International pop star Demi Lovato is coming to Cambodia, with a free Phnom Penh concert on May 5 that is expected to draw more than 35,000 fans.
The concert, announced at a press conference on Thursday morning, is being organised by Cambodian telco Smart Axiata, in collaboration with Universal Music, and will be the final stop on Lovato’s Demi World Tour.
“Today’s announcement marks a milestone for Cambodia and Smart. We are totally excited being able to bring such a world class artist like Demi to Cambodia. When having announced the partnership with Universal Music last year, we had promised to make such events to happen in Cambodia, with this concert we deliver on our promise,” said Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart Axiata.
Demi Lovato, who shot to fame as a Disney Channel star in the US before making the leap to a recording career, is popular for such hits such as “Let It Go,” “Heart Attack,” “Skyscraper” and her latest single “Nightingale.”
Lovato’s selection was influenced by a sustained campaign mounted by a local Facebook fan group - Demi Lovato Cambodia Fan Club - which has over 23,000 followers. The fan club has been asking followers to post an image on Smart’s Facebook page, requesting them to bring their favorite star to the Kingdom – with more than 20,000 requests being posted so far.
Demi Lovato herself posted a video on April 3, responding to the campaign, saying that she was excited to have so many Cambodians requesting her to come and perform.
“Let me look into my schedule and see what’s possible. Stay tuned,” Lovato said, at the end of the 20-second video.
Smart also announced Laura Mam, popular Cambodian-American singer and songwriter, as their brand ambassador.
At the same presser, the telco announced the launch of an unlimited music-streaming app called Smart Music.
The app, available only to Smart subscribers, will cost 30 cents per week for unlimited streaming of World, Khmer and Pop and Rock music, with all subscriptions free till April 30, 2015.
