After turning heads with her comments about what she termed “gangsta rap” [click to read] in April, Alicia Keys is making headlines again. The R&B singer turned down what could potentially be millions of dollars by requesting a Philip Morris affiliate withdraw partial sponsorship of an upcoming concert in Jakarta, Indonesia. After the Washington-based anti-smoking organization Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids pointed out the numerous advertisements to Keys, she released the following statement through Sony BMG:
“I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking.”
The event, which is part of Keys‘ As I Am International Tour, was originally billed as “A Mild Live Production.” Philip Morris did not publicly disclose how much it paid to sponsor the event or if it would ask for its money back. Although Keys has enjoyed successful sales of all her studio albums, with each one selling 3 million copies or more, the move goes against current industry practices. An increasing number of artists are getting directly involved in advertising campaigns with major corporations to offset the losses of declining album sales.
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“Whether tobacco sponsorship of music events leads to youth smoking is a matter of serious debate,” Philip Morris said, in a statement received Thursday. “Having considered the facts in this specific instance, we have decided to withdraw all branding associated with this concert.”
