Nick Cannon Talks Mariah Carey’s Michael Jackson Memorial Performance

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Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon
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FIRST PUBLISHED: July 9, 2009 3:10 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: July 9, 2009 3:26 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Mariah Carey may be a worldwide singing sensation, but husband Nick Cannon told Access Hollywood she was more than nervous when she stepped on stage at Michael Jackson’s public memorial on Tuesday to perform “I’ll Be There.”

“It’s one of those things where nervous isn’t even a word because no one is ever prepared or emotionally or physically to be able to go on stage whether it’s one person or one million people. You’re never prepared to go up and have to sing and at the same time mourn a friend,” Nick told Access on Wednesday evening. “You never know what’s going to happen. It’s definitely one of those things where we just said a prayer, you know, left it all in God’s hands and let it happen.”

Mariah herself hit her Twitter account following the memorial at Los Angeles’ Staples Center to explain her performance, which saw the superstar hitting a couple of not-quite-perfect notes.

“Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me. I could barely keep myself from crying. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to pull it together and really do it right, but I was literally choked up when I saw him there in front of me,” Mariah Tweeted.

Although the number wasn’t up to Mariah’s own high standards, her husband, Nick, said it was very powerful.

“I definitely feel like her performance moved many, many people, so it did what it was supposed to do,” he told Access.

Nick explained that Mariah’s participation in the historic event came about “last minute” leaving his wife without a chance to really rehearse the number.

“It wasn’t planned or anything and fortunately we happen to be out here [in Los Angeles] and she wasn’t doing something else on the East Coast, so it kind of all worked out but it was definitely one of those things were it was just last minute,” he said.

”[Michael] was a friend of hers so she was like ‘I’ll do anything whatever,’” he added.

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