Did The Diva Dive?

Did the diva dive?
Reportedly pregnant Mariah Carey, here for F1 concert, takes a tumble on stage
By Germaine Lim
September 29, 2010
 
 

WAS it her skinny stilettos that failed Her (hefty) Majesty?

LEGEND OF THE FALL: Mariah Carey falls but is quickly heaved up by her dancer. Despite this, she goes on to hit the right notes with her fans.

Or could it be that the stage was simply too slippery?

We could make excuses for US diva Mariah Carey all day.

But she did make it happen – as her hit single goes.

The 40-year-old pop star fell on stage while performing Make It Happen for thousands of spectators at the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday night.

Barely 10 seconds into the song – her third for the night – Carey slipped on stage.

She was wearing a black mini skirt and what looked like five-inch heels.

In true Carey style, the melodramatic theatricality of the fall – which was more like a float – befits the bigger diva she has become.

According to the National Enquirer, she reportedly piled on 26kg in the last two years and now tips the scales at 87kg.

What made Carey’s tumble more worrying is that she’s said to be expecting after showing up with a fuller figure in Brazil mid-last month.

Online photos also showed her preference for loose-fitting clothes over her usual wardrobe of skin-tight dresses.

PICTURES: YOUTUBE, THE STRAITS TIMES

Carey has never officially addressed the pregnancy rumours.

But a reliable source told The New Paper that a member of Carey’s entourage confirmed that she’s indeed four months in the family way and that her crew was well-prepared in case she fainted or fell during her concert.

Indeed, the worst did happen.

However, it was as if the butterflies that she had once sung about caught her midway and guided her descent to the ground.

She didn’t show any sign of pain as an attentive dancer swiftly came to her rescue and heaved her up.

Clearly, her well-cushioned curves served her well and broke her fall.

Carey, who’s married to US host-rapper Nick Cannon, kept smiling and asked assistants to remove her shoes.

After the song, she joked: ‘You guys deserve a refund for that one. I’m going to do the whole show without shoes on.’

Carey’s avid fan, Ryan Ling, thinks the fall could have been staged.

The 14-year-old student told The New Paper: ‘I was shocked when she slipped and fell right in front of me. It seemed so dramatic. Maybe she fell on purpose to have fun with her fans because she was laughing about it.’

Carey tweeted yesterday: ‘Several hectic moments, (lol!) but I tried to swirl them into festive!’

Ms Camille Ho, a 34-year-old account manager, felt embarrassed for the singer.

She joked: ‘Maybe because she’s too fat and couldn’t balance on those heels.’

That’s not the only issue Carey’s recent weight gain seemed to have caused.

Throughout the 80-minute concert, she was often short of breath.

She was panting after the first song, Obsessed, and had to rest on a chaise longue on stage.

She then asked her assistant to remove her shoes which she called ‘a menace’, adding: ‘Having a diva moment. I’m keeping it real.’

‘Very breathy’

Mr Andy Tan, a 33-year-old researcher, admitted she sounded ‘very breathy’ in the first four songs.

He said: ‘No one likes the breaks in between. But from the reviews I’ve read, taking frequent breaks is typical of Carey during her concerts.

‘For fans, we’re just satisfied that she’s here to sing. Her voice is all I care about.’

Australian fan Karleigh Rodney, who flew in from Perth just for the performance, thinks those pregnancy rumours are real because of Carey’s fatigue.

The 26-year-old civil servant said: ‘She seemed very tired and uncomfortable, though she still gave her all. She also looked very exhausted from the heat.’

Student Ryan thinks that even if Carey was pregnant, she wouldn’t shy away from tottering in heels because ‘she’s a diva’.

Despite the less-than-ideal moments, Carey, whose last concert here was in 2000, still hit all the right notes with concert-goers, who gave positive reviews of her performance.

The songbird played up and poked fun at her diva status throughout the concert, during which she sang old favourites like Dream Lover, Always Be My Baby and the fitting encore song Hero.

When she couldn’t get an electric fan at the front of the stage to work, Carey said: ‘Can someone turn the fan on? It’s just more dramatic. Have you ever seen me in a video without my hair blowing?’

You tell ’em, honey.

The NewPaper