YeinJee's Asian Journal

Barbadian R&B star Rihanna has promised to cover up for her Kuala Lumpur concert on February 13th to adhere to the Malaysian on-stage dress code, of which a female performer must be covered from shoulders to knees.

Taking lesson from last year’s Avril Lavigne’s concert which was almost cancelled because her show was deemed too sexy for Malaysian culture (and the fact that Avril is like an angel to Rihanna’s sexiness), the organiser of Rihanna’s concert is fast to act on the issue before the protests from conservative religious groups could heat up.

Rihanna’s KL concert, which is part of the Good Girl Gone Bad world tour, will be held at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, on Feb 13. Refer to the above poster for ticketing details.

Update – The concert is postponed following reports that she was assaulted by her boyfriend Chris Brown.

It’s official, Avril’s KL concert is on. The Malaysian authority has changed their mind with the earlier decision to bar the Canadian pop star from performing in Kuala Lumpur on August 29th.

Avril has told MTV earlier that the concert will go ahead as planned; and there were other sources hinting that Galaxy Group, the concert promoter, has successfully appeal to the initial ban. It has now been officially confirmed that the show will go on.

Earlier this week, Malaysian authority made the call to bar Avril from performing as scheduled, stating that the concert is unsuitable for Malaysian culture, particularly not when the country is celebrating independence day on August 31st.

The decision echoed the call from an Islamic opposition party for the show to be scrapped, that the show is considered too sexy for Malaysians and would promote the wrong values as Malaysia’s independence day is looming near.

It’s almost deja vu for Malaysians… as the authority had barred Indonesian singer Inul Daratista from performing in late July 2008 following similar protest that her performance was too erotic. Luckily for Avril’s fans, Galaxy has managed to appeal for the concert to run as planned.

Do mind that Malaysians in general are not that conservative; in fact lots of the Muslims are quite liberal in these kind of matters. Unfortunately the men that make the initial decision were not quite as open minded… glad that the final decision makers are showing more sense.

Canadian pop-rocker Avril Lavigne is coming to Kuala Lumpur for a live concert on August 29th at Merdeka Stadium as part of her Best Damn Tour.

Avril’s Malaysia concert promotional poster

I used to like Avril a lot; if she was to have a concert here a couple of years ago I won’t hesitate to get a VIP ticket for the show… but now, I am not sure. Hmmm got to think fast, considering her popularity here (and some neighbouring countries), the nice seats could be sold out pretty soon.

Avril’s world tour will kick start on August 1st in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; the KL concert will be her first stop in Asia. Other Asian countries that are part of the tour include Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and China [check schedule]

There are 11 concerts in Japan, more than USA and Canada combined (10)… never knew that she is that popular in the land of the rising sun.

MTV Asia Awards (MAA) 2008 is coming to Malaysia.

MAA, one of the most popular pop events in Asia, is making its debut in Malaysia. The show will be held at the Arena of Stars in Genting City of Entertainment, Malaysia, on August 2, and will be hosted by Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars.

There will be nine regional favourite artist awards and seven international awards to be presented. Among the nominees are Avril Lavigne & Justin Timberlake & Leona Lewis (International), Chris Li (China), Andy Lau & Eason Chan & Joey Yung (Hong Kong), Big Bang & Suju & Wondergirls (Korea), Nic Teo & Siti Nurhaliza (Malaysia), Stefanie Sun (Singapore), Jolin Tsai & S.H.E (Taiwan) etc.

As far as I know, none of the celebrities have confirmed their attendance yet, but judging from the past experiences, most of the winners were pretty supportive of the show… it’s one of the largest of its kind in Asia after all.

It’s not easy to get a ticket though; it’s something that money can’t buy. The fans have to get the tickets via contests by voting for their favourite artists [details]… the fans need some luck obviously.

Karen Mok is going to co-host the event with Jared Leto. Electrico, Jabbawockeez, Leona Lewis, Li Yuchun, OneRepublic, Panic at the Disco, Pussycat Dolls, Super Junior, Stefanie Sun, The Click Five and The Script have confirmed their appearances.

Update – the winners.