Two big names in the entertainment industry, Jennifer Thompson and Jason Lo think that the strict regulations in the country is among the reasons why international artists avoid performing a concert in Malaysia.

Thompson who is the Managing Director of J TWO Entertainment during an interview with Astro AWANI said that the regulation set on for an artist’s attire is the reason why they do not want to perform in Malaysia.

“In terms of the entertainment, we have to be open-minded. If that artist is willing to follow the guideline then it should not be a problem even though the artist may have a history of drug abuse or wear sexy clothes. What’s more important is the willingness of the artist to follow our regulations.

“For example, when Mariah Carey held a concert in Malaysia, she covered up and this did not become an issue because as we all know, Mariah Carey often wears sexy clothes. But she followed the government’s regulations,” Jennifer said.

This view was also echoed by musician and album producer Jason Lo.

“What are we trying to do here? We do not allow artists to wear sexy clothes during their concert performance, but it’s easy for the youngsters to access social media websites like YouTube. Are they not able to see their favourite artists in sexy clothes on YouTube,” said Jason Lo during an interview with Astro AWANI.

He added, negative stories on Malaysia is also a reason why international entertainers do not want to perform here.

According to him, the government should not put the blame on the organisers when an incident takes place, but should instead educate the public to decide on what’s good and bad.

“Outsiders see Malaysia as an extremist country with reports on hudud, kalimah Allah and so on. Apart from that, they’re reluctant to come to this country whenever there are protests held just because they want to perform here.

“For example, a big protest was held when Elton John wanted to perform in a concert here because he is a homosexual. The government should allow the people to decide,” Lo said.

Lo also urged the government to educate the young ones on drug abuse following the death of six Malaysians who attended the Future Music Festival Asia.

“An advertisement which feature a drug addict and walking like a drunk person will not have any impact on the young ones. They will not feel scared. We need to make them see that ‘if you take drugs you can die!’.

“We should learn from the Future Music Festival Asia incident. I want to reiterate here that it is not the organiser’s fault. It’s those who took the drugs who are at fault. We need to educate them before more people are hooked to this unhealthy activity,” he added.

With many popular artists not putting Malaysia as part of their stop, it will in a way impact the entertainment industry as well as the country’s economy.

According to Thompson and Lo, the restrictions enforce on them has caused more artists to perform in neighbouring countries and for Malaysians to go overseas just to see their favourites artists perform.

“This will affect the country economy and entertainment industry. For example, around the ‘90s, a famous American band Chicago was not allowed to perform in the country just because some members had long hair.

“Around that time, many Malaysians and a few residents of other countries travelled to a neighbouring country just to watch their concert. Just imagine the amount of loses from the tourism sector at that time. But that’s just one concert. Just imagine the amount of loses if hundreds of concerts were cancelled,” Thompson said.

Visiting neighbouring countries just to watch a famous artist perform is not new and Malaysians are willing to spend more.

An Astro AWANI viewer Zarina Rahim also shared her experience in which she is willing to spend more just to watch her favourite artist perform.

According to her, international artists are reluctant to visit Malaysia because they might be worried with the low number of attendance.

“Perhaps one of the reason why international artists do not want to perform in Malaysia is because they charge a lot. How much are Malaysians willing to pay for entertainment?

“International artists usually perform in front of a large crowd more than the audience in Malaysia, in which it is usually less than 10,000 people. We can say that we have a lot of fans here but if they are not willing to pay for the ticket than it is not worth their effort to visit Malaysia,” Zarina said.

According to the tweets received by Astro AWANI’s Twitter, @501Awani, many shared that they are willing to pay more to watch their favourite artists perform. Below are some of the reactions:





Some, however, are reluctant to spend a lot to watch their favourite international acts in neighbouring countries: