US superstar criticized for appearance in Dubai
Beyoncé Receives Record Fee from Sheikhs
Beyoncé is said to have received a fee of 24 million dollars for a concert in a newly opened luxury hotel in Dubai. The star singer received a lot of criticism for her conspicuously apolitical appearance in front of the sheikhs.
Published: 22 minutes ago
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Updated: 17 minutes ago
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After a four-year hiatus, Beyoncé performed a concert in Dubai over the weekend for which she reportedly earned a record $24 million.
Patricia BroderEditor People
A controversial performance: US superstar Beyoncé (41) gave a concert for the first time in more than four years. The hit singer performed in front of selected guests at the newly opened luxury hotel Atlantis The Royal in Dubai over the weekend. This is a “once in a lifetime performance” – “a performance that only happens once in a lifetime” – it said promisingly in the invitation. No wonder Beyoncé is said to have received a record fee of $ 24 million for her performance in the Persian Gulf, according to the Bloomberg news agency.
The event in the United Arab Emirates was so exclusive that concert-goers had to put their cell phones in lockable bags to prevent recordings from being shared online. Still, clips of Beyoncé’s performance surfaced on social media shortly after the concert. The multiple Grammy award winner is said to have sung 19 songs, including “Brown Skin Girl” from the soundtrack to Disney’s “The Lion King”, which she presented together with her daughter Blue Ivy (11). Among the prominent guests of “Queen B”, as Beyoncé is called by her fans, were Sylvie Meis (44), Verona Pooth (54) and Kendall Jenner (27).
Many fans saw the performance as a betrayal
What is particularly striking: Beyoncé, who otherwise campaigns for the rights of women, the black community or the LGBTQ community, was conspicuously apolitical during her Dubai appearance. In addition, she did not sing a song from her current album “Renaissance”, which is considered an ode to the gay black ballroom scene. The reason for this may be that homosexuality is forbidden in Dubai, and members of the LGBTQ community in the United Arab Emirates can even face the death penalty. The fact that Beyoncé appeared in Dubai despite these grievances and allowed her choice of songs to be restricted was seen by many fans as a “betrayal” of the otherwise progressive world star.
Many also criticized the singer for presenting her song “Freedom”, which is considered an anti-slavery anthem, in front of numerous sheikhs and wealthy Emiratis. After all, it is precisely these people who represent an inhumane system, which also includes the slave-like exploitation of guest workers, who mostly come to Dubai from poorer countries to earn money for their families at home.
Jay-Z has also performed in Dubai
Because of these abuses and the various violations of human rights, appearances by international stars in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are very controversial. Nevertheless, music greats keep appearing in the region, including Blur, The Killers and Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z (53). Incidentally, Beyoncé herself already had a major appearance in Abu Dhabi in 2009 – there she is said to have received a fee in the millions.
If the price is right, even a world star will obviously sell his assets.