14 DAY TRIAL // There is some miscommunication between Mariah Carey and her record label, Def Jam, as regards her upcoming, long-delayed 14th studio album initially called “The Art of Letting Go,” because fans are receiving very conflicting messages about the way in which it will be released.
In her Billboard cover story, Mariah said that, for this new album, she would ditch the traditional release and opt for a simultaneous one, kind of like Beyonce did with her “Beyonce.” She would only announce the name, and the rest (artwork, tracklisting, actual tracks, and music videos) would drop at the same time in digital format.
The album would then come out in brick-and-mortar stores after a week.
Of course, the gist with a Beyonce-style release is that it must not be advertised or teased in any way, which is precisely what Mariah did in the interview – which means that it would not be a “Beyonce-style” release at all because people would know about it.
But that’s not the point that Def Jam is trying to make in a statement to AceShowbiz. “The company's executive VP for media Laura Swanson insisted that Carey's oft-delayed 14th LP would be released in the traditional manner with a tracklist and official album cover preceding its arrival,” says the e-zine.
The album will be out in “late May” as per the same executive. So there, it won’t be a “surprise” release after all.