R&B singer R. Kelly had trouble booking shows in the U.S. over the past few months, but has no problem overselling shows overseas.
The singer has been under fire after the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” aired earlier this year, exposing his various sexual assault allegations throughout the last 20 years. His music was banned from two North Carolina radio stations, he is no longer allowed to enter Philadelphia, Sony Music dropped him from their label, and the FBI opened a criminal investigation against him.
Other musicians like John Legend and Chance the Rapper have spoken out about the singer, and Lady Gaga pulled the song produced by Kelly, “Do What You Want (With My Body),” from all streaming platforms. Additionally, the #MuteRKelly movement has been on the rise, calling for venues across the country to cancel his shows; the organization successfully cancelled shows at the University of Chicago and Madison Square Garden‘s Hulu Theatre. His Illinois concert was also recently called-off due to “security issues.”
Nonetheless, Kelly is still slated to perform across Germany this spring. The German fans are so supportive that his show in Ludwigsburg had to be moved to a bigger venue, TMZ reports. While Kelly was supposed to perform at the MHP Arena, which holds an audience of 7,200, he will now play at the 9,000-capacity Ratiopharm Arena.
According to TMZ, a spokesperson for Ratiopharm noted that while organizers struggled to decide whether or not to host the concert, they ultimately decided “it believed in court of law more than the court of public opinion.” However, they said that if facts change ahead of the show, Ratiopharm made contractual arrangements to cancel if they need to.
Kelly has faced numerous sexual assault allegations dating back to when he married a 15-year-old in 1994. Vox outlined his entire history of allegations, including child pornography charges, the accusation he had “knowingly and intentionally infecting” a woman with an STD, his ex-wife accusing him of domestic violence, and most recently, allegations of a sex cult in his Atlanta home. “Surviving R. Kelly” brought more allegations to light with interviews from multiple survivors.
