Hearts Sold Separately is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah the Scientist. It was released on August 22, 2025, through Buckles Laboratories and Epic Records. It serves as the follow-up to her third album, To Be Eaten Alive (2023).
The album was preceded by the singles "Burning Blue" and "Is It a Crime", the latter featuring Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis. "Burning Blue" became Mariah's highest-charting single in the United States at the time of its release. The album's promotional campaign included performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as well as appearances at the Essence Festival of Culture, Lollapalooza, All Points East, and the Global Citizen Festival, where she was introduced by Bill Nye and Liza Koshy.
Hearts Sold Separately received generally favorable reviews from music critics. The album was supported by the Hearts Sold Separately Tour, a concert tour spanning Europe and North America in 2026.
Background and release During an interview at the Billboard Women in Music event on March 31, 2025, Mariah stated that her fourth studio album had been completed. On July 8, 2025, Mariah announced her album, Hearts Sold Separately, with a release date of August 22, 2025. The announcement was accompanied by reveal of the album artwork, a miniature green toy soldier against a pink backdrop, symbolizing the album's concept as "the war on love" and the emotional battles inherent in relationships.
Hearts Sold Separately was made available for digital pre-save on July 9, 2025, through major streaming platforms. CD and vinyl versions, including standard and autographed editions, were simultaneously opened for pre-order through her and Epic Records' official merchandise stores.
Promotion Singles "Burning Blue" was released on May 2, 2025, as the album's lead single. Produced by Jetski Purp and Nineteen85, the song is an R&B song that employs elemental imagery—most notably the contrast of "cold as ice" and "fire"—to illustrate the tension between emotional detachment and intense longing. The single debuted at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Mariah's second chart appearance and her highest-charting song in the country. A music video for the song was released on May 10, 2025, and depicts Mariah singing the song while backed by a troupe of war-ready dancers.
She released the album's second single, "Is It a Crime", featuring Kali Uchis, on July 31, 2025.
Performances and interviews Mariah began promoting her fourth studio album with an appearance at the Billboard Women in Music event in Los Angeles on March 29, 2025. In an interview with Billboard at the event, she said the album was complete and discussed the event's focus on women in music. On April 24, she appeared on the sixth episode of Summer Walker's Apple Music 1 program Over It Radio. The two discussed songwriting, touring, and mental health, while Mariah described the concept and imagery of her forthcoming album.
On June 2, Mariah made her late-night television debut with a performance of "Burning Blue" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Billboard subsequently profiled her and her sister and manager Morgan Buckles in its June 7 issue, discussing the development and promotion of "Burning Blue" and the forthcoming album.
Her scheduled set at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City on June 7 was canceled following severe weather delays. Festival organizers cited "unforeseen circumstances", and Mariah subsequently addressed the cancellation on social media. On June 21, she performed at Birthday Bash in Atlanta and at the fifth annual Beauté Noir Festival in the city. She also performed at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans on July 5. During the festival weekend, People interviewed her about Rihanna naming "Burning Blue" as one of her karaoke songs.
On July 24, Mariah performed at the R&B In the Park concert at Mill River Park in Stamford, Connecticut. On August 2, she performed at a Lollapalooza aftershow at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, followed by her Lollapalooza festival appearance in Grant Park on August 3. She performed at All Points East in London on August 15.
In interviews in August, Mariah discussed Hearts Sold Separately, its title and themes, and the making of "Is It a Crime", a collaboration with Kali Uchis. On August 12, she appeared on Hot 97 with Nessa, discussing the album, its artwork, her stage name, her relationship with Young Thug, and her experiences in the music industry. She also spoke with Zane Lowe for Apple Music about the album, her collaboration with Uchis, and her approach to her vocals. An interview with the Associated Press, published August 22, discussed the album's title and its themes of love, relationships, and personal growth. Essence also interviewed her about the album's songs and its visual and fashion elements.
Following the album's release on August 22, Mariah headlined the inaugural SomeKinda R&B Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario, on August 31.
On September 16, Mariah performed "Rainy Days" and "Burning Blue" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On September 18, she performed "Spread Thin", "Is It a Crime", and "Burning Blue" at an UGG event in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
On September 26, she performed at the Outer Harbor Summer Concert Series in Buffalo, New York, the day before her appearance at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City. At Global Citizen on September 27, she performed material from Hearts Sold Separately and her earlier releases. Global Citizen's official coverage listed her among the festival's performers alongside The Weeknd, Shakira, Tyla, Ayra Starr, Camilo, and Elyanna. The following day, she performed at R&B In the Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
In November, Mariah appeared at the fourth annual Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, presented by Femme It Forward, at The Beverly Hilton. In an interview with Revolt TV, she discussed her development as an artist and her creative process. On December 1, she appeared on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular, performing "Santa Baby" from Disney's Animal Kingdom. On December 13, she headlined Power 105.1's inaugural Power Sessions at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. She performed songs from Hearts Sold Separately and her earlier releases, and was interviewed backstage by Angie Martinez.
Tour
On September 15, 2025, Mariah announced the Hearts Sold Separately Tour in support of Hearts Sold Separately. Produced by Live Nation, the tour was initially announced as a 36-city run beginning in Paris on January 12, 2026, at Salle Pleyel, followed by performances in Manchester, Birmingham, London, and Utrecht. The North American leg was scheduled to begin in Miami Beach, Florida, on February 13, with dates across the United States and Canada before concluding with a hometown performance at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta on April 10.
Additional performances were subsequently added to the itinerary. These included second London and Utrecht dates in January, an additional Miami Beach date on February 12, a second Orlando performance on February 15, a second Toronto performance on March 6, a Milwaukee performance on March 13, an Oakland performance on March 25, a second Los Angeles performance on March 29, and a second Atlanta performance on April 11. The Chesterfield, Missouri, date was originally announced for March 15 but was subsequently moved to March 16.
4Batz served as a supporting act on select North American dates. Akia also appeared on select dates, while Chxrry joined Mariah for the European dates in Utrecht.
The tour's performances centered on material from Hearts Sold Separately alongside songs from Mariah's earlier releases. The average set list compiled from recorded performances opened with "United Nations + 1000 Ways to Die" and generally concluded with "Burning Blue".
Set list The following set list is based on the average set list for the tour and does not represent every performance.
"United Nations + 1000 Ways to Die" "Different Pages" "All for Me" "Not a Love Song" "Eternal Flame" "Beetlejuice" "Sacrifice" "Good Times" "All I Want + In Pursuit" "Like You Never" "Always n Forever" "More" "2 You" "Revenge" "Reminders" "Bout Mine" "From a Woman" "Rainy Days" "Spread Thin" "No More Entertainers" "Is It a Crime" "Burning Blue"
The set list varied by performance. At Radio City Music Hall in New York City on February 27, Mariah performed "Death Do Us Part" with Fridayy, "Secrets" with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and "My Shit" as a cover of an A Boogie wit da Hoodie song. At the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on March 29, she additionally performed portions of "Church", "Revenge", and "Note to You".
Tour dates January 12, 2026 — Paris, France — Salle Pleyel January 14, 2026 — Manchester, England — Manchester Academy January 15, 2026 — Birmingham, England — O2 Academy Birmingham January 17, 2026 — London, England — O2 Academy Brixton January 18, 2026 — London, England — O2 Academy Brixton January 20, 2026 — Utrecht, Netherlands — TivoliVredenburg January 21, 2026 — Utrecht, Netherlands — TivoliVredenburg February 12, 2026 — Miami Beach, Florida — The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater February 13, 2026 — Miami Beach, Florida — The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater February 15, 2026 — Orlando, Florida — House of Blues Orlando February 16, 2026 — Orlando, Florida — House of Blues Orlando February 18, 2026 — Nashville, Tennessee — Ryman Auditorium February 20, 2026 — Virginia Beach, Virginia — The Dome February 21, 2026 — Washington, D.C. — The Anthem February 24, 2026 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — The Met Philadelphia February 25, 2026 — New Haven, Connecticut — College Street Music Hall February 27, 2026 — New York City, New York — Radio City Music Hall February 28, 2026 — Boston, Massachusetts — MGM Music Hall at Fenway March 3, 2026 — Montreal, Quebec — MTELUS March 5, 2026 — Toronto, Ontario — History March 6, 2026 — Toronto, Ontario — History March 8, 2026 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Andrew J. Brady Music Center March 10, 2026 — Detroit, Michigan — Fox Theatre March 11, 2026 — Chicago, Illinois — Aragon Ballroom March 13, 2026 — Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Landmark Credit Union Live March 14, 2026 — Minneapolis, Minnesota — Fillmore Minneapolis March 16, 2026 — Chesterfield, Missouri — The Factory March 18, 2026 — Denver, Colorado — Fillmore Auditorium March 19, 2026 — Salt Lake City, Utah — The Union Event Center March 21, 2026 — Seattle, Washington — Showbox SoDo March 22, 2026 — Portland, Oregon — Crystal Ballroom March 24, 2026 — San Francisco, California — The Masonic March 25, 2026 — Oakland, California — Fox Oakland Theatre March 26, 2026 — Anaheim, California — House of Blues Anaheim March 28, 2026 — Los Angeles, California — Hollywood Palladium March 29, 2026 — Los Angeles, California — Hollywood Palladium March 31, 2026 — Las Vegas, Nevada — Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas April 1, 2026 — Phoenix, Arizona — Arizona Financial Theatre April 3, 2026 — Austin, Texas — Stubb's April 4, 2026 — Houston, Texas — Bayou Music Center April 5, 2026 — Dallas, Texas — South Side Ballroom April 7, 2026 — New Orleans, Louisiana — The Fillmore New Orleans April 8, 2026 — Birmingham, Alabama — Avondale Brewing Company April 10, 2026 — Atlanta, Georgia — Coca-Cola Roxy April 11, 2026 — Atlanta, Georgia — Coca-Cola Roxy
Critical reception