American singer Lauv cancels sold-out Malaysian gigs, Singapore show to go on

Photo: AFP

American singer-songwriter Lauv (pic) has cancelled his two sold-out concerts in Malaysia.

The singer, known for pop hits such as I Like Me Better (2017), was originally scheduled to perform at Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 6 and 7.

According to concert promoters Live Nation Singapore, his concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sept 5 will go ahead as planned.

It is part of Lauv’s The Between Albums Tour in Asia, which also includes stops in Japan, South Korea and Indonesia.

Those who had bought tickets to the Malaysian shows received an email from Live Nation Malaysia that the concerts were cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Part of the statement reads: “Refunds will be issued to all ticket holders at their point of purchase. Our ticketing partner, GoLive Asia, will be reaching out to you regarding the refunds.”

The cancellation comes in the wake of the scrapping of the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur in July. The Malaysian authorities pulled the plug on the three-day festival after British band The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy’s same-sex kiss and onstage tirade against the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws on the first night. The 1975 was also banned from performing in Malaysia again.

Lauv - whose real name is Ari Staprans Leff - has not addressed why his own gigs were called off, leading fans to speculate that it is linked to the Good Vibes Festival fiasco. In June, during Pride Month, the singer hinted that he was bisexual in a TikTok video captioned “When ur dating a girl but ur also a lil bit into men”.

Many fans flooded the comments section on his Instagram page to express their disappointment at the sudden scrapping of his shows. Some even suggested that Lauv follow in the footsteps of American rock band The Strokes and do an additional show in Singapore for Malaysian fans.

The Strokes - who was originally scheduled to headline the third and final night of the Good Vibes Festival - organised an extra show in Singapore on Thursday, which it announced was a make-up gig for their axed Malaysia set. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network