14 DAY TRIAL // Singer Mariah Carey has become the latest celebrity to admit she was paid to perform for Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and, at the same time, to vouch publicly that she will donate to charity the money she made, People magazine reports.
Nelly Furtado was the first to come clean about the $1 million fee she received to perform for Gaddafi’s family in the past; she was followed by Beyonce, who also promised to donate the money to a good cause.
Mariah is doing the same now, saying she wants no connection with the dictator, who is now being investigated for war crimes.
She performed a private gig for Gaddafi in 2008 in St. Barts.
“I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess,” the singer says in a statement released to all major media outlets.
“Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows. Ultimately, we as artists are to be held accountable,” the singer adds.
Her rep also chimes in, stressing that Mariah has always been very involved in various charity organizations – and hinting that this is where the money will go this time as well.
“Mariah has and continues to donate time, money, and countless hours of personal service both here and abroad,” says her publicist.
As noted above, Nelly Furtado and Beyonce were the first artists to distance themselves from Gaddafi after agreeing to perform for his family in the past.
Nelly tweeted about her decision to donate the $1 million she made to charity, while Beyonce issued a statement through her rep saying she’d already given it away.
“All monies paid to Beyonce for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year’s Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, over a year ago,” Beyonce’s rep said the other day.