News Analysis India

Tag: Justin Bieber

  • Justin Bieber cancels India show due to health reasons: BookMyShow

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Pop star Justin Bieber has cancelled the India leg of his ‘Justice World Tour’ owing to health concerns, promoters BookMyShow said Thursday.

    The development comes three months after Bieber announced that he was diagnosed with the Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which had caused him partial facial paralysis.

    The 28-year-old Grammy winner, who was set to perform in New Delhi on October 18 as part of ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour’, had said on June 15 that he was putting a pause on his world tour due to illness.

    A spokesperson for BookMyShow, the Indian producers of the tour, said they are “extremely disappointed” about the concert being called off.

    ALSO READ | Justin Bieber suspends ‘Justice world tour’ due to health issues

    “We are extremely disappointed to share that the ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India’ scheduled for October 18th, 2022 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi has been cancelled owing to the singer’s health concerns.

    “We have just been informed that due to health concerns, he will unfortunately not be able to make it next month,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

    The New Delhi gig would have marked Bieber’s second visit to India post his 2017 Purpose World Tour. Due to the cancellation of the ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India’, the spokesperson said the company would refund the ticket amount to people.

    BookMyShow has already initiated a full and complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show.

    “The complete refund will be reflected within 10 working days in the customer’s source account of the original transaction. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused but we promise, there is a lot more music and live entertainment coming your way, soon,” they said.

    ALSO READ | ‘This storm will pass’: Justin Bieber shares update on his facial paralysis

    The BookMyShow spokesperson also wished a speedy recovery to Bieber, known for popular tracks such as ‘Baby’, ‘Sorry’, ‘Ghost’ and ‘Lonely’.

    “We wish him well and hope he recovers at the earliest to be back for millions of his fans in India soon,” they added.

    The Canadian singer was also set to travel to over 30 countries, playing more than 125 shows, from May 2022 to March 2023. He, however, had performed some shows in the North American leg of the tour in May.

    According to the statement, Bieber has also cancelled other stops in the tour’s run-up to the India show, including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Bahrain, UAE and Israel.

    MUMBAI: Pop star Justin Bieber has cancelled the India leg of his ‘Justice World Tour’ owing to health concerns, promoters BookMyShow said Thursday.

    The development comes three months after Bieber announced that he was diagnosed with the Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which had caused him partial facial paralysis.

    The 28-year-old Grammy winner, who was set to perform in New Delhi on October 18 as part of ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour’, had said on June 15 that he was putting a pause on his world tour due to illness.

    A spokesperson for BookMyShow, the Indian producers of the tour, said they are “extremely disappointed” about the concert being called off.

    ALSO READ | Justin Bieber suspends ‘Justice world tour’ due to health issues

    “We are extremely disappointed to share that the ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India’ scheduled for October 18th, 2022 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi has been cancelled owing to the singer’s health concerns.

    “We have just been informed that due to health concerns, he will unfortunately not be able to make it next month,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

    The New Delhi gig would have marked Bieber’s second visit to India post his 2017 Purpose World Tour. Due to the cancellation of the ‘Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India’, the spokesperson said the company would refund the ticket amount to people.

    BookMyShow has already initiated a full and complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show.

    “The complete refund will be reflected within 10 working days in the customer’s source account of the original transaction. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused but we promise, there is a lot more music and live entertainment coming your way, soon,” they said.

    ALSO READ | ‘This storm will pass’: Justin Bieber shares update on his facial paralysis

    The BookMyShow spokesperson also wished a speedy recovery to Bieber, known for popular tracks such as ‘Baby’, ‘Sorry’, ‘Ghost’ and ‘Lonely’.

    “We wish him well and hope he recovers at the earliest to be back for millions of his fans in India soon,” they added.

    The Canadian singer was also set to travel to over 30 countries, playing more than 125 shows, from May 2022 to March 2023. He, however, had performed some shows in the North American leg of the tour in May.

    According to the statement, Bieber has also cancelled other stops in the tour’s run-up to the India show, including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Bahrain, UAE and Israel.

  • Justin Bieber suspends ‘Justice world tour’ due to health issues

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Canadian singer Justin Bieber, on Wednesday, announced that he has suspended his ongoing ‘Justice’ world tour to focus on his health.

    Taking to Instagram, Justin shared a long post which reads, “Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, where my face was partly paralyzed. As a result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour.”

    “After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and my team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil, “he added.

    Talking about his health issues post-concert, the ‘Baby’ actor wrote, “After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I needed to make my health a priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better. I’ve been so proud to bring this show and our message of justice to the world. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout all of this exclamation point I love you all passionately.”

    Previously, in June, he cancelled a few shows on his Justice World Tour. Bieber revealed on Instagram in June that he struggled with movements on the right side of his face, including blinking his eye, moving his nostril, or simply smiling from the right side of his mouth., reported Fox News.

    He admitted that he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and would be taking some time off to assess his medical needs.

    “Justice World Tour” was launched in March this year, but he postponed his North American tour due to his illness.

    As per Variety, Bieber postponed his early June dates in Washington, D.C., Toronto and New York City, and then followed with the remainder of the North American leg of the tour.

    WASHINGTON: Canadian singer Justin Bieber, on Wednesday, announced that he has suspended his ongoing ‘Justice’ world tour to focus on his health.

    Taking to Instagram, Justin shared a long post which reads, “Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, where my face was partly paralyzed. As a result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour.”

    “After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and my team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil, “he added.

    Talking about his health issues post-concert, the ‘Baby’ actor wrote, “After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I needed to make my health a priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better. I’ve been so proud to bring this show and our message of justice to the world. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout all of this exclamation point I love you all passionately.”

    Previously, in June, he cancelled a few shows on his Justice World Tour. Bieber revealed on Instagram in June that he struggled with movements on the right side of his face, including blinking his eye, moving his nostril, or simply smiling from the right side of his mouth., reported Fox News.

    He admitted that he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and would be taking some time off to assess his medical needs.

    “Justice World Tour” was launched in March this year, but he postponed his North American tour due to his illness.

    As per Variety, Bieber postponed his early June dates in Washington, D.C., Toronto and New York City, and then followed with the remainder of the North American leg of the tour.

  • ‘This storm will pass’: Justin Bieber shares update on his facial paralysis

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Justin Bieber has shared an update about his health condition with his fans, days after the musician revealed that he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

    In a statement posted on his Instagram Story, the 28-year-old singer said he is gradually recovering from the rare medical condition, which has resulted in one side of his face being paralysed.

    “Wanted to share a little bit of how I’ve been feeling. Each day has gotten better and through all of the discomfort I have found comfort in the one who designed me and knows me,” Bieber wrote.

    “I am reminded he knows all of me. He knows the darkest parts of me that I want no one to know about and he constantly welcomes me into his loving arms. This perspective has given me peace through this horrible storm I am facing. I know this storm will pass, but in the meantime, Jesus is with me,” the “Yummy” singer wrote.

    Bieber shared the news of his partial facial paralysis in a video message posted on his Instagram on June 10.

    The singer had announced that he was pausing his Justice World Tour due to illness.

    In the video, Bieber had shown how one side of his face was unable to move as a result of his medical condition.

  • Justin Bieber struck with facial paralysis, shows postponed

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Justin Bieber can’t feel half his face as it has been paralysed by a rare virus following which he had to cancel his shows in Toronto and Washington, D.C., reports ‘Variety’. The ‘Let Me Love You’ hitmaker took to Instagram to explain the “pretty serious virus”.

    In a two-and-a-half-minute post, he explained and demonstrated that he is suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare virus that affects nerves in the face and can cause facial paralysis.

    As if to prove that he is genuinely ill, he shows quite clearly in the video: “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on the side of my face.”

    “So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious. As you can see”, he further demonstrated in the video.

    ‘Variety’ further states that overall, however, he was upbeat and took a positive attitude that he will undergo therapy and exercises in order to overcome his ailment. He said, “It will go back to normal. (It will take) time, and we don’t know how much time that’s gonna be, but it’s gonna be okay. And I have hope, and I trust God, and I trust that this is all for a reason. I’m not sure what that is right now. But in the meantime, I’m gonna rest.”

    Possibly due to negative reactions to the vague reasoning given for the show postponements earlier this week, sadly it seems that Bieber may have felt the need to demonstrate that he is genuinely ill. A statement from the venue, Scotiabank Arena, posted at the time and accessed by ‘Variety’, read, “Due to non-COVID related illness, the Justice Tour has postponed this week’s Toronto shows,”

    People who attended Bieber’s concert in Brooklyn, New York last week tell Variety that the singer delivered a solid show and displayed no symptoms resembling what is in the Instagram post, although he was a bit more low-key than usual.

    According to the Mayo Clinic website, Ramsay Hunt syndrome “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears. In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.”

    It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, which remains in the nerves even after chickenpox has cleared up and can reactivate even years later. If not treated in a timely manner, it can cause permanent hearing damage. Even when treated early, the syndrome can be extremely painful, last for several months and cause short-term hearing loss.

    Bieber’s North American tour was scheduled to include two dates at Madison Square Garden, among others, before concluding in Los Angeles on July 3, and picking up in August with a scattering of dates in Europe and South Africa before moving to Australia and New Zealand toward the end of the year. Presumably all of those dates are now on hold and potentially postponed.

  • Justin Bieber to perform in New Delhi on Oct 18 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Pop star Justin Bieber is set to bring his Justice World Tour to New Delhi on October 18, promoters BookMyShow and AEG Presents Asia announced on Tuesday.

    The Canadian singer, known for tracks like “Baby”, “Sorry”, “Ghost” and “Lonely”, will travel with his tour to over 30 countries — playing more than 125 shows – from May 2022 through March 2023.

    The tour started in Mexico this month and will have a stop in Italy in July before continuing on to Scandinavia for shows in August, followed by South America, South Africa, the Middle, and India in October.

    The concert is scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN Stadium) in New Delhi. Tickets for the show are set to go on sale from June 4 on BookMyShow, with the pre-sale window opening on June 2.

    Tickets are priced from Rs 4,000 onwards. The tour will close out the year in Asia, Australia and New Zealand before moving to the UK and Europe in early 2023. Additional dates have also been announced for Dubai, Bahrain, Sydney, Manila, Amsterdam, London and Dublin.

    These new shows come right after Bieber’s 2022 North American tour, which kicked off in San Diego on February 18.

    The New Delhi gig would mark the 28-year-old Grammy winner’s second visit to India post his 2017 Purpose World Tour.

  • Justin Bieber tests positive for COVID-19

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Singer Justin Bieber has tested positive for COVID-19.

    Bieber’s representative informed TMZ that the ‘Baby’ hitmaker contracted the virus on Saturday but “thankfully is feeling ok.”

    He was scheduled to perform as part of his ‘Justice World Tour’ at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas a day ago, but now the show has been postponed due to his illness.

    The social media team of T-Mobile Arena also issued a statement about the same.

    “Due to positive COVID results within the Justice Tour family, we will, unfortunately, have to postpone Sunday’s show in Las Vegas. Justin is of course hugely disappointed, but the health and safety of his crew and fans is always his number one priority. The tour launch in San Diego was a massive success, and Justin is excited to bring this spectacular show to his Las Vegas fans as soon as possible,” the statement read.

    After learning about Bieber’s health, his fans showered him with recovery wishes. 

  • Justin Bieber performs at Saudi Arabia concert amid backlash

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Amid severe backlash and the calls to scrap his Saudi Arabia concert, pop star Justin Bieber hit the stage with full enthusiasm at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in SA.

    As per TMZ, Bieber hit the stage on Sunday, December 5, 2021, all the way over at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in SA, where the F1 Grand Prix is taking place and where he was scheduled to headline among a slate of other performers, with his name by far being the biggest.

    Going by the videos shared by his wife–Hailey Bieber and several other viral videos of him backstage, the ‘Peaches’ star looked all pumped for the performance. The same goes with the audience too, as one can hear the roar of the crowd just beyond the curtain too.

    Bieber wore a red outfit for the performance and as per TMZ, he eventually made his way out to adoring fans, pointing at them for the grand entrance.

    After that, he sang a number of his songs including ‘Deserve You’, ‘Somebody’, ‘Hold On’ and more.

    According to TMZ, Bieber’s decision to carry on with the gig was disheartening to many, especially those who were actively campaigning for him to scrap the show including the widowed fiancee of one Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote an open letter for him to reconsider. 

  • Justin Bieber pens beautiful birthday note for wife Hailey

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: As model Hailey Bieber turned a year older on Monday, her husband and singer Justin Bieber wrote a love-filled post to mark her special day.

    Bieber took to his Instagram handle and posted a series of snapshots of the couple, including pictures of them relaxing on vacation, walking in the chilly air and sharing a kiss in a photo booth from what appeared to be a birthday celebration.

    Further, he wrote his poetic, romantic caption.

    “To my beloved birthday squish. My heart belongs to you. My eyes belong to you, my lips belong to you. I am yours. I am so blessed to be yours,” he began.

    Justin, who tied the knot with Hailey in a New York courthouse ceremony in 2018 and then again in a star-studded South Carolina wedding the following year, then called her his “forever.”

    “Life has never made more sense until you became my wife. I will never stop loving you, I will never stop holding you, and I will never stop protecting you. You my queen are more than enough for me and I will spend every day making you feel like the queen that you are,” he added.

    Concluding his post, the Grammy winner wrote, “As your grandma would say in her Portuguese accent ‘happy bursday baby’ love you until the end of time and then after that. :).”

    Justin Bieber fans are well aware of the fact about how the pop star decided to overcome his addiction to drugs when his ladylove Hailey Bieber entered his life. She was there to support him, but the journey wasn’t easy.

    E! News quoted a recent interview of Hailey, where she shared her ‘extremely difficult’ journey of navigating Justin’s sobriety after having witnessed her dad’s drug addiction. The Victoria’s Secret model is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, who once struggled with cocaine addiction.

    In a recent podcast interview, the 24-year-old supermodel confirmed that growing up around people in recovery gave her insight into supporting her husband on his journey to sobriety.

    “I think even just the open dialogue of, ‘Hey, where are you at with this?’ Being able to be honest, I’ve had times where I would get nervous, like, [asking Justin], ‘Are you OK to do this? Because you did have a time in your life where it was not OK for you and it was like, a dark time for you. But he has very, very good self-awareness when it comes to that and is very open about it and I think that is all I can really ask for,” she said.

    This past year has certainly been a big one for Hailey. From launching her new YouTube series and posing for magazine covers to attending major events like the Met Gala and just spending time with family and friends, she’s had several unforgettable moments. 

  • Saudi critic’s fiance urges Justin Bieber to cancel F1 show

    By Associated Press

    DUBAI: Pop star Justin Bieber is facing growing calls to cancel his concert in Saudi Arabia next month as the fiance of slain Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi joined a chorus of voices on Sunday urging him not to perform at the kingdom’s Formula One race.

    In an open letter published by The Washington Post, Hatice Cengiz urged the Canadian megastar to cancel his Dec.5 performance in the Red Sea city of Jiddah to “send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.”

    Bieber’s concert is the most headline-grabbing performance scheduled for the race in Jiddah, though other F1 concert performers include rapper ASAP Rocky, DJs David Guetta and Tiesto and singer Jason Derulo.

    It is not the first time a pop star has faced pressure to pull out of a concert in Saudi Arabia.

    Mariah Carey was the biggest-name performer to hit the stage in Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s killing by Saudi agents in Turkey in October 2018.

    She brushed off calls to boycott the show.

    Public pressure, however, prompted Nicki Minaj in 2019 to cancel her appearance on stage at a concert in Jiddah, telling The Associated Press at the time she wanted to show support for women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression.

    Khashoggi’s stunning killing in 2018 was carried out by members of a team of 15 Saudi government agents who’d been sent to Istanbul, where the writer and former government spokesman had an appointment at the Saudi consulate for documents needed to marry Cengiz.

    She waited from him outside the consulate, but he never walked out.

    His body was never found.

    The killing by agents who worked for the crown prince drew international gasps and cast a shadow over Prince Mohammed, whose reputation never fully recovered.

    Prince Mohammed has maintained he had no prior knowledge of the operation that killed Khashoggi.

    A U.S. intelligence assessment made public under President Joe Biden, however, determined the crown prince approved the operation.

    “Please know that your invitation to participate in a concert in Jiddah comes directly from MBS, as the crown prince is known,” Cengiz wrote in her open letter to Bieber.

    “Nothing of significance happens in Saudi Arabia without his consent, and certainly not an event as important and flashy as this.”

    Bieber’s concert in Saudi Arabia comes shortly before he opens a world tour in February that was rescheduled from 2020 due to the pandemic.

    In the time since, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned sovereign wealth fund — steered by Prince Mohammed — scooped up shares in Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster and promotes concerts for Bieber and other major stars.

    As Live Nation’s shares plummeted last year during COVID-19 lockdowns and the cancellation of thousands of shows, the Public Investment Fund bought $500 million worth of shares in the battered company.

    Public filings show the Saudi wealth fund is now the second largest institutional holder in Live Nation, with a stake worth some $1.4 billion.

    Human Rights Watch has also called on Bieber and the other performers to pull out of the F1 concerts in Saudi Arabia, saying these events are aimed at “sportwashing” by diverting attention and deflecting scrutiny from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

    Saudi youth are the main attendees of these concerts, enjoying the country’s newfound social changes that allow for music and gender mixing.

    The kingdom’s General Sports Authority argues that sports is a tool for social change within the kingdom.

    Next month’s F1 race will be the first time Saudi Arabia hosts the premier sporting event, though the kingdom has hosted the lesser known Formula-E race in past years in an effort to raise the country’s profile as a tourist destination.

    At the time of Khashoggi’s killing, the crown prince was being lauded for ushering in social reforms transforming life for many inside the country.

    Khashoggi had been writing columns for The Washington Post criticizing the crown prince’s brash foreign policy moves and simultaneous crackdown on activists and perceived critics, including women’s rights activists, writers, clerics and economists.

    Saudi Arabia held a trial for some of those involved in his killing, sentencing five to death before sparing them of execution.

    Khashoggi’s fiance has told The Associated Press she will keep speaking out in the hopes of giving voice to those who remain imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for expressing their opinion.

  • Hailey opens up about ‘extremely difficult’ journey of navigating Justin Beiber’s sobriety

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Justin Bieber fans are well aware of the fact about how the pop star decided to overcome his addiction to drugs when his ladylove Hailey Bieber entered his life. She was there to support him, but the journey wasn’t easy!

    E! News quoted a recent interview of Hailey, where she shared her ‘extremely difficult’ journey of navigating Justin’s sobriety after having witnessed her dad’s drug addiction.

    The Victoria’s Secret model is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, who once struggled with cocaine addiction.

    In a recent podcast interview, the 24-year-old supermodel shared her experience growing up with her father amid his substance abuse battle.

    Speaking about the same, Hailey said “There’s a lot of addiction that runs in our family, like, not even just my dad but a lot of other people on that side of my family struggled with a lot of different things. He was always just extremely open about why being sober worked for him and why he needed to be sober and what alcoholic behaviour looks like, and where that comes out.”

    She continued, “Looking back on times of drug use and being in some dark spaces and having to kind of go back there and talk about it was extremely difficult. I was never somebody who struggled with any substances, but that’s because I was so aware of it because of my dad. He had a really big issue with cocaine and I was like, I’m never trying it because I’m just so scared that if I try it one time, it might lead into something else.”

    For the unversed, in the 2020 YouTube docuseries ‘Justin Bieber: Seasons’, Hailey’s husband- Justin spoke candidly about overcoming battles with addiction to marijuana, alcohol, psychedelic mushrooms, pills, and other drugs, saying they had been “an escape” for him, as per E! News.

    On the podcast, Hailey confirmed that growing up around people in recovery gave her insight into supporting her husband on his journey to sobriety.

    “I think even just the open dialogue of, ‘Hey, where are you at with this?’ Being able to be honest, I’ve had times where I would get nervous, like, [asking Justin], ‘Are you OK to do this? Because you did have a time in your life where it was not OK for you and it was like, a dark time for you. But he has very, very good self-awareness when it comes to that and is very open about it and I think that is all I can really ask for,” she said.

    On his docu-series, Justin recalled that he “decided” to stop abusing substances because he “felt like I was dying.”

    “My security and stuff would come into my room at night to check my pulse,” he recalled.

    “People don’t know how serious it got. It was legit crazy scary. I was waking up in the morning and the first thing I was doing was popping pills and smoking a blunt and starting my day. It just got scary. I basically said to myself, I’m like, ‘God if you’re real, you get me through this season of stopping these pills and stuff, and if you do, I’ll do the rest of the work.’”

    The much-loved couple had briefly dated from December 2015 to January 2016, before splitting, then reconciled in June 2018 after Justin broke up with his long-time girlfriend and singer Selena Gomez.

    Justin and Hailey got engaged in July 2018 and confirmed in November 2018 that they were married. They officially got married in front of their family and friends in 2019.