{"id":441592,"date":"2026-01-31T21:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/441592\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T21:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:49:10","slug":"the-queen-of-christmas-has-a-secret-grunge-album-and-mariah-carey-finally-let-it-have-its-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/441592\/","title":{"rendered":"The Queen of Christmas has a secret grunge album \u2014 and Mariah Carey finally let it have its moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know Mariah Carey made a secret grunge album?<\/p>\n

As a lifelong fan of the superstar, it\u2019s a detail I first learned in her 2020 memoir \u2014 and then promptly forgot \u2014 until Friday night, when Carey was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year<\/a>. Somewhere between the gowns, the standing ovations and a room full of music royalty singing her songs back to her, Carey reminded everyone (myself included) that her legacy has always been a little stranger \u2014 and more fun \u2014 than it gets credit for.<\/p>\n

The annual gala, held two days before the Grammy Awards, celebrates an artist not just for their musical achievements, but for their philanthropy and impact. This year\u2019s tribute performances came from the expected heavy-hitters \u2014 Jennifer Hudson! John Legend! Teddy Swims! \u2014 and played like a two-hour love letter to Carey\u2019s catalog. Hit after hit, era after era.<\/p>\n

And yet, one moment cut through the spectacle.<\/p>\n

Early in the night, Taylor Momsen (frontwoman of the Pretty Reckless and former Gossip Girl star) joined the Foo Fighters onstage to perform songs from Carey\u2019s long-rumored, rarely-heard \u201990s grunge album. Yes, that one.<\/p>\n

\"Rock<\/p>\n

Dave Grohl and Rami Jaffee of Foo Fighters and Taylor Momsen perform songs from Mariah Carey’s secret grunge album at the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year gala. (Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

(Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Carey was absolutely tickled.<\/p>\n

While she sang along from her seat throughout the night \u2014 mouthing lyrics, swaying, soaking it all in \u2014 this was different. When Momsen and Dave Grohl tore into \u201cHermit\u201d and \u201cLove Is a Scam,\u201d Carey lit up. She clapped. She sang. She was fully out of her seat by the end.<\/p>\n

The backstory makes the moment even sweeter. Carey recorded the album Somebody\u2019s Ugly in 1995 under the band name Chick, entirely in secret, during sessions for Daydream.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just rebelling,\u201d Carey later recalled<\/a>. \u201cI always regretted not putting it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday night, that regret was replaced by joy, validation and the rare pleasure of watching a global icon get surprised by her own history. In a room built to honor Carey\u2019s greatest hits, it was the forgotten deep cut \u2014 distorted guitars and all \u2014 that felt most alive.<\/p>\n

And while the grunge reveal was the night\u2019s most unexpected high, it was far from the only memorable moment. Hudson opened the evening with a showstopping medley of \u201cI Don\u2019t Wanna Cry,\u201d \u201cMy All,\u201d \u201cVision of Love\u201d and \u201cMake It Happen.\u201d Kesha jumped onstage to perform \u201cObsessed.\u201d Legend tackled \u201cHero,\u201d with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, beaming from the audience. (For what it’s worth, Busta Rhymes performing \u201cI Know What You Want\u201d was my personal favorite.)<\/p>\n

\"Seated<\/p>\n

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend attend the pre-Grammys gala honoring Mariah Carey. (Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

(Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The MusiCares gala is the organization\u2019s biggest fundraiser of the year, fueling its year-round work \u2014 from emergency disaster relief to ongoing support for music professionals when they need it most. Last year, the event unfolded in the shadow of L.A.\u2019s devastating wildfires. This year, it felt impossible not to notice a more subdued energy at times, shaped by fresh political tensions. In the bathroom, I overheard one woman ask another, \u201cAre we ridiculous to be dressed up in sparkles while the country is falling apart?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevie Wonder, one of the night\u2019s surprise guests, took the stage alongside Gayle King to honor his longtime friend \u2014 and was the only speaker who gently brushed up against the moment we\u2019re living in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you speak, it\u2019s for free. When you talk, it\u2019s for free. When you sing, it\u2019s for free,\u201d he said. \u201cI say to all of you, not just here but throughout the world, never let anyone think they can take your freedom away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stevie<\/p>\n

Stevie Wonder and Gayle King pay homage to Mariah Carey at MusiCares gala. (AP Photo\/Chris Pizzello)<\/p>\n

(Chris Pizzello\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

The line resonated with the crowd.<\/p>\n

When Carey accepted her award after the tribute concert, she called the evening \u201cone of the most profound moments of my life and career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight has been sublime,\u201d she told the crowd. \u201cTo hear my songs reimagined by some of the world\u2019s greatest artists \u2014 it\u2019s surreal. When I was a little girl scribbling lyrics in my notebook late at night, I could only dream of someone hearing those words and relating to them. This has given me life, and I appreciate you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

To close out the night, Jon Batiste led the crowd through a rendition of \u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You,\u201d before the Queen of Christmas herself jumped onstage, bringing the room to its feet one last time.<\/p>\n

In a room full of uncertainty, the music did what it always does best: brought people together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Did you know Mariah Carey made a secret grunge album? As a lifelong fan of the superstar, it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":441593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[208056,88,37890,2934,36086,27643,23385,87316,208055,149312],"class_list":["post-441592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-90s-grunge","tag-entertainment","tag-foo-fighters","tag-getty-images","tag-jennifer-hudson","tag-john-legend","tag-mariah-carey","tag-matt-winkelmeyer","tag-musicares-person-of-the-year","tag-taylor-momsen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=441592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/441592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=441592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=441592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=441592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}