Aretha Franklin reportedly asked for a room she was singing in to be kept at 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
The American soul singer performed at a wedding held in the Four Seasons hotel in New York City on Sunday. She was said to be keen to protect her voice as much as possible, so asked for special measures to be taken before taking to the stage.
“Aretha asked for… the air conditioning to be turned off so the room would reach a steamy 86 degrees to keep her voice perfect,” reports New York Post.
The 69-year-old was singing at the nuptials of Bill White and Bryan Eure. Bill was formerly the president of New York’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
The publication claims Aretha asked for $250,000 to perform, which Bill insisted wasn’t true.
“This was not the fee, which we agreed with Ms. Franklin not to discuss. Whatever her fee was, the Queen of Soul was worth every penny,” he said.
Aretha had been slated to sing for 15 minutes, but ended up belting out tunes for an hour. She performed tracks including Respect and I Will Always Love You.
“I really am an old New Yorker. It is always a pleasure to come back to New York,” she said during the show.
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