After the disaster of a performance during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on Saturday, it appears Mariah Carey has severed professional ties with her creative director and tour choreographer, Anthony Burrell.
“He’s not being brought back [in 2017] for a number of reasons,” a source close to the Diva told ET on Tuesday. One reason in particular had to do with a decision he made without discussing with Carey or her management team first, the source claims.
Sometime during Carey’s performance, Burrell supposedly moved the singer’s backup vocalists off the stage for the live show in New York City, to make more room for the dancers. Which, in turn “left Mariah without any support,” the source told ET. Apparently, the backup singers could have helped Carey pick up the cues she missed, being that her inner earpiece didn’t work and she couldn’t hear the music.
Since the catastrophic performance, all of the parties involved have released statements to explain the mishap.
On Monday, Burrell took to Twitter, writing, “I haven’t been able to watch NYE performance. 30 sec from live TV, boss couldn’t hear her own vocal in her in-ears from Mic. #heartbroken.”
“Sucks to see all of the hateful messages,” he continued. “Peep[s] are so quick to judge, not knowing we were all in a state of panic. 333 peace and positivity.”
Prior to that, Carey’s team described the incident as a “production issue,” stating that there “unfortunately was nothing [Mariah] could do to continue with her performance given the circumstances,” ultimately alleging sabotage at the hands of production.
Meanwhile, Dick Clark Productions released a statement refuting the claims.
“As the premier producer of live television events for nearly 50 years, we pride ourselves on our reputation and long-standing relationships with artists,” the statement read. “To suggest that Dick Clark Productions, as producer of music shows including the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and Academy of Country Music Awards, would ever intentionally compromise the success of any artist is defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd.”
“In very rare instances there are of course technical errors that can occur with live television, however, an initial investigation has indicated that Dick Clark Productions had no involvement in the challenges associated with Ms. Carey’s New Year’s Eve performance,” the statement continued. “We want to be clear that we have the utmost respect for Ms. Carey as an artist and acknowledge her tremendous accomplishments in the industry.”
