After being announced as the headliner for the Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia, Nicki Minaj has dropped out of the music festival.
According to The Fader, the “Megatron” rapper pulled out of the festival after disagreeing with the country’s human rights abuses toward women and the LGBTQ community.
“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest,” Minaj said in a statement to the Associated Press. “While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression.”
Saudi Arabia still enacts gender segregation between single men and women in public spaces, though women recently gained the rights to drive and attend sports events. NPR reports that the conservative Middle Eastern nation only recently permitted women to perform concerts two years ago, and inviting Minaj as the headliner may have been for economic interests.
The Human Rights Foundation applauded Minaj’s decision not to perform at Jeddah Fest, stating, “This is what leadership looks like. We are grateful to Nicki Minaj for her inspiring and thoughtful decision to reject the Saudi regime’s transparent attempt at using her for a public relations stunt.”
Other festival headliners include Steve Aoki and former One Direction singer Liam Payne. No other artists have withdrawn from the festival.