Mariah Carey hits Israel to push ‘Premier’ cosmetics

During a quick promotional visit to Israel, Mariah Carey said on Monday in Tel Aviv that her One Sweet Day had finally arrived for her first dip in the Dead Sea. It may not be all she wants for Christmas, but the Always Be My Baby singer is in Israel to promote her new deal with Premier Dead Sea Cosmetics.

Carey, the third-best-selling female artist of all time, dismissed the concern that being associated with an Israeli company could trigger protests from the boycott Israel set.

“I’m not a political person,” said the singer, bedecked in many diamonds at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday. “I don’t care what other people say about different political things that don’t pertain to my life. I don’t think it’s my place to act like a political figure. That’s not who I am.”

Carey brought her six-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, along to Israel, where she will stay for a week. It will be their first trip to the Dead Sea.

“I’m hoping they’ll have a good time and won’t get salt in their eyes,” Carey said. She declined to give parenting tips to new celebrity twin parents Beyonce and George Clooney, respectively, saying the birth was one of the hardest parts for her.

Carey reportedly got NIS 5 million ($1.4 million) to be the new face of Premier Dead Sea.

During Carey’s previous visit to Israel in 2015, she had dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. Her partner at the time, casino mogul James Packer, was a big donor to Netanyahu and has been linked to a corruption investigation against him. She also visited the Western Wall.

Carey played down the importance of that meeting, saying it was just dinner. “What, I can’t eat anymore?” she joked.

Carey said she sees herself as primarily a songwriter and is back in the studio for an additional album, her 15th. She has no concrete plans for a future concert in Israel, but hopes to return in the near future for a show or a visit, she said.