Martin's concert canceled due to 'poor' political conditions
Martin's concert canceled due to 'poor' political conditions
JAKARTA (JP): A planned charity concert by American pop star
Ricky Martin was canceled because of the unrest in Jakarta.
Puerto Rico-born pop idol Martin was due to stage his show,
called Ricky Martin Live in Concert, as part of the South East
Asian leg of his tour, at Plenary Hall, Jakarta Convention
Center, on Nov. 24.
Martin is the second international singer to cancel a concert
in Jakarta. Julio Iglesias, scheduled to perform in a Jakarta
hotel earlier this week, canceled his show for similar reasons.
Adrie Subono, an executive of Java Musikindo, which organized
Martin's concert, said that he regretted the cancellation, but it
would be insensitive to stage the concert during the current
social and political conditions.
"We realize that Indonesians are now going through a very
difficult and vulnerable situation, so we canceled the concert
because we felt it would be inappropriate to stage the show," he
said.
Born Enrique Martin Morales, the 26-year-old singer stole the
hearts of young and old music lovers throughout the world when he
composed and sang the theme song, entitled La Copa de La Vida
(The Cup of Life), for World Cup l998, held in France from June
to July.
La Copa de La Vida, along with a number of other songs, was
chosen by the Federation of International Football Association,
CFO, and Sony Music Entertainment for the theme song of the World
Cup. The song has sold millions of copies worldwide.
Martin, well-known for his catchy, party songs, started his
music career at a very young age. He joined the popular Latin
music group Menudo when he was 12 years old. He also carved out
an acting career in Mexico, appearing in several Latin soap
operas, including Mom Loves Rock and Alcanzar Una Estrealla.
Martin moved to Los Angeles, where he had a role in the
popular soap opera General Hospital. He also tried a theater
career in New York, playing student activist Marius in the
Broadway production of Les Miserables.
The Latin Lover, as Martin's fans call him, produced a number
of albums, including Ricky Martin, Me Amaras and
A Medio Vivir. He was also awarded a number of prestigious
awards, such as The Gaviota of Plata, for his contributions to
the development of Latin Music.
Martin's fans who have already bought tickets for the concert
will be given refunds. "We will immediately reimburse all the
sold tickets and vouchers. But if anybody wants to donate their
money, we would be glad to distribute the money to the needy,"
Subono said.
He also said that the organizer had planned to donate the
money from the concert to needy people in Jakarta and other
cities in the country. The money would have been used to buy
various basic commodities, and would have been distributed to
several subdistricts in Jakarta.
Martin is scheduled to hold his next concert on Nov. 25 in
Singapore.
Previously, a concert by Spanish heartthrob Julio Iglesias was
canceled.
Iglesias, who had already performed in Jakarta several times,
initially planned to promote his latest album, My Life: The
Greatest Hits.
Sony Music Indonesia, the concert's organizer, said Iglesias,
was due to arrive in Jakarta last Friday (Nov.13), but decided to
go to Bali instead.
The singer spent four days on the Indonesian resort island,
producing a video of a duet, To All The Girls I've Loved Before,
with Indonesian singer Andre Hehanusa.
The artist expressed concern over the troubles Indonesians
were facing, saying he is familiar with Indonesia and is
concerned by the situation.
The Spanish singer left Bali on Tuesday for Shanghai, another
stop on the tour to promote his latest album. (raw)