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MC30 or #MC30 is a hashtag used to celebrate the 30th year since the release of Mariah Carey's self-titled debut album, Mariah Carey. To celebrate this accomplishment, Mariah released numerous digital EPs, remixes, bonus cuts, rare tracks, live performances, rare footage, enhanced footage of music videos as well as other rarities and surprises from her career every Friday beginning on July 17, 2020. The releases were most active from July to December 2020 and continued into January and February 2021. With some other minor releases happening in late 2021 and in 2022.[1][2]

The releases are accompanied by video footage, photos, physical releases, and personal notes from the singer;

Background[]

Mariah Carey's self-titled debut album turned 30 on Friday June 12, 2020. On this date, Mariah announced that she's putting off

the MC30 celebration in light of the nationwide fight for racial justice.[3] "Thank you lambily, for all the celebratory messages for today's MC 30 anniversary," Mimi wrote on Instagram over top of the 1990 album's classic cover art.[4] "I had planned to share some surprises and rarities with you, but prefer to postpone them to a later date." Mariah then turned her attention to the more serious social issues at hand, writing, "As we continue to fight for equality and justice within our broken systems, I thank you for using your platforms to educate, inform and invoke change. Together let's bring on a change. Love, Mariah." On July 15, 2020, Mariah posted a video montage with images and videos from the era of her debut album, which arrived June 12, 1990, and went on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide. "MC30 Every Friday," she captioned the image.[5] The first release was July 17, 2020. #MC30 releases occurred weekly between July and December 2020 and again between January and February 2021 with some other smallest releases/updates occurring in late 2021 and mid 2022. A significant release as part of the #MC30 initiative was the publication of Mariah Carey's memoir, 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey,' which provided an in-depth look into her life and career.

Break[]

On November 21, 2020 Mariah announced that #MC30 will take a short hiatus until 2021.[6] It resumed on January 22, 2021.[7] The series went on a second break on February 5th 2021.

Promotion[]

Mariah promoted MC30 during her Good Morning America appearance on Wednesday, August 19, 2020.[8]

#MC30 Vault[]

At times during the #MC30 celebrations Mariah is posting content from her "unreleased vaults" The first vault content was released on July 24, 2020. In this post, Mariah shared a snippet of the demo version of All in Your Mind.[9] The second vault content was released on August 14 2020, the snippet included Mariah's unreleased Underneath the Stars Music Video.[10]

Release[]

The following is a timeline listing the content that has been released on the designated date beginning with July 17, 2020.[11]

2020[]

  • July 17: The Live Debut - 1990, a digital EP consisting of Carey's debut showcase at the Tatou Club in New York City (previously released as part of The First Vision), was released to digital platforms. In addition to the audio, the accompanying videos were also posted on Carey's YouTube channel, both individually and as a full show,[12] before being made private (apart from the performance of "Love Takes Time", which is still up as of April 2023).
  • July 24: Two remix EPs, Someday EP and There's Got to Be a Way EP were released to digital platforms. The music videos for the two songs were also remastered in HD on YouTube. Carey also shared a snippet of a demo recording of "All in Your Mind" on social media, featuring an alternate, never-before heard vocal take.
  • July 30: The performance of "Can't Let Go" live on Top of the Pops was posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • July 31: Two remix EPs: Emotions EP and Make It Happen EP were released to digital platforms, with the music videos for these songs also being remastered in HD.
  • August 6: The performances of "Dreamlover" and "Anytime You Need a Friend" live on Top of the Pops were posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • August 7: Three remix EPs: Dreamlover EP, Never Forget You EP and Anytime You Need a Friend EP were released to digital platforms. The "Dreamlover" music video was also remastered in HD. A previously unreleased music video for the Soul Convention mix of "Anytime You Need a Friend", directed by Carey herself, was posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • August 13: The performance of "Open Arms" live on Top of the Pops was posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • August 14: Four remix EPs: Fantasy EP, One Sweet Day EP, Always Be My Baby EP and Underneath the Stars EP were released to digital platforms. The "Always Be My Baby" music video was also remastered in HD. Carey also shared a teaser of the previously unreleased music video for "Underneath the Stars".
  • August 18: Carey makes a special appearance on Good Morning America to announce The Rarities.
  • August 21: "Save the Day" is released to digital platforms as the lead single from The Rarities. The "Fantasy" (original and remix versions) and "One Sweet Day" music videos were also remastered in HD.
  • August 28: Five remix EPs: Honey EP, Butterfly EP, Breakdown EP, The Roof (Back in Time) EP and My All EP were released to digital platforms. The "Honey" (original and remix versions), "Butterfly", "Breakdown" and "My All" music videos were also remastered in HD.
  • August 31: The Pianoapecaloopapella mix of "Someday", released on the original Someday EP (with percussion), was quietly replaced by the version from the original single release (without percussion).
  • September 4: Three remix EPs: Sweetheart EP, I Still Believe EP, Do You Know Where You're Going To EP, as well as a new release, Mariah en Español EP, featuring the Spanish versions of "Hero", "Open Arms" and "My All", were released to digital platforms. The "The Roof (Back in Time)", "Whenever You Call", "Sweetheart" and "I Still Believe" music videos were also remastered in HD. Additionally, the "I Still Believe / Pure Imagination (Damizza Reemix)" music video was unblocked in a number of countries where it was previously unavailable and remastered in HD.
  • September 12: Several new items were made available for pre-order on Carey's online store and several retailers worldwide:
    • Mariah Carey Shop:
      • #MC30 Box Set (Mariah Carey on clear smoke vinyl, The Meaning of Mariah Carey and limited issue butterfly commemorative t-shirt, limited to 1,000 copies), set to be released on October 2, 2020
        • A different #MC30 bundle was later added to Carey's online store, featuring Carey's debut album on black vinyl instead of clear smoke
      • The Rarities Box Set (The Rarities CD, The Meaning of Mariah Carey and limited issue The Rarities commemorative t-shirt), set to be released on October 2, 2020
      • Limited Edition Rarities Bundle (The Rarities 4 LP and The Meaning of Mariah Carey), set to be released on December 11, 2020
      • Emotions, MTV Unplugged, Music Box, Daydream, Butterfly and Rainbow (2 LP) on black vinyl, set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Limited Edition) on double clear vinyl, with five bonus tracks, set to be released on November 16, 2020
      • Merry Christmas II You on limited edition red vinyl, set to be released on December 4, 2020
      • Charmbracelet, E=MC², Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse on double bone, lavender, opaque white and translucent orange vinyl, respectively, set to be released on January 22, 2021
      • Merry Christmas and Caution on red and black vinyl, respectively, available immediately
    • Third-party retailers:
      • Mariah Carey on black vinyl, set to be released on October 2, 2020
      • Mariah Carey on glass bottle vinyl (Walmart exclusive), set to be released on October 9, 2020
      • Merry Christmas on limited edition clear vinyl with white, red and green splatter (Target USA exclusive), set to be released on October 30, 2020
      • MTV Unplugged on limited edition marbled red vinyl (Target USA exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • Emotions on limited edition transparent tan with black smoke vinyl (Vinyl Me, Please exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • Music Box on limited edition Dreamlover cream vinyl (Vinyl Me, Please exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Edition) on double black vinyl, set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • Butterfly on limited edition gold vinyl (Urban Outfitters USA exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • Rainbow on limited edition double red, yellow, blue and violet vinyl (randomly selected) (Urban Outfitters USA exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Limited Edition) on double gold vinyl, limited to 3,000 copies (Urban Outfitters USA exclusive), set to be released on November 6, 2020
      • Charmbracelet, E=MC², Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse on double black vinyl, set to be released on January 22, 2021
        • These releases were later made available on Carey's online store in the UK
  • September 18: "Out Here On My Own" is released to digital platforms as the second single from The Rarities.
  • September 19: The official lyric video for "Out Here On My Own" was posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • September 29: The Meaning of Mariah Carey is released. The "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", "I Don't Wanna Cry", "Can't Let Go", "Hero" and "Anytime You Need a Friend" music videos were also remastered in HD.
  • October 2: The Rarities is released. The "El Amor Que Soñé" music video was also remastered in HD and posted to Carey's YouTube channel, as well as Carey's entire concert at the Tokyo Dome, albeit for one week only. Additionally, the #MC30 and The Rarities box sets were released, as well as the black Mariah Carey vinyl.
  • October 9: Four remix EPs: Heartbreaker EP, Thank God I Found You EP, Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) EP and Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) EP were released to digital platforms. The "Heartbreaker", "Thank God I Found You" (original and Make It Last remix versions), "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Against All Odds" (with Westlife) music videos were also remastered in HD. Additionally, the Walmart exclusive glass bottle Mariah Carey vinyl was released.
  • October 16: Three live performances on Top of the Pops ("Emotions", "Without You" and "Endless Love") were posted on Carey's YouTube channel. Additionally, the artwork of the Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) EP was changed.
  • October 23: The official lyric video for "Save the Day", as well as the performances of "Always Be My Baby", "Without You" and "Anytime You Need a Friend" from the Tokyo Dome concert were posted on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • October 30: The "Heartbreaker" remix and "I Know What You Want" music videos were remastered in HD. Additionally, the Target USA exclusive limited edition Merry Christmas clear vinyl with white, red and green splatter was released.
  • November 6: The performance of "I'll Be There" live on Top of the Pops was posted on Carey's YouTube channel. A CD release for the unabridged audiobook of The Meaning of Mariah Carey was announced, slated for release on December 29, 2020 on Amazon, which has since been cancelled. Additionally, the following #MC30 vinyls were released:
    • Emotions, MTV Unplugged, Music Box, Daydream, Butterfly, Rainbow and The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Edition) on black vinyl
    • The Target USA exclusive limited edition MTV Unplugged marbled red vinyl
    • The Urban Outfitters USA exclusive limited edition Butterfly gold vinyl, Rainbow red, yellow, blue and violet vinyls and The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Limited Edition) gold vinyl
  • November 13: The long-lost music video for "Underneath the Stars" premiered on Carey's YouTube channel.
  • November 16: The limited edition The Emancipation of Mimi (15th Anniversary Limited Edition) clear vinyl was released.
  • November 20: Two limited edition "Here We Go Around Again" cassette singles were made available for pre-order: a white version exclusive to the Japanese market including lyrics translation and commentary, set to be released on December 11, 2020, and a purple version, available exclusively on Carey's online store for a limited time. The "Joy to the World" remix, "O Holy Night" and "Oh Santa!" music videos were also remastered in HD.
  • November 22: Carey announces the first #MC30 hiatus, stating "releases will resume in 2021!"
  • November 27: The MTV Unplugged marbled red vinyl, previously a Target USA exclusive, was released in Japan through Tower Records and HMV Japan.
  • December 4: The limited edition Merry Christmas II You red vinyl was released. The Vinyl Me, Please exclusive limited edition Emotions transparent tan with black smoke vinyl and Music Box Dreamlover cream vinyl also started being shipped out, after being originally scheduled for a November 6 release.
  • December 11: The "Here We Go Around Again" limited edition cassettes and The Rarities 4 LP + The Meaning of Mariah Carey bundle were released. Moreover, The Rarities quadruple vinyl was made available to purchase as an individual item exclusive to Carey's online store.

2021[]

2022[]

  • June 10: All of the MTV Unplugged performances were remastered in HD.
  • June 24: The Austin Millz remix of "Always Be My Baby", viral on TikTok at the time, was released to digital platforms. Caution was re-released digitally with the bonus track "Runway," previously unavailable globally. The "Someday", "Emotions" and "Anytime You Need a Friend" remix music videos were remastered in HD.

Trivia[]

  • On November 24, 2020, Mariah posted a video of herself reviewing the vinyl's that were released for #MC30 .[13]
  • Despite being featured in the trailer for #MC30, neither Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden or the "My All / Stay Awhile" music video were remastered in HD. Furthermore, the trailer included the artworks for the "#Beautiful" remix featuring Jeezy, the So So Def remix of "Bye Bye", Obsessed (The Remixes), "The Art of Letting Go" and "Thirsty", even though nothing related to these songs was ever released during #MC30. The second trailer, posted days before the release of The Rarities, included footage from Around the World and a snippet from a performance of "Lullaby of Birdland" during The Elusive Chanteuse Show, yet the former was never remastered and the latter was simply looped and used as the official visualizer for the song on Spotify.
  • Several songs such as "Love Takes Time", "I Don't Wanna Cry", "Can't Let Go", "Till the End of Time", "Endless Love", "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)", "When You Believe", "Crybaby", "Loverboy", "Reflections (Care Enough)", "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)", "Never Too Far" (and the "Never Too Far / Hero Medley"), "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", "If We", "Irresistible (Westside Connection)", "You Got Me", "I Know What You Want", "Miss You", "Got a Thing 4 You", "Fly Like a Bird", "So Lonely (One and Only Part II)", "Secret Love", "Bye Bye", "Side Effects", "Obsessed", "I Want to Know What Love Is", "H.A.T.E.U.", "Up Out My Face", "Angels Cry", "Triumphant (Get 'Em)", "Almost Home", "#Beautiful", "You're Mine (Eternal)", "Thirsty", "You Don't Know What to Do", "Meteorite", "Infinity", "I Don't" and "With You", despite having official remixes and alternate versions, did not receive any kind of release during #MC30.
    • An Obsessed EP, with a black #MC30 border in its artwork, has, however, appeared on Universal Music Italy's official website, with a release date of June 10, 2022 listed. The track list seems to be slightly different from the now-unavailable Obsessed (The Remixes), though without the Jump Smokers remix.[14] It's unknown why it was never released.
  • Most EPs released during #MC30 are incomplete and are missing several different versions of their respective songs. The only songs with complete EPs are "There's Got to Be a Way", "Emotions", "Never Forget You", "Anytime You Need a Friend", "One Sweet Day", "Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme from Mahogany)", "I Only Wanted" and "Your Girl".
  • A few days before the official announcement of the #MC30 vinyl reissues, different versions of Charmbracelet, E=MC² and Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel on limited edition double brown, purple and opaque orange vinyl, respectively, were made available for a few hours on Carey's online store. These were quickly taken down.[15]

Gallery[]

References[]

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