- News
2025: Celebrating The Emancipation of Mimi’s 20th or Daydream’s 30th Anniversary?
In 2025, Mariah Carey is poised to celebrate two major milestones: the 20th anniversary of her iconic album The Emancipation of Mimi and the 30th anniversary of her classic Daydream. While both anniversaries offer exciting opportunities, fans are left wondering: Will she celebrate both? Just one? Or perhaps neither? Mariah has previously gifted fans with anniversary reissues for Merry Christmas, Butterfly, Music Box, and Rainbow. As speculation grows, let’s explore some possibilities of what we might expect while we wait for Mariah to reveal her plans.
The Emancipation of Mimi: A 20-Year Celebration
Why The Emancipation of Mimi Matters to Mariah
Released on April 12, 2005, The Emancipation of Mimi marked a powerful return for Mariah Carey after a period of career uncertainty. Following the underperformance of Charmbracelet and Glitter in the early 2000’s, many critics questioned Mariah’s relevance in a changing music landscape. However, The Emancipation of Mimi silenced those doubts, allowing Mariah to reclaim her place at the top.
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 404,000 copies in its first week — her highest first-week sales at the time — and went on to become the best-selling album of 2005 in the United States. To date, The Emancipation of Mimi has sold over 13 million equivalent copies worldwide. The album’s standout hit, “We Belong Together“, spent 14 non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning the title of “Song of the Decade” by Billboard. Tracks like “It’s Like That“ and “Shake It Off“ solidified her dominance in contemporary R&B.
For Mariah, this album symbolized her personal and professional “emancipation” — a triumph over past hardships and criticism. In interviews, she often described The Emancipation of Mimi as a moment of reclaiming her artistry, confidence, and career stability. Songs like “Mine Again” and “Fly Like a Bird” reflected her deeper emotional journey, blending spirituality with vocal mastery.
What Can Fans Expect for the 20th Anniversary?
Mariah celebrated this beloved album with an Emancipation Vegas residency last year. Whether this was a preamble to celebrate what’s coming or her way of marking the anniversary remains uncertain. She had previously released a multi-platinum edition of the album, which included the hit “Don’t Forget About Us“ along with other tracks that didn’t make the original release. Are there still unreleased tracks to add to a new edition? That’s unclear. Her last RIAA certification for the album was back in 2022 when it was certified 7x platinum. With the amount of streams and video views the album has received since then, it’s likely the album is now eligible for its 8th platinum.
Several individual tracks have also seen significant milestones. “Shake It Off“ was certified double platinum last year, though it’s unlikely to be eligible for triple platinum just yet. Meanwhile, “Don’t Forget About Us“ was certified platinum in 2020, covering most of its physical sales and downloads, making it unlikely to reach double platinum at this time. However, “We Belong Together“ — one of Mariah’s highest streamers and video viewers — was last certified 6x platinum in 2022 and is almost certainly due for its 7th platinum. Additionally, “It’s Like That“, which was certified Gold in 2005, appears to have accumulated enough streams and sales to now qualify for platinum certification.
Is a 20th anniversary reissue celebration on the horizon? April 12 is just around the corner, and factoring in the Vegas residency already done last year, the multi-platinum edition already released, and the limited milestones left to renew, it seems unlikely that Mariah won’t wait until 2030 to fully celebrate this album.
Daydream: A 30-Year Celebration
The Creation of a Timeless Classic
Released on October 3, 1995, Daydream showcased Mariah’s evolution from pop balladeer to an artist embracing hip-hop and R&B. Working alongside Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, and Walter Afanasieff, Mariah introduced more urban sounds while maintaining her signature ballads. The result was a groundbreaking record that bridged genres and solidified her crossover appeal. The album has sold almost 36 million equivalent copies worldwide.
The album’s lead single, “Fantasy“, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Mariah the first female artist ever to achieve this milestone. The track’s remix with Ol’ Dirty Bastard is credited with pioneering pop and hip-hop collaborations, influencing countless artists in the following decades.
The emotional ballad “One Sweet Day“ (with Boyz II Men) held the #1 spot for 16 consecutive weeks, a record that stood for over two decades. Tracks like “Always Be My Baby“, “Underneath the Stars“, and “Forever“ showcased Mariah’s range, from upbeat pop to tender ballads.
What Can Fans Expect for the 30th Anniversary?
As mentioned above, Mariah has a long history of celebrating her classic albums, and fans are hopeful for a vinyl reissue, with rarities and remixes from the Daydream era. There are certainly unreleased tracks in the vault for this album, as we witnessed with “Slipping Away” and “One Night” on The Rarities. Additionally, her Daydream music videos have already been updated to 4K. We’re also sure some of these tracks have tons of potential for fresher remixes — “Always Be My Baby (Austin Millz Remix)”, for example, has proven how well her classics can be revitalized.
When it comes to certifications, the album was certified 11 times platinum in 2022 — with vinyl re-releases since then and high streamers such as “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby”, the album is close to due for a 12 times platinum certification. Speaking of “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby”, they were certified 5x platinum and 6x platinum back in 2023 and 2022 respectively — these are certainly due for a platinum increase each.
Regarding the remaining tracks, “One Sweet Day“ was certified 4x platinum in 2023, but numbers don’t seem to show a near certification just yet. All other tracks are still very low on the line, making it unlikely they’ll be certified. As an example, the next eligible track will be “Open Arms“, which has accumulated over 950 thousand equivalent singles sales worldwide to date — meaning it has probably not yet reached the benchmark for a Gold certification in the US alone.
However, 25 years seems to be the benchmark for anniversary releases. Since Mariah didn’t create a 25th-anniversary reissue back in 2020, 30 years seems to be the final benchmark — it’s hardly likely she’ll wait for the 50th anniversary. The date — October — aligns with the Christmas season where Mariah is prominent in every media outlet, serving as the perfect stage for promotion. So if our guesses would have to choose, we think this year is Daydream‘s year.
Projects for 2025
With multiple shows already aligned for the year, we’re also unsure if a new album will be coming. If this were to happen, we would place our bets for Spring / Summer as this would avoid overlapping multiple projects in the same period — new album, Daydream 30, and Christmas. That being said, Daydream 30 seems like a likely possibility.
Conclusion
Over the years, Mariah has spoken fondly of both albums. Regarding The Emancipation of Mimi, she described it as a “turning point” in reclaiming her confidence and artistry. On Daydream, Mariah has shared that the album felt deeply personal, representing a creative shift where she had greater control over her sound.
With the 20th anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi and the 30th anniversary of Daydream on the horizon, 2025 is set to be a major year for Mariah Carey and her fans. While it’s uncertain if Mariah will celebrate both albums, we’re more inclined to believe that Daydream will see its anniversary reissue if she chooses to do any at all this year. Whether through special performances, remastered releases, or candid reflections on her career, one thing is certain: Mariah’s legendary legacy continues to evolve, proving that her music remains timeless.
