Concert organizers in Lithuania have canceled an upcoming performance by renowned Italian singer Enzo Ghinazzi, best known as Pupo, citing a concert he gave at the Kremlin last week. The performance in Russia was done to send what Pupo called “a message of dialogue.”
Pupo was scheduled to take part in a three-band concert in Siauliai, Lithuania’s fourth largest city, in April. However, there were soon calls for him to be barred from singing at the event, Lithuania’s LRT news media outlet reported, citing the Moscow performance.
The pop star arrived in Russia last Friday to “convey the message that peace will return to the world,” Pupo told TASS. He denied he had any “political” intentions and criticized Western attempts to cancel Russian culture over the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
“I am always against the embargo of any people’s culture, it is wrong,” he said, adding that “culture must be free.”
The Lithuanian concert organizers had initially sought to resist the attempts to cancel Pupo’s performance, according to LRT.
“The Italian assured us that he went to Moscow for peace,” Modestas Telksnys, one of the organizers told the outlet, adding that there was “no legal basis” to cancel the contract with Pupo.
The organizers also initially said that they would not violate the contract unless Pupo is designated persona non grata in Lithuania. The manager of the Siauliai Arena, where the singer was due to perform, did not comment.
However, on Tuesday, the Siauliai Arena announced without any explanation that Pupo’s performance had been canceled and the organizers agreed to replace him with another artist.
“We have just received an assurance from the event organizer Legacy Inn that Enzo Ghinazzi – Pupo, who performed in the Kremlin a few days ago, will be replaced by another artist for the joint concert of the three bands in Siauliai,” the message read, calling it “good news” for those opposing Russia’s military operation against Ukraine.
Pupo has been performing for over 40 years. In 1985, he went on a successful tour of the Soviet Union, during which he gave 40 concerts. He has since performed in Russia several times.
The Italian singer was blacklisted by Kiev in 2022 and banned from entering Ukraine for his reluctance to break ties with Russia.