Japanese singer Joji cancels show at Hong Kong Clockenflap due to health, as fans ask festival organiser for refunds
- Artist who was set to headline the event’s Sunday line-up has said on Instagram he will not make it to his shows in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong
- This comes a day after American singer-songwriter D4VD also withdrew from the festival, which is scheduled to take place this weekend
Some of Joji’s top songs include “Slow Dancing in the Dark” and “Glimpse of Us”. Photo: Instagram/@sushitrashJapanese singer-songwriter Joji has pulled out of Hong Kong’s Clockenflap music festival this weekend, with ticket holders calling for compensation from event organisers.
Four days before he was set to headline the festival’s Sunday line-up, the 31-year-old artist posted an Instagram story stating that he would not make it to the rest of his scheduled performances in Asia, citing health issues.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to my upcoming shows in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Hong Kong due to health reasons,” he told his 7 million followers on Wednesday. “I will be back I promise.”
This came just a day after another major act, American singer-songwriter D4VD, withdrew from the Clockenflap line-up, also because of health reasons. Both artists have more than 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Joji, whose real name is George Kusunoki Miller, has not disclosed the specific health concerns affecting the cancellation, but he released a statement in 2017 about quitting his YouTube comedy work as Filthy Frank because of “several serious health concerns, including but not limited to; throat tissue damage, and neurological conditions”.
On Tuesday night, the artist had just finished a concert in Manila, part of his Pandemonium tour that began at the end of September.
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Disappointed fans took to Clockenflap’s Instagram page to express their grievances over how festival organisers were handling the cancellation, with some urging for a refund or suggesting other big names to replace the slot.
“No D4VD and Joji ... What’s the point any more? We deserve our money back,” one user wrote in a comment.
“I’ll forgive you if you give us NewJeans,” another user said, referring to a popular K-pop girl group.
Among those expecting compensation is Jeffrey Chan, who bought a three-day ticket to the event and was most excited to see Joji perform.
“What matters is that the consumer has the peace of mind that their money will not be spent in vain – whether this takes the form of a refund, an acceptable replacement, or otherwise,” the Hongkonger said.
“If they [Clockenflap] want to continue turning a profit in the future, they should find a way to address the grievances of their consumers. Because we will remember.”
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Young Post has reached out to festival organisers asking if refunds or other types of compensation are under way.
On its Instagram post announcing Joji’s cancellation, Clockenflap said it was looking for an act to replace Joji’s headlining slot.
“To all of you who we know are as disappointed with this as we are, we are working our very hardest to lock in a replacement to share with you as soon as possible. The show goes on!” the event organisers wrote on Wednesday. The post has garnered more than 1,200 comments.
The last time a headliner cancelled a performance at Clockenflap was in 2016 when American rock band LCD Soundsystem gave up their slot two months before the festival because of scheduling conflicts.
This year’s Clockenflap is set to take place from December 1 to 3 on the Central Harbourfront with two remaining headlining acts, English rock band Pulp and Japanese-pop superduo Yoasobi.
Besides Joji and D4VD, Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf also previously cancelled his appearance at the festival.