Amuro Cancels Singapore

Japanese management for J-pop singer Namie Amuro cancelled a concert she was set to perform in Singapore a week before the concert date, Citing a breach of agreement.

Midas Promotions, the Singapore promoter, said it fulfilled the agreement in full and to the letter. However, the company also said that negotiations with Amuro’s management had been “ongoing for several days” before the Japan side issued instructions “that the show would not take place.”

“We had paid the artist fee in full, booked the venue and obtained all the necessary licenses,” Midas GM Steven Woodward told My Paper. “Production was ready for her arrival.” Midas says it has no idea why the Japan side pulled out of the concert, which was set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on April 26.

It would have been Amuro’s first-ever concert in Singapore. In any event, Midas eventually notified ticketholders that they could obtain refunds. One fan told My Paper that it was “the last straw” and that she “would not risk buying [tickets] from [Midas] again.”

The tour’s website originally announced the cancellation was because of “issues concerning the local promoter,” but was later changed to “local technical reasons.”

Several media speculated that these “issues” probably have to do with poor sales. Ticket prices ranged from the local equivalent of $138 to $168, which would have made it one of the most expensive pop concerts ever in Singapore.

Though Amuro is very popular in Japan, her fan base in Singapore may not be large enough to support her expensive show. In any case, Midas is considered a reliable company with a great deal of experience promoting concerts in Southeast Asia.

But the Straits Times reports fans have accused the company of not sufficiently promoting the Amuro concert. The paper also quotes other fans who admit that J-pop isn’t as popular as it was in the 1990s, especially compared to K-pop.

Amuro is currently touring Asia to celebrate her 20th year in show business.