Mariah Carey lived up to her diva tag when she joined Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am in the studio recently - she wore a ball gown. But the hip-hop super producer insists that Carey wasn't trying the make a statement - she just couldn't be bothered to change.

The My Humps hitmaker explains, "Mariah was cool. She came into the studio wearing a big ball gown. She was like, `I'm so sorry! I know everybody thinks I'm a diva, but I'm wearing this because I've just come from a party and I didn't want to go home and change.' She's a real diva in her own right, but she is real cool."

The producer admits he can handle the occasional diva, but insists the big stars he agrees to work with leave their bodyguards at home.

He adds, "I remind them not to take themselves so seriously: `When you come into the studio, leave the bodyguards in the f---ing lobby. Why bring them into the studio? Is the mike going to choke you? Relax.'"

-Mariah Carey Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)