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."
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.
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."
