Mariah Carey just surprised fans by releasing her elusive 2001 album/soundtrack Glitter on all streaming services. The “LoverBoy” lead set had been notoriously missing since the soundtrack’s initial release.
Carey teased the soundtrack’s impending release when the singer tweeted “Turn Sylk way down” a line made famous by the movie that accompanied the album. The tweet was followed by several Glitter-era promo images on Twitter followed by Carey changing her name to Billie Frank on Twitter, the character she played in the film. Reports indicate the singer recently purchased the masters to release the album under her own imprint.
Turn Sylk way down… https://t.co/PgLIeEidCP
— Billie Frank (@MariahCarey) May 21, 2020
A lil’ late, a lil’ late, but to show my appreciation for #JusticeForGlitter, it’s now finally available everywhere! I thought we could all use some retro fun during this time! https://t.co/8UtWpZWUf1
Photos: George Holz ©️2001 pic.twitter.com/hEMcV8fD8S— Billie Frank (@MariahCarey) May 22, 2020
The album’s release was the definition of ill-timed— it came out on September 11, 2001 — and was met with negative reviews. The album was the first release under Carey’s $100 million, 5 album record deal with Virgin Records. Despite being the best-selling single of 2001, “LoverBoy” was considered a failure after peaking at #2 on the Billboard Charts with subsequent singles failing to chart, a first for the legend. Soon after, Carey was dropped from the label, paid $28 million dollars, and experienced her infamous mental breakdown.
In recent years, fans expressed their love for Glitter, campaigning with the hashtag #JusticeForGlitter on social media in an effort to spur the album’s release to streaming services. In 2018, the campaign rocketed the soundtrack to number one on the iTunes charts in several countries including the U.S. Carey thanked fans for their love by including a medley of songs from the soundtrack in her 2019 Caution World Tour.
The Platinum-certified soundtrack is now available on all streaming services.
