The outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus in numerous Asian countries has affected the showbiz industry, as numerous international artists have canceled their shows in the region.
While Indonesia officially remains coronavirus-free, that hasn’t stopped three major acts from canceling their upcoming concerts in the capital over fears of the outbreak.
Late ‘90s/early aughts American pop/R&B boy band 98 Degrees has officially canceled its appearance at the Love Fest 2020 music festival, which is still scheduled to be held on Feb. 21-22 at Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta. In a series of tweets, singer Jeff Timmons said their concerts in Singapore and Manila have also been rescheduled for May “due to travel restrictions from the current international health emergency.”
The quartet hasn’t announced if they will schedule another concert in Indonesia and the region at a later date.
Another American act to cancel is singer-songwriter Khalid, whose solo concert was initially scheduled for Mar. 28 at Istora Senayan. Earlier today, the promoter for the Jakarta concert announced that the concert will be “postponed until further notice” and fans who have purchased tickets are eligible for refunds.
The concert is part of the 22-year-old singer’s world tour to promote his latest album, Free Spirit, and it would’ve marked his return to the capital after his last show at the Ismaya 15 music festival back in November 2018. Other than Jakarta, Khalid’s concerts in Bangkok, Singapore, KL, and Manila have also been postponed.
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British grime rapper Stormzy has also scrapped the Asian leg of his Heavy is the Head World Tour for the time being. The tour, which promotes his latest album of the same name, was scheduled to include a stop in Jakarta for hip hop/soul/R&B music festival Flavs on Apr. 4-5, also at Istora Senayan.
Stormzy wrote in an Instagram post yesterday that he regrets having rescheduled his shows in Asia, and promised that he will be back to perform in the continent. He was also scheduled for shows in KL and Singapore in March.
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The novel coronavirus, now officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, has killed more than 1,300 people and infected over 64,400 as of this afternoon. The disease has so far affected at least 27 other countries around the world, including Singapore and Malaysia. Indonesia has yet to confirm a COVID-19 case in the country.
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