Lady Gaga Banned From China After Meeting With Dalai Lama
StyleCaster Editors
On Sunday, Lady Gaga met with the Dalai Lama for an innocent-enough discussion about kindness, compassion, and mental health. The singer posted a video of that 19-minute conversation on Facebook Live, angering China enough to ban her, her music, and any and all Lady Gaga media from Chinese TV channels, radio stations, and music sites.
This total ban was reported by Hong Kong news site Apple Daily. It was ordered by the Chinese propaganda department, which told state-run TV channels and news outlets to condemn the singer’s meeting with the exiled spiritual leader. Lady Gaga is not the first musician to anger China for meeting with the Dalai Lama. Bjork, Maroon 5, Bon Jovi, and Oasis are also banned from the country for the very same reason, but Gaga is one of the most beloved in China.
BBC reports she is arguably the most popular Western artist in mainland China and is a common talking point in Chinese media. But because many people there, even her fans, share its government’s feelings toward the Dalia Lama — seeing him as a mouthpiece for Tibetan separatism despite the fact that he now argues for autonomy over independence — they are now angry at Lady Gaga, too.
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Fans took to social media, posting angry comments on Gaga’s Instagram posts that feature the Dalai Lama. “Not cool and meaningful at all. Gaga, I know you are trying to do things meaningful, but this is not just love and peace, it is part of our Chinese pride. Really disappointed,” posted ghostyyep. And another user went so far as to say she was supporting someone who was “like a terrorist.”
As of this morning, you could still download her music in China, but that is expected to change. Watch the conversation that started all this in the video below.
