Mariah Carey has released an expanded version of her 1995 album *Daydream* to mark its 30th anniversary, adding previously unheard material including private songwriting sessions, rare demos, live recordings and remixes. The release, out digitally now via Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, celebrates one of Carey's most commercially and critically significant albums, which helped define her blend of R&B, hip-hop and pop and laid the groundwork for her later record *Butterfly*.

Most notably, Carey has for the first time agreed to release private writing session recordings for the tracks "I Am Free" (with Walter Afanasieff) and "Melt Away" (with Babyface). *Daydream* originally topped the Billboard 200 upon its release on 3 October 1995 and spawned hits including "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby" and "One Sweet Day" with Boyz II Men; it has since gone 11-times multi-platinum. The new 3LP edition also features a range of remixes and alternate versions, though Carey has yet to release an entirely separate alternative rock album she reportedly recorded around the same period, which she has previously only discussed in her 2020 memoir.