Mariah Carey has announced a 25th anniversary reissue of ‘Glitter‘, set to arrive on 30 October via Def Jam Recordings / UMe. The album will return to streaming platforms under Carey’s own label and will also be released on vinyl for the first time since its original launch in 2001.
Released in September 2001 as the soundtrack to the film of the same name, ‘Glitter‘ became one of the most notorious flops in early-2000s pop: it landed in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks, was met with scathing reviews, and was overshadowed by the last-minute forced replacement of the sample Carey had planned to use on lead single ‘Loverboy‘ following a leak attributed to her then-husband Tommy Mottola. Over time, the album was reassessed and celebrated for its post-disco sound and its love letter to the 80s, and in 2018 the #JusticeForGlitter campaign sent it back to number one on iTunes, 17 years after its debut. Carey herself has said: “If someone had told me in 2001 that one day I’d be ironically celebrating the 25th anniversary of Glitter, I never would have believed it.”
The 25th anniversary edition will include a digital deluxe version featuring 15 additional tracks drawn from her personal archives, the full details of which are yet to be revealed. The first taste is a reimagined version of ‘Didn’t Mean to Turn You On‘ featuring Rochelle Jordan, produced by KLSH, which steers the original’s funk sound towards sleek, 90s-influenced house.
The vinyl release will come in two variants: a standard double LP in purple, and a deluxe edition on pink vinyl with three bonus tracks — including the original version of ‘Loverboy‘ featuring the ‘Firecracker‘ sample by Yellow Magic Orchestra — which had previously appeared on ‘The Rarities‘ (2020) — alongside ‘Out Here on My Own‘ and ‘Never Too Far/Hero (Medley)‘.
