Performance of Sevdaliza called off in Armenia due to backlash from religious groups
The Coca-Cola Music Fest, scheduled to take place on 30 August, has made headlines for cancelling the performance of Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza. The decision was due to online pressure, with hundreds of users commenting on the post, urging the organisers to cancel the performance.
Sevdaliza's newly released music video for her song 'Messiah' depicts her in erotic scenes featuring Christian symbols, which has sparked controversy and criticism from some quarters. The Srbazan Hayastan Initiative, an organisation that promotes Armenian spirituality, criticised Sevdaliza's upcoming performance in Armenia as a 'spiritual attack'. They suggested that ignoring 'spiritual laws' could lead to war.
Yasha Solomonyan speculated that the cancellation could have been a way for Coca-Cola to strengthen its position, secure PR, and kill multiple birds with one stone. Some users also speculated that the cancellation was a pre-planned tactic by Coca-Cola. However, Arthur Rosencrantz wrote on Facebook that the outrage led to the international corporation changing the festival headliner.
The organisers acknowledged concerns surrounding Sevdaliza in a previous post, hinting at the cancellation. They have since noted that Sevdaliza will not perform and will announce a replacement soon. Other users urged the organisers not to cave to pressure and to not cancel an artist for their art.
This is not the first time Armenia has seen similar cases of cancelled performances due to public pressure. In 2019, a death metal band's concert was cancelled, and in 2022, a Russian rapper's concert was also cancelled.
Meanwhile, Armenia welcomed a major concert earlier this month. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that these major concerts in Armenia attract tens of thousands of visitors, with Jennifer Lopez performing a major concert in Yerevan on 3 August. The Coca-Cola Music Fest is expected to continue to draw a large crowd, with the replacement artist for Sevdaliza yet to be announced.
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