Why did Alicia Keys drop out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup performance? Singer accused of resigning 'at the last minute'

American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys has reportedly pulled out of her performance at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony 'at the last minute.' As per reports, the choreographer of the World Cup’s opening ceremony spoke to the Catalan radio station about Alicia Keys performing for the event ‘until yesterday.’

However, the singer has not released any official statement about her withdrawal from the World Cup’s opening ceremony. The development comes after several artists opted out of performing at the World Cup due to alleged human rights violations in Qatar.

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Alicia Keys reportedly dropped out of the World Cup due to creative differences

As per reports, Alicia Keys dropped out of the upcoming World Cup due to creative differences with the event organizers. According to the event choreographer, Barabara Pons, Keys was fighting over the use of a piano since “everything is measured to the millimeter.” Alicia Keys reportedly demanded a piano during her concert, which the event organizers reportedly refused.

However, Alicia Keys also never confirmed that she was going to perform at the opening ceremony on Sunday.

Various celebrities, including Rod Stewart and Dua Lipa, have opted out of the World Cup recently, citing human rights violations in Qatar. Lipa noted that she would cheer on England from afar at FIFA 2022.

Dua Lipa, in a statement on Instagram, said:

“I will not be performing and nor have I been involved in any negotiation to perform.”

Earlier this week, legendary English singer Rod Stewart noted that he turned down over $1 million to perform at the World Cup’s opening ceremony. Stewart reportedly said:

“I was offered a lot of money, over $1 million, to play there 15 months ago. It's not right to go.”

Meanwhile, English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams has confirmed his performance at the World Cup, noting that not performing in Qatar would be hypcritical. In a statement, he said:

“Anybody leaving messages saying 'no to Qatar' are doing so on Chinese technology...You get this microscope that goes ‘OK, these are the baddies, and we need to rally against them’. I think that the hypocrisy there is that if we take that case in this place, we need to apply that unilaterally to the world.”

BTS’ Jung Kook and Nicki Minaj have also been confirmed to perform at the World Cup.

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Why are celebrities opting out of the Qatar World Cup?

Qatar’s human rights violations have been highlighted in recent reports. According to a 2021 Guardian report, over 6,000 migrant laborers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, who were working on construction projects have died in Qatar.

A separate report from human rights research group Equidem noted that between September 2020 and October 2022, there were significant labor and human rights violations at the World Cup’s eight stadiums.

USA Today cited the 95-page report, which also noted that migrant laborers from Asia and Africa suffered atrocities including wage theft, physical assault, and inadequate nutrition at the hands of major construction firms. The report also noted that workers were exposed to COVID-19.

The report further stated that there were "illegal recruitment charges, nationality-based discrimination, unpaid wages, exposure to extreme heat and other health and safety risks, overwork and workplace violence."

The report also alleged that the World Cup construction firms "actively evaded labour inspections," and created a "captive and controllable workforce amounting to forced labour.”

FIFA World Cup organizers have since dismissed the allegations.