Whether “not yet” means the album is genuinely closer to release or Carey is simply enjoying keeping fans guessing remains to be seen. Either way, between a fresh Christmas video and the possibility of finally hearing her secret grunge era, the singer has given fans plenty to celebrate this season.
And with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” preparing for its annual return to the charts, Carey is also eyeing another festive tradition: dominating the airwaves.
The holiday classic has spent 22 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running chart-topper in the chart's history at the time of its record-setting run. It spent four weeks at the top in both 2024 and 2025. While Ella Langley's “Choosin’ Texas” has since surpassed that mark with 25 weeks at No. 1, Carey could still make another strong seasonal comeback.
After all, if there's one thing Mariah Carey knows how to do, it's make Christmas hers.
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