Mariah Carey An Expensive Wedding Singer? Billionaire Pays $4.2M For Nick Cannon’s Ex-Wife, Elton John's Russian Wedding Performances

Mariah Carey and Sir Elton John are indeed two of the most expensive singers as Russian oligarch Valery Kogan paid $4.2 million for their performances at his 19-year-old granddaughter Irene Kogan’s wedding in London over the weekend. Sources said Carey and Elton entertained the wedding guests of the nine-hour reception party at The Landmark Hotel.

At the wedding reception, Carey, who was paid more than $3 million, was flown in from the United States for the occasion. The veteran diva dedicated her hit song “We Belong Together” to the new couple, Irene and Daniel Kevey, TMZ noted. Carey also performed her other hit singles like “It’s Like That” and “My All.”

John, on the other hand, was paid more than $1 million. The 69-year-old British singer-composer did a 12-song set and sang “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” “Your Song” and “Tiny Dancer,” which he dedicated to the bride, Daily Mail reported.

The publication added Carey and John were also joined by actor Antonio Banderas, who made a speech during the wedding reception. Several Russian stars also performed at the event, while producer Mark Ronson did a DJ set.

As for other news related to John and Carey, another Daily Mail report suggested John’s recent wedding appearance was not without controversy. Based on the report, the “Candle in the Wind” singer ditched a charity event for medical reasons, but he accepted the wedding gig of a billionaire oligarch’s granddaughter. Some skeptics questioned John’s decision to cancel an appearance for charity.

As for Carey, ex-husband Nick Cannon defended the 46-year-old “Heartbreaker” hitmaker after her New Year’s Eve epic fail performance. During an interview with host Ellen DeGeneres on Monday, Cannon said the government set Carey up. According to USA Today, Cannon also agreed with Ryan Seacrest when the host said the songstress “can do no wrong.”

“Anyone who knows about performing and having inner ears: Things like that can go wrong on live television,” Cannon told DeGeneres. “I think she kinda got a little flustered, but being the diva that she is, she said, ‘I’m just gonna walk around and pose for seven minutes.’”

Meanwhile, Carey’s rumored boyfriend and backup dancer Bryan Tanaka recently opened up about his struggles seeing the love of his life cuddling up with ex-fiancé James Packer on an episode of the E! docu-series, “Mariah’s World,” which aired Sunday. People quoted Tanaka saying it was “super weird” for him to see Carey and Packer together and the sighting felt like a “big reality check.”