Katy Perry Heading for Shenzhen to Perform at Singles’ Day Gala

"Sister Fruit" to sing before China's biggest shopping day

American pop star Katy Perry will perform in Shenzhen as part of a Singles’ Day gala.

Sponsored by online retailer TMall, the concert will take place on November 10, the day before Singles’ Day. CRI reports that as part of the show the singer will perform Rise, a song associated with this past summer’s Rio Olympics.

Called “Sister Fruit” by her Chinese fans because of her colorful costumes, Perry performed in Guangzhou and Shanghai last year as part of her Prismatic World Tour. In 2014, Perry performed in Beijing for the Infiniti Brand Festival with an orchestra that included traditional Chinese instruments.

Despite her popularity in China, Perry has had her share of controversy.

In 2011, China’s Ministry of Culture banned Perry’s single Last Friday Night due to its risque lyrics. Last year, she was accused of anti-Chinese sentiment during her Taipei performance because she was wearing a sunflower dress, the same symbol adopted by a local student movement, which happened to be the same dress she wore during a performance in Shanghai. During the same Taipei performance, she also wrapped the Taiwanese flag around her shoulders.

Finally, the singer was seen performing the splits on the Great Wall of China, although the action wasn’t considered to be a political statement (seen below).

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor