“I’m trying to be a good sport here,” a visibly frustrated Carey said as she stopped singing and tried to find her place, explaining to the crowd that the vocal track was missing.
The singer had suffered from a tight and difficult rehearsal schedule earlier in the night was unable to hear through her in-ear monitor, according to a source.
The source told Billboard, "She didn't have the kind of time that she usually gets for her 'Mariah-ness.'"
Carey was set to headline the show at 11:30 p.m. just before the ball dropped in Times Square at midnight.
The singer later tweeted about the incident, jokingly writing, "Shit happens. ... Here's to making more headlines in 2017."
A west coast broadcast of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest aired unedited. A rep for Dick Clark Productions declined comment and directed Billboard to Carey's tweet.
This article originally appeared on THR.com.