Nelly Furtado to give away $1M she got from Gaddafi

In a message posted on Twitter early Monday, Canadian singer Nelly Furtado said she is going to give away the $1-million she received for performing for the family of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2007.

Other performers, most notably the singer Beyonce, have fallen under criticism after recent reports that the Gadhafi family has paid large sums for artists to perform at various private functions over the years.

The message on Furtado's page on the social networking site said that she performed for 45 minutes for guests at a hotel in Italy. The message then added simply that "I am going to donate this $."

There has been no official word from her or her handlers. A representative of Universal Music said that more information will be posted on her Twitter page.

The criticism, much of it from within the music industry, has been especially sharp toward Beyonce and singer Usher after it was reported they performed a New Years' Eve party for the Gadhafi family. The criticism has increased in the wake of the international condemnation that the Libyan government is facing for the deaths and violent suppression of anti-government protesters.