Image Credit: Chris Pizzello/Burhan Ozbilici/Evan Agostini/AP ImagesAs the situation in Libya worsens, the music world’s eyes have been trained on stars including Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Usher, and 50 Cent—all of whom have performed at opulent soirees thrown by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi or members of his family.
Rolling Stone reported earlier this week that these artists have been facing calls to give away the money they earned from their performances. Yesterday, Beyoncé’s publicist released a statement saying that the singer had done just that: “All monies paid to Beyoncé 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 for Haiti, over a year ago. Once it became known that the third party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause,” the statement reads.
Mariah Carey, meanwhile—who received $1 million after performing for Gaddafi’s son Muatassim in 2008—has issued her own statement on the matter: “I was naïve and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. 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.”
What do you think, readers—do you respect these artists for their admissions after the fact, or believe they shouldn’t have agreed to the performances in the first place?
UPDATE: Carey’s rep reports: “Mariah Carey has written a new song, “Save the Day,” and the proceeds from that song will go to human rights organizations.”
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