Akon Dubai concert booked without his okay?

If rumour mills are churning out yet another Akon concert in Dubai very soon, then read the fine print before forking over that money because things may not be as rosy as they seem.

The popular R&B star, who has already performed four times on our sunny shores, has sued his former booking agent for $750,000 for breach of contract and trademark infringement.

The singer/producer and bosses at his Kon Live Touring, Inc filed a complaint against American Talent Agency last week in New York for booking concerts in Dubai, India, Nigeria and Singapore without Akon’s permission or knowledge.

The plaintiffs, Akon and gang, are accusing ATA officials of failing to pay “earned performance fees” and “booking unapproved appearances and performances for Akon”.

Apparently, the Senegalese singer’s company terminated its relationship with ATA in 2010 and instructed bosses there to immediately stop providing any further booking services on the star’s behalf or exploiting Akon’s name, picture or likeness for commercial purposes.

However, a spokesman for the star was quoted in the media as saying: “Despite terminating the booking agreement, ATA has secretly booked appearances for Akon in, among other places, Dubai, India, Nigeria and Singapore. ATA has wrongly received substantial deposits from promoters hoping to secure Akon’s appearance at events.” 



He added: “ATA has yet to pay Kon Live Touring at least $750,000 in performance fees for live shows Akon already performed and it continues to falsely advertise itself as Akon’s booking agent on the ATA website. Creative Artists Agency is Akon’s exclusive booking agent.”

In the past, ATA has been associated with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain, Missy Elliot, Fat Joe and Wyclef Jean.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.