Anita Baker, the American singer-songwriter, announced on Tuesday that Babyface, the legendary record producer, will no longer be a part of her 15-city “Songstress Tour” due to the online harassment she has been allegedly facing from his fans. The singer has been “silently, enduring cyberbullying, verbal abuse, and threats of violence” from the fan base of the support act. In the interest of personal safety, she will continue the tour alone, and appropriate refunds will be made.
Babyface’s Response
Following Baker’s announcement, Babyface shared a statement on Instagram, saying that he was “saddened” by her decision to remove him from the tour. The hitmaker added that it was unfortunate and disheartening to see how things have played out via social media. He further added that he was looking forward to the rest of the dates, and he has nothing but love and respect for Anita, and he wishes her the best for the remainder of her tour.
Baker’s Claims
Baker’s removal of Babyface from the tour comes more than a month after his opening set was unexpectedly cut from their May 10 tour stop in New Jersey due to technical issues. Since then, Baker claimed she has been the target of relentless hate from Babyface’s fans. She tweeted that Babyface needed to correct the “false narrative” that he and his band were co-headlining the tour, adding that the confusion is “creating unrealistic expectations and aggression from his fans towards me.” She also urged Babyface to call off his fans, whom she dubbed “Kenny’s Crazies,” from allegedly gaslighting and harassing her.
The “Songstress Tour” has to make stops in nine more cities, including Houston, Dallas, Memphis, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The trek is set to conclude on December 23 in Oakland, California.
Baker’s decision to remove Babyface from her tour due to online harassment faced from his fans is an unfortunate and disheartening event. While Babyface has expressed his sadness over the decision, Baker has urged him to call off his fans from gaslighting and harassing her, which is creating unrealistic expectations and aggression from his fans towards her. The “Songstress Tour” will continue, and appropriate refunds will be made.
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