The producers of New York City's Times Square New Year's Eve celebrations have fired back at Mariah Carey, blasting the singer's accusation that they were to blame for her performance problems on the live TV telecast.
Carey's spokeswoman Nicole Perna was quoted by Billboard magazine on Sunday saying that producers "set her up to fail."
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Mariah Carey's troubled NYE performance
On New Year's Eve Mariah Carey performed live in Times Square but the singer's routine was plagued by technical problems during the show.
She said the singer complained of problems with her earpiece before she went live on the show.
Carey has blamed technical issues and her inability to hear the music for her failure to complete a planned three-song set on the telecast.
![Mariah Carey experienced a number of technical issues during her NYE performance in Times Square.](/web/20170102173607im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/k/i/i/w/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtkiht.png/1483337423862.jpg)
But Dick Clark Productions, who produce the show, issued a statement on Sunday challenging Carey's claims.
"To suggest that DCP ... would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd," the statement said.
"In very rare instances there are of course technical errors that can occur with live television, however, an initial investigation has indicated that DCP had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey's New Year's Eve performance."
The incident has fuelled speculation that Carey intended to lip-synch the performance, a claim that Perna told Billboard was "adding insult to injury."
![Mariah Carey at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square.](/web/20170102173607im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/k/j/8/o/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtkiht.png/1483337423862.jpg)
Before the ball dropped and 2016 finally came to an end, revellers in Times Square and viewers watching at home were treated to an incredibly awkward five minute performance.
The pop diva had just finished singing Auld Lang Syne as part of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. Then the track of her 1991 hit Emotions began. "Got me feeling," Carey attempted, before stopping and telling her backup dancers to "just walk me down" the stairs.
"We can't hear," she said. Throughout the rest of the song, Carey walked around the stage and alternated between attempting to sing a phrase and explaining what was happening.
"We didn't have a check for this song, so we'll just sing. It went to number one," she said. "We're missing some of the vocals, but it is what it is."
A representative for Carey told the Associated Press the mishap had to do with technical difficulties. And the singer with a five-octave range tweeted her own brief explanation: "S--- happens."
Carey was the final headliner before the ball dropped. As Emotions continued, she held the microphone out to the crowd: "I say let the audience sing, OK?"
Finally the track ended. "That was," Carey said, with a long pause, "amazing."
But wait! Another song. Carey seemed to turn around the performance as she stood in place and sang We Belong Together. But midway through the 2005 track, she pulled the microphone away, revealing that she had apparently been lip-syncing. One of her backup dancers quickly showed up and walked her toward the front of the stage.
"Bring out the feathers -- yes!" she said as the performance ended. "It just don't get any better."
This isn't the first time Carey has botched a high-profile performance. In 2014, she faltered during NBC's annual Christmas in Rockefeller Centre tree-lighting special, failing to hit a bunch of notes during All I Want for Christmas is You.
She later apologised, tweeting that the "situation was beyond my control. I apologise to all that showed up, you know that I would never want to disappoint you."
Shit happens 😩 Have a happy and healthy new year everybody!🎉 Here's to making more headlines in 2017 😂 pic.twitter.com/0Td8se57jr
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 1, 2017
According to TMZ, she arrived three hours late for a taped performance because she was meeting with lawyers in the midst of her divorce, so producers had her sing live instead. The reaction to the Rockefeller gig online was pretty brutal, and Deadspin even published a video of her isolated, unedited vocals.
While this time that particular fate won't meet Carey (as she barely sang), she did become Twitter's top trending topic, as critics and defenders of the pop star rushed to broadcast their takes.
On Friday, Page Six published an item that reported extra attention was being given to make sure Carey showed up on time, citing a show "insider."
And while the social media accounts of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve promoted Carey's performance beforehand, there was no mention of it afterward -- almost as if they wished it never happened.
The Washington Post, with Reuters