Sabrina has removed the tweets and issued a public apology.
American singer and songwriter Sabrina Claudio has faced backlash on social media following the announcement of her performance in Johannesburg this weekend.
The Stand Still hitmaker is the headliner at the LYFE Festival happening this Saturday, 6 December, at Marks Park in Emmarentia.
The event, presented by YFM in association with Dr Bird Productions and BreakOut Events, also features South African artists including Lloyiso, Manana, Rarri, Fif_Laaa, DJ FaeFae and Just Mo.
Netizens have called out the organisers on social media for inviting Claudio, who has been slammed online for racist remarks..
This follows tweets from 2018, posted from her secondary account, that contained racist and derogatory comments directed at black women and dark-skinned Latinas.
Some of the tweets included frequent use of the N-word and discussing how “it must suck to be a black girl with no booty”.
Sabrina Claudio: ‘I am so sorry’
The singer deleted the tweets and issued an apology at the time, which has since also been deleted.
In the statement, Claudio said: “I am deeply sorry for the insensitive words I’ve used. Some of the things you are seeing are true, while others aren’t.
“I realise my past ignorance is affecting people I care so much about and I am so sorry. I’ve made mistakes, and while I cannot take them back, I will learn from them.”
Music enthusiasts have been tagging the organisers of the LYFE Festival, questioning why she was invited.
“Why are you inviting her in black people country … she called black people monkeys,” said one person.
Another stated: “We don’t want her.”
The organisers of LYFE Festival have not issued a public response. The Citizen reached out to YFM for comment, but no response ha been received at the time of publishing.
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