Mariah Carey

Pop diva Mariah Carey has signed a lucrative deal with soft drinks giant Pepsi which will see her write and produce 20 exclusive ringtones and star in TV commercials to promote the fizzy drink.

Carey is thrilled with the megabucks contract and has also agreed to kick off her forthcoming summer tour with a special Pepsi Smash gig in Los Angeles - her first full-scale show in three years.

In a statement she says: "I had a lot of fun with this project. It was a great creative outlet because musically I could do things here that I would never think to do for one of my albums.

"This was a great idea by Pepsi, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Stars including Beyonce Knowles, Britney Spears, Kanye West and Gwen Stefani have previously fronted high-profile campaigns for the beverage.