Every Nov. 1, one pop superstar signals that the holiday season has officially begun with a familiar phrase and a festive video. But this year, Mariah Carey’s annual announcement took an unexpected musical detour.
Featuring a blast from the past, the 2026 clip opens with a little-known ’90s rock project most casual fans probably never knew existed. In the video, Carey performs “Hermit,” a track from a 1995 alternative-rock album she secretly helped create.
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The scene begins in a New York City dive bar on Halloween night, with Mimi taking the stage in a punk-inspired look. As the clock strikes midnight, the video transforms into a familiar Christmas celebration.
View this post on InstagramBut that brief performance reminds us of a very different chapter in the star’s career.
The Secret ’90s Rock Project
The song comes from Someone’s Ugly Daughter, an alternative-rock album released in 1995 under the band name Chick. Carey created the project while also working on her blockbuster album Daydream, which featured hits including “Fantasy,” “Always Be My Baby,” and “One Sweet Day.”
Carey wrote and produced the Chick album with help from longtime collaborators, and contributed backing vocals throughout. Her friend Clarissa Dane performed the lead vocals on the released version, helping keep the pop superstar’s involvement under wraps.
Eventually, the Grammy winner explained the unusual project in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. She had initially hoped to sing lead under a pseudonym and appear in music videos in disguise, but record-label interference changed those plans. Instead, Dane became the group’s public face and voice.
In a 2020 interview with Stephen Colbert, she said the project gave her a chance to explore a different musical identity while making Daydream. She described it as something she did “just for laughs,” but also said it helped her through “some dark days.”
A Different Side of a Pop Superstar
The album arrived with little fanfare, and its singles failed to make a major commercial impact. But it has since become a fascinating footnote in the singer’s career and a favorite subject among fans curious about the music she made outside her familiar pop sound.
Now, nearly three decades later, “Hermit” has found an unexpected new audience through a holiday-season tradition. The Christmas transformation may be the main event, but this year, the most surprising moment came before the first festive note.
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