The reason behind Maggie Lindemann’s abrupt disappearance from social media is now known, the US pop singer, who was supposed to be on tour in Asia and had been scheduled to perform in Singapore on June 24, was arrested while she was halfway through her concert in Kuala Lumpur on June 21.
She broke her silence on July 4, Thursday, with posts on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, apologizing to her fans in Asia since she could not push through with her concerts in Vietnam and the Philippines.
These concerts were suddenly cancelled without any explanation.
The singer also said that she had been advised not to give additional details about her arrest and detention and that she hoped to return to Asia “soon.”
She wrote, “I want to start off by saying I’m sorry to the fans that came out to the Malaysia show on the 21st. For reasons I can’t go into right now, I was detained and arrested mid-way through my set and spent the next five days confined in a living hell. I’m also so sorry to the fans in Asia that paid for tickets to come see me. I was so excited to see and meet all of you but unfortunately, I was unable to finish the tour. I have been advised not to say more at this time, but thank you for the kind words and concern. I love you and I hope to be back soon.”
The director of the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department, Hamidi Adam, said on July 5, Friday, that Ms Lindemann was arrested and detained due to the fact that she did not have the necessary professional permit to perform on stage in Malaysia.
Mr Adam told The Star that during a raid on a venue in a shopping mall on June 21 Ms Lindemann was arrested, and then detained for only one night at the KL Immigration office.
He said, “She was arrested for not having a professional visit pass at the time of the performance. She was then detained at Jalan Duta for documentation purposes and was released with bail the next day.”
Where she spent the other 4 nights that she refers to in her social media posts is unknown.
Mr Hamidi added that the organizer of Ms Lindemann’s show has been charged in court and pleaded guilty, and has paid a RM 30,000 (S$ 9,800) fine.
Her fans expressed sympathy on her Twitter account, with some saying they were just glad to hear that she was all right.
Interestingly, an Australian musician commented on Ms. Lindemann’s post that the same thing happened to his band when they performed in Malaysia.
Ms Lindemann first became known as a singer covering songs on YouTube, and then gained popularity in 2017 with her own hit songs such as “Pretty Girl.”/ TISG