Mariah Carey doesn’t know what a secret album release is

The best part about a surprise is keeping the big reveal a secret.

Unless you’re Mariah Carey.

The pop diva has spilled the beans that her forthcoming record will arrive Beyoncé-style, meaning she plans on dropping it unexpectedly on the Internet when it’s completed.

Her serially delayed record – once called “The Art of Letting Go” – will be issued in a similar fashion as Beyoncé’s attention-grabbing visual album late last year, according to an interview with Billboard.

Carey plans on revealing the album’s title, track listing, artwork and music at one time via digital platforms, with a physical release at retail stores expected the following week.

“I have to be the one that announces this, especially the title,” Carey said.

Her approach isn’t completely the same as Beyoncé, though.

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Beyoncé kept the album, which also featured 17 music videos, under wraps for more than a year. When she released it, on a random December night, she gave not even the slightest hint that it was arriving. The move sent shock waves through the industry, potentially changing the way artists control the music-to-consumer relationship and has rightfully sparked a few copycats.

Carey, however, is teasing her big surprise with a cover story for Billboard. Taking the stealth route – to be fair, it’s not technically a surprise if fans know it’s happening – should help drum up some much-needed excitement for the project.

The superstar’s campaign for her upcoming album, her 14^th, has been a rough one.

In 2012 she teased the project with an uplifting anthem, “Triumphant (Get ‘Em).” But the Rick Ross and Meek Mill-assisted single was dead on arrival and barely made a splash with critics or fans.

A turn on “American Idol” in 2013 – her infamous rivalry with one-time collaborator Nicki Minaj dominated headlines during their season together – offered a sturdy platform to boost her Miguel-assisted single, “Beautiful.” The song was a summer smash, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.

Two more singles, “The Art of Letting Go” and “You’re Mine (Eternal),” failed to generate much buzz for the album that has had countless release dates.

Amid the delays, Carey brought on Jermaine Dupri -- responsible for some of her most undeniable hits including “We Belong Together,” “Always Be My Baby” and “Shake It Off” -- to guide her career. Fans aren’t totally pleased with that decision, either.

Carey has continued to tease fans with pictures of her logging studio time with Dupri as well as Nas, Rodney Jerkins, Mike Will Made-It and Hit-Boy.

Her last album was 2009’s “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.”

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