Mariah Carey’s “Holy Grail” 1988 Demo Tape Sets Record Auction Price and Rekindles Queer Pop Legacy

A long-lost demo tape from 1988, capturing Mariah Carey on the brink of superstardom, has sold at auction for $54,050, setting a record as the highest-priced cassette ever sold by a female artist. The sale was organized by music and culture platform Wax Poetics as part of its archival auction series, which focuses on historically significant recordings and memorabilia.

The cassette originates from producer Arthur Baker’s personal archive and was offered in partnership with singer Brenda K. Starr, who championed Carey early in her career. Baker first received the tape at a 1989 Christmas party where Starr brought Carey—and the demo—in a bid to help the young vocalist secure a record deal. That same tape, or an identical copy from that moment, would ultimately help spark a chain of events that led to Carey’s signing with Columbia Records and the release of her multi-platinum 1990 debut album.

The seven-track cassette features formative 1988 recordings, including early versions of at least five songs that would later appear on Carey’s self-titled 1990 debut album, which produced four No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Tracks such as “Someday,” “Alone in Love,” and “All In Your Mind” appear in rougher, more stripped-down form but already display the melodic hooks and vocal layering that would become Carey's hallmark. Two additional songs on the tape have not been officially released and have been discussed among collectors and superfans for years.

Producer and arranger Chris Toland, who worked on the demo with Carey and collaborator Ben Margulies, recalled that the songs were “more primitive in demo form,” but that “all the elements that led to the final record are there – the hooks, the background vocals, the kicks, the chords.” Toland emphasized that even at this early stage, Carey “already had it,” referring to the vocal control and songwriting instincts that would later define her career.

Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh described the cassette as “a real one-of-a-kind piece” that “captures the exact moment a generational voice was taking shape,” calling it a testament to Carey’s self-driven beginnings and creative foundations. The winning bidder received the original 1989 cassette along with a certificate of authenticity, archival notes, and historical documentation compiled by the Wax Poetics archive team.

The sale forms part of Wax Poetics’ broader effort to connect editorial storytelling with authenticated artifacts, an initiative that has previously highlighted artists including Bootsy Collins, Don Blackman, Louie Vega, and Nightmares on Wax. By foregrounding Carey’s early work, the auction underscores how archival preservation can illuminate creative processes behind major pop careers and provide new material for fans, scholars, and collectors.

Music outlets such as VICE and That Grape Juice have noted that the auction coincides with the seasonal resurgence of Carey’s holiday music, particularly “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which regularly returns to the top of charts around December. Although the 1988 demo does not include that track—recorded later in her career—it has been framed as a complementary artifact that demonstrates the foundations of the vocal range and songwriting that would later define her holiday and pop dominance.

The renewed attention to Carey’s origins also resonates strongly with LGBTQ+ communities, many of whom have embraced her as an icon for decades. Major LGBTQ+ organizations and media outlets have highlighted Carey’s history of vocal support for LGBTQ+ rights, including public statements in support of marriage equality and tributes to LGBTQ+ fans and chosen families. While the auction itself is not explicitly framed as an LGBTQ+ initiative, it intersects with a fandom that includes many gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and queer listeners who have found affirmation in her music and live performances.

Carey has previously acknowledged LGBTQ+ audiences as central to her career, receiving honors such as the GLAAD Media Awards’ Ally Award for her support of LGBTQ+ equality. In this context, the archival release of her early work is being celebrated not only as a milestone in music collecting but also as a moment of reflection on how an artist’s journey—from demo tapes to global stages—can mirror the resilience and self-determination often celebrated within LGBTQ+ communities.

With the buyer’s identity undisclosed, it remains unclear whether the recordings will eventually be made publicly accessible. For now, the sale confirms the historic and cultural value placed on Carey’s earliest work and adds a new chapter to the evolving narrative of a singer whose influence continues to be felt across pop music and LGBTQ+ culture alike.