Will.i.am Clarifies Canceled New Year’s Eve Gig in Brazil

This article first appeared on Billboard.com.

Despite published reports that Will.i.am canceled an appearance at a New Year’s Eve show in Rio de Janeiro, the singer never agreed to be part of the festivities, according to a spokesperson for the entertainer.

Several reports have indicated that the Black Eyed Peas singer canceled his appearance at Rio’s Copacabana New Year’s event, but the artist’s manager says his client never officially signed on.

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“Will.i.am and his management [representatives] received an invitation for Will.i.am to perform at a New Year’s Eve event on the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,” said Polo Molina, the singer’s manager, in a statement. “During discussions about the invitation, the event producer expressed an intention to televise the concert. Will.i.am’s management team requested certain staging elements be added for the show in order to accommodate his televised performance. These staging elements were not confirmed, so no agreement to perform was ever reached.”

Additionally, according to the official statement, information about talks leaked without the consent of Will.i.am and his team. They maintain that the singer was never contracted or scheduled to perform in Brazil.

Will.i.am “apologizes to his fans for confusion caused as the result of the unauthorized and premature external discussion of his involvement.”

The Brazilian event, also known as Réveillon, is one of the biggest money-making events in the city, attracting people from around the world who celebrate along the shoreline of Copacabana to ring in the new year. 

Several stages line the shoreline with nearly two dozen performers and DJs who participate. Others scheduled to perform, according to copacabanareveillon.com, include Nando Reis, Lulu Santos and DJ Zabumba.