The White House is known for inviting some of the biggest names in the music industry to perform. Justin Timberlake was once invited to the neoclassical residence to sing during the White House Celebration of Soul. Beyoncé was also invited to perform for a state dinner once as well as Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Destiny's Child.

However, rapper/singer Nicki Minaj is currently on thin ice after saying yes to performing for the known Angolan dictator, José Eduardo dos Santos.

With a little help from Teen and Slate, let's look at other top celebrity singers who've performed for private events for big bucks.

Paul McCartney

The Beatle was once invited by finance tycoon, David Bonderman to perform for his 70th birthday at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas for an undisclosed amount. The singer played for more than two hours onstage so we can only guess how much Bonderman paid for.


Christina Aguilera

The belter was paid to sing at a wedding of Russian banker and industrialist Andrey Melnichenko to Miss Yugoslavia, Aleksandra Nikolic for over $2M. Just imagine how lavish the rest of the ceremony was.


Elton John

You may know British coat hanger tycoon Peter Shalson for blasting his neighbor's burglar alarm with a shotgun. However, he was also known for hiring Elton John to sing at his nuptials to show his eternal love for fiancée Polly.


Mariah Carey

It's not the first time Angolan president, Mr. dos Santos took a liking to hiring singers for his events. Before he set his eyes on Nicki Minaj, he reportedly hired Mariah Carey to belt out her song for two hours for a cool $1M. She later on apologized after receiving considerable backlash from the Human Rights Foundation and human rights activists.


Jennifer Lopez

In another controversial move, Jennifer Lopez sung "Happy Birthday" to Turkmenistan president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow who has been ruling the country with an iron fist since 2006. Reports state that J.Lo was paid $1.5M as she sung on stage at a $2B resort. Like Carey, she also later on apologized for her decision to accept the invitation.


Beyoncé

Queen Bey isn't just about making it big on stage and in public. She does fancy a dose of private events, just like the fancy yacht party she sung in during one New Year's Eve where she was paid $2M. No biggie!


Katy Perry

If you want to start your happily ever after, hire Katy Perry to sing at your wedding for $1.9M. At least that's what a ridiculously rich Beverly Hills couple did.


Rihanna

RiRi is well known for making appearances. Remember when she was someone's date at an episode of "My Super Sweet 16"? Well, she also reportedly performed with ex-beau, Chris Brown during a New Year's Eve celebration and was paid a hefty $10M for it.


Justin Bieber

The Biebs reportedly performed for a fan's sweet 16 back in Toronto. For a cool 15 minutes on stage, he was paid $60,000. Now imagine having him for a full two hours.


Taylor Swift

A couple of years back, Taylor Swift reportedly sang at a fancy private yacht party in France for $1M.