Eric Nam cancels Malaysian performance following Insta-backlash

K-pop

Published: 30 Oct. 2023, 19:48

Eric Nam cancels Malaysian performance following Insta-backlash

Korean American singer-songwriter Eric Nam [KIGON KWAK]

Eric Nam canceled his upcoming performance in Malaysia following backlash the singer received regarding his Instagram activity.

“I received threats related to my scheduled show in Kuala Lumpur,” Eric Nam said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.

“Out of an abundance of caution for my team and my fans, I made the difficult decision to cancel the show.”

The situation was brought to attention when fans of Eric Nam found that the singer had liked an Instagram post uploaded by Jordan C. Brown-Underwood on Oct. 9 regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Brown, with 75,000 followers on Instagram, is known as the founder of a political strategy agency.

The post by Brown-Underwood condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel, and called to “denounce terrorism and the senseless murder of civilians,” adding that the Jewish people have been persecuted for “thousands of years.”

Eric Nam, in his statement released Monday, explained he did so as he “believed [that the post] expressed a position of anti-violence, anti-hate and was against intolerance.”

“My liking of that post was a reaction to waking up to devastating news, as someone who has always been pro-human, pro-peace and for love and equality for all,” he continued.

However, users online have criticized the post and the singer’s decision to show support for the statement, citing that he “only spoke on behalf of Israel and Jews,” and not the Palestinians who have been prosecuted by Israel.

The situation escalated in the following weeks, with Eric Nam quietly removing his Malaysian tour from his ongoing world tour schedule, and Eddie Nam, the brother of Eric Nam and the CEO of Eric Nam’s agency EN Management, releasing a statement on Discord on Oct. 19 on behalf of Eric Nam.

“I just wanted to pop in and say that Eric is not going to be able to comment on this matter any time soon,” Eddie Nam said.

“It hurts to see these accusations, but there is little point in trying to clarify anything on the internet these days,” he added.

The statement received an overwhelmingly negative reception online due to the lack of clarification it provided.

Eric Nam is currently on his “House On A Hill World Tour.” Derived from his full-length album “House on a Hill,” which dropped in September, the singer is set to perform in cities around the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. [LIVENATION KOREA]

Korean American singer-songwriter Eric Nam is currently on his “House On A Hill World Tour.” Derived from his full-length album “House on a Hill,” which dropped in September, the singer is set to perform in cities around the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

To find out more about Eric Nam, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]