Kelly Clarkson Addresses Cigarette Company Sponsorship Mishap Over Jakarta Concert

 

Antismoking activists are not happy with Kelly Clarkson and her peeps after learning that billboards and TV ads promoting her April 29 concert in Jakarta are sponsored by L.A. Lights, an Indonesian cigarette brand which is plastering their logo all over the promos.

Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids released a statement saying:

“If Kelly Clarkson goes ahead with the concert, she is by choice being a spokesman for the tobacco industry and helping them to market to children.  She has the power now to turn this situation around and to send a clear message to Indonesian young people and, frankly, to the young people of the world.”

Kelly took to her blog this morning to voiced her displeasure with the cigarette company’s sponsorship of her show, but was sure to add that she was unaware of the arrangement:

“So ….my morning began with finding out that I am all over billboards, tv ads, and other media formats along side a tobacco company who unbeknownst to me is sponsoring my Jakarta date on my current tour. I was not made aware of this and am in no way an advocate or an ambassador for youth smoking. I’m not even a smoker, nor have I ever been. Unfortunately, my only option at this point was to cancel the show in order to stop the sponsorship.  However, I can’t justify penalizing my fans for someone else’s oversight. This is a lose-lose situation for me and I am not happy about it but the damage has been done and I refuse to cancel on my fans. I think the hardest part of situations like this is getting personally attacked for something I was completely unaware of and being used as some kind of political pawn.”

 

Photos by Flynet Pictures taken as she arrives into Perth Domestic Airport Australia with her parents and bodyguard yesterday.