Why Joss Stone is in North Korea
British singer-songwriter performs in Pyongyang bar as part of her Total World Tour
British singer-songwriter Joss Stone has staged an impromptu gig in North Korea as part of an ambitious project to perform in every country on Earth.
The 31-year-old was pictured singing in front of a small crowd of tourists and guides in a bar in the capital Pyongyang on Wednesday night - her latest show in her Total World Tour.
Stone launched the tour in 2014 and has performed in more than 175 countries, including Syria, Pakistan and Iraq, reports India-based news site NDTV.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Devon-born star announced her trip to Pyongyang in an Instagram video on Tuesday, shortly before boarding a plane to the hermit kingdom.
“It’s a fine day to go to North Korea,” she said in the video. “We'll be getting on a plane very soon to go to Pyongyang. A place in North Korea, anyway. It’s gonna be fun.”She also wrote that she was “learning a song called arrirang” [sic] to sing to the crowd - a reference to Arirang, a folk song that has become an unofficial anthem of both North and South Korea.
The BBC reports that the visit was arranged by Simon Cockerell, who runs Koryo Tours, a company specialising in trips to the isolated country.
Cockerell described the performance as an unofficial gig and posted photos of Stone singing for around 40 tourists and guides at a bar in what he identified as the Yanggakdo cinema complex.
“Let’s do it again with a full band and thousands of local fans not too far in the future!!” he wrote in a message on Instagram.
The show comes two weeks after Stone “performed in a small hall in Derik, in the north-eastern corner of war-torn Syria”, in front of an audience of about 70 people, the Daily Mail reports.
“As bemused Syrians and soldiers looked on, Stone performed such songs as Burt Bacharach’s The Look of Love before proclaiming: ‘We are made stronger by our mistakes’ and launching into her hit Right to Be Wrong,” the newspaper adds.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published