All is not always rosy in the celebrity world. They get their fair share of public uproar, owing to certain circumstances and in this case, laws, and beliefs. You will be shocked that many musicians have been handed lifetime travel bans from certain countries.
1. Beyoncé – Malaysia
Musicians go through a lot. Who would have thought that Pop queen, Beyonce Knowles, famously known as Queen B would top this list? Beyonce has been active for about 24 years but that did not stop her from getting kicked out in Malaysia. According to BBC, the government considers her performances and stage outfits ‘immoral’.
Her ban did not restrict her fans from loving her. They only have to travel all the way to watch her perform live.
2. Chris Brown – UK, Australia, and New Zealand
Even Chris Brown’s ‘Rizz’ could not absorb him getting banned from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for several years due to his 2009 felony assault for hitting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. The Australian Federal Government denied Chris entry in 2009, quoting a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence.
3. Justin Beiber – China and Argentina
Canadian musician, Justin Bieber is unfortunately listed here. We know he’s your fave but he got banned from performing in China due to his “bad conduct”. Excerpts from Beijing’s Municipal Bureau of Culture, “Justin Bieber is a gifted singer. But to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers.”
Does not seem like luck is on Justin’s side, as he also got banned in Argentina for allegedly assaulting a photographer.
4. Selena Gomez – Russia, China
It appears Justin and Selena’s love is divinely ordained as she finds herself on the list as well. Beiber’s ex, Selena Gomez was denied a visa by Russian officials sometime in September 2016. This compelled her to cancel 2 performances.
According to the Russian authorities, the singer had plans to speak out against the country’s anti-LGBT policies during her shows. The government passed legislation prohibiting the marketing of “non-traditional sexual relationships to children” in June 2016.
Shortly after Russia, China decided to follow in their footsteps and refused Selena a tour visa because of photos taken with the Dalai Lama – the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people two years before.
5. Naira Marley – Nigeria
This egbon didn’t get banned but got canceled by Nigerians for allegedly being a toxic label owner – Marlian Records. On the 12th of September, a former member of the Marlian music gang, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, professionally known as Mohnad (Imole) passed on.
After his death, several allegations were made against the label head, Azeez Fashola, better known as Naira Marley. The alleged allegations were accompanied by assault footage, which soon circulated on major social media platforms.
As a result, Nigerians moved to cancel the musician and everything that he stands for. Although there isn’t a direct connection between Naira Marley to the murder of his former label signee, music lovers are certain that the assault had a major role to play.
Leave a Reply