HONG KONG - Singer Tanya Chua's management has apologised for asking her Hong Kong fans to catch her Shenzhen concert, said Hong Kong newspapers.
The Singaporean star will kick off a new tour, Lemuria, in Taipei Arena on August 27.
Chua, who is signed with Taiwan record label AsiaMuse, ignited online anger in Hong Kong after her management announced on her Facebook page last Thursday (May 5) that she had failed to book the Hong Kong Coliseum for a date this year and that her next stop would be Shenzhen Bay Sports Center on Sept 10, said Ming Pao Daily News.
The team "sincerely" invited her Hong Kong fans to the Shenzhen show, but provoked outbursts from Hong Kong netizens. They asked whether she would invite her Singaporean fans to catch her in Malaysia, and said there were many other venues in Hong Kong she could book, reported Ming Pao.
On Monday, Chua's team said they were "really very sorry" about the anger they caused with the "ill-conceived" post.
They said they were still working on booking the Coliseum, as it was Chua's wish to hold a concert at the landmark venue. Two years ago, she cancelled what would have been her first Coliseum show after losing her voice due to a viral infection.
Her team said they began to apply for a date at Taipei Arena in September last year, and also tried for a slot at the Hong Kong Coliseum. As the Coliseum's 2016 schedule is full, the team are now applying for a date after February next year. If they do not get a slot for the first half of next year, they will book another location in Hong Kong, they said.
Their Facebook post on Monday read: "Because we were anxious and worried about our Hong Kong friends' feelings, after we learned about the Shenzhen schedule, we thought the location was near and we misguidedly recommended that Hong Kong friends who can't wait can go to Shenzhen to see it."
They said they failed to make it clear that they were still booking a Hong Kong venue, and caused "everyone to misunderstand that we don't care about our Hong Kong friends".
In conclusion, they apologised to Chua and thanked her for "enduring in silence the trouble caused by the company's misjudgement".
