A photo showing the cancellation of Tyga's concert at the Byblos International Festival. (Credit: @byblosfestival/Instagram)
BEIRUT — The concert by American rap star Tyga, scheduled for Aug. 19 in Lebanon as part of the Byblos International Festival, has been canceled "for reasons beyond its control," according to the festival's social media.
"Full refund [for tickets] will start as of Monday," according to an Instagram post by the festival management.
"The decision was made directly by the artist," Raphaël Sfeir, president of the Byblos Festival Committee, told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Concert in Israel?
This version of events contradicts rumors on social networks concerning a supposed ban on the artist's visit due to a concert on Wednesday in Tel Aviv.
"We were aware that Tyga was performing in Israel. General Security never objected. The only time General Security contacted us was about payment of concert fees," said Sfeir.
General Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tyga, whose real name is Michael Ray Stevenson, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Compton, California — a city known for its vibrant hip-hop scene. Over the course of his career, Tyga has released several successful albums, including 2012's Careless World: Rise of the Last King and 2013's Hotel California. In addition to his music career, Tyga has also been involved in other fields such as fashion and film.
"The Byblos Festival did not organize the American star's appearance itself," Sfeir told L'Orient-Le Jour. We only rented the stage, and Monkey Management, a production company, took care of the technical aspects of the artist's appearance."
Monkey Management did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to Sfeir, "announced that he would be in Lebanon next summer, but this has still not been confirmed."
L'Orient-Le Jour direct messaged Tyga's official Instagram page, with no immediate response.
Regarding ticket refunds, Sfeir stressed that they would be made "via Virgin Ticketing Box Office outlets."
Tyga's concert isn't the first show by an international artist in Lebanon to be cancelled over previous performances in Israel.
Several other artists had either received threats or cancelled their appearance in Lebanon after being accused of having visited Israel, or simply of being Jewish.
In August 2019, the Byblos International Festival had also announced the cancellation of the concert by Lebanese group Mashrou' Leila, accused by its detractors of undermining Christian values and symbols. The group was noted for its public support of LGBTQ+ rights. At the time, the Byblos Festival cited security threats as the reason for the cancellation.
