The Chainsmokers, a popular music duo, offended some Chinese fans after making racially offensive statements in their recent promotional interview, Clevver reported. They appeared in an interview with an Asian host during their performance in China a few weeks ago.
The DJ duo sparked a social media backlash that criticized their viewpoint of the Asian community. They reportedly commented against a controversial cultural event held annually in China, Clevver added.
In the video that promoted their performance at the Ultra China music event, the interviewer asked Alex Pall of The Chainsmokers about his pet dog.
When asked if he takes his dog with him abroad during performances, Pall answered by saying that his dog does not seem to behave well on his international trips.
The DJ then went on and asked if he was given a chance to take his pet dog to concerts if he would do so. The response was, "Well, I don't know if I'd bring her to China." This answer was followed by embarrassed laughter from the host who stared at the camera for a few seconds. The video was shared on Maxim.
The Chainsmokers apologize
The Chainsmokers have already released their apology for the offensive statement made during their recent performance in China. They explained that the statement referred to the so-called Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, a controversial cultural event that slaughtered dog breeds in the region, Maxim reported.
Held annually in Yulin, the festival has participants butchering dogs and cats before eating them. Around 10,000 dogs and cats are killed in the annual festival that lasts for 10 days, Maxim added.
“I made a comment in an interview about being hesitant to bring my dog, Cheddar, to China because I have read reports about dogs being slaughtered in certain provinces,” the DJ posted on his social media account.
They added that they love their Asian fans very much, particularly their Chinese fans. They apologized for unintentionally causing the upset among the fans. Their Twitter apology was also inclusive of a call to support a website of a group that advocates against the annual dog festival.
Asian tour
The Chainsmokers visited Asian also for an upcoming collaboration with Korean pop boy band BTS.
The project will merge the rhythms of the DJ duo and the South Korean group in a song titled “Best Of Me.”
The upcoming song will be part of the album by BTS titled “Love Yourself: Her,” KPopStarz reported. This will be the first time that the Korean boy band will team up with American artists to create new music. The Chainsmokers have been posting up photos of themselves with the Korean boy band.