Mariah Carey back to Times Square New Year's after debacle   

NEW YORK - AFP

The pop diva confirmed that she will return to Times Square in New York to ring in 2018, a year after she was humiliated by technical issues at the annual televised ball-drop.

"We can all agree that last year didn't go exactly as planned and we are thrilled to move forward together to provide America with an incredible night of music and celebration," Carey said in a joint statement on Dec. 22 with Dick Clark Productions, which runs the show.

The microphone system last year began to malfunction as Carey sang the opening notes of the New Year's song "Auld Lang Syne."

A visibly upset Carey said she was leaving but then stayed, with her back-up dancers still performing and the producers switching to an audio recording of her voice.

She half-heartedly mimed her way through her hit "Emotions," in what was meant to be the entertainment climax for the throngs waiting hours in the cold in Times Square.

Carey, famed for her sweeping five-octave vocal range, was one of the best-selling artists of the 1990s. She developed a close association with the holiday season through her hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and for several years has performed a set of Christmas-themed concerts in New York.

The latest New Year's Eve celebration will also feature pop singer Nick Jonas and the former Fifth Harmony vocalist Camila Cabello, whose debut solo album is one of the most anticipated releases of early 2018.