Thousands turn out for Denise Ho concert: other brands dumped me after Lancome, she says
Pro-democracy performer hits out at the ‘suppression’ of free speech before giving a concert for up to 4,000 fans
Canto-pop star and pro-democratic activist Denise Ho Wan-sze claims the Lancome incident was “not an isolated one” and that other brands have also approached her and cancelled projects.
She was speaking to the media on Sunday before performing for thousands of fans gathered at Sheung Wan’s hip Po Hing Fong enclave for her reorganised “The Beauty of We” concert. Organisers said between 3,000 and 4,000 fans attended.
The singer hosted the free concert two weeks after cosmetics giant Lancome called off a performance following sharp criticism of the entertainer by mainland internet users. There were reports last week that mouthwash brand Listerine had also dropped Ho from a marketing campaign.
She said that from the start, her team had been given a message that authorities from the mainland had been applying “top down” pressure on the French cosmetics giant and that was the reason Lancome had issued the two statements.
“We have tried to press for answers [from Lancome] but the feeling is that they don’t want to or are unwilling to respond,” Ho said.