Joss Stone has performed in a bar in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, as part of an ongoing mission to perform in every country on Earth.
The singer posted a video message from Beijing airport shortly before her departure on Tuesday (March 12) in which she informed fans that she was learning the words to ‘Arirang’, the unofficial anthem of Korea, for the performance.
“Hopefully by the time I get back I will have learnt some words and will be hopefully pronouncing them properly,” she said in the caption to the video, before informing fans that the tour manager Simon Koryo would be their guide in the country.
“In just one meeting over a cup of tea he dispelled many myths,” Stone said. “So like we do in many country’s [sic] we shall blindly and happily follow our new leader! 🙂 we are all very excited to see this part of the world . So much so I couldn’t sleep last night ! This has really been one of the most interesting legs of the #totalworldtour.”
Koryo posted a number of images from the secretive country, including one photo of Stone’s performance at a bar in Pyongyang.
On their way back from North Korea, Koryo also posted a picture of Stone along with her team, describing their performance as an “utterly unique gig, great show, something really special! Let’s do it again with a full band and thousands of local fans not too far in the future!”
Stone also met with the British ambassador to North Korea while in the country, who said on Twitter: “It was lovely to see Joss Stone yesterday in Pyongyang. A chance though to remind that we do, in fact, still advise UK citizens against all but essential travel to North Korea.”
Stone’s tour has also seen her perform in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Tajikistan.