Banned in China: why some of music’s top stars are blacklisted by Beijing
Katy Perry has no Chinese dates lined up on her 2018 Asia tour despite her huge popularity, but from former teen pop star Miley Cyrus to rock legend Bob Dylan, other artists have found themselves unwelcome in China
When US pop star Katy Perry announced her 2018 Asia tour dates last week – including a performance at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong on March 30 – notably absent were any shows planned for China.
Perry is believed to be persona non grata there because she waved a Taiwanese flag and wore a sunflower dress during a concert in Taipei in 2015. Many observers saw her attire as a statement supporting the Taiwanese anti-China protesters who had used the sunflower symbol as part of their campaign the year before.
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More recently, she was denied a visa in November to perform in Shanghai at the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to be held in China. Perry joins a long list of music icons banned from performing in China – here are some other notable acts on the blacklist.
Jay-Z
The US rapper and husband of Beyoncé was banned from performing in China in 2006 because his music contains “too many profane lyrics”. The Ministry of Culture said in a statement that it had “decided to protect the city’s hip hop fans from nasty lyrics about pimps, guns and drugs”. Jay-Z had been scheduled to perform in Shanghai, but the promoter said some of his songs apparently “contain too much vulgar language”.