Instagram/@jasonderulo
A mysterious message by Jason Derulo was posted on social media on October 3rd, with the sarcastic and rhetorical question, “Who hurt you October 3rd?” accompanied by a sombre-toned video. Due to the pending Halloween-like occasion, the posting had, in response, evoked tons of attention from his Russian fanbase; however, this had subsequently been met with critical voices questioning his decision to perform in the country in recent times.
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Accompanying this gloomy video was a soundtrack with Derulo’s very own ghostly vocals saying, “I wanna make me cry when you give me those all shows and all shows I’m scared of the world.” With such a shadowy music track and an enigmatic caption, a dark, theatrically gloomy atmosphere was created. Since the post tagged early October, some followers had instantly associated it with Halloween and the anguish of hurting.
Judging from the comments, most were from his Russian fans, showered with warm congratulations over Derulo’s recent visits to the country. One user stated, “My sincere respect to artists who go against the system and are not afraid.” Others replied to that comment with fire emoji reactions and more. Another comment in Russian said, “You are the best, thank you for coming to Russia, and for such a beautiful exit!🔝👏🏻🤩.” A further insight was that, “Jason Derulo has gotten a new fan base from Russia. Great performance.”
Naturally, there were less supportive opinions. Performing in Russia despite the ongoing war against Ukraine drew heavy condemnations from other followers. “Supporting ruzzia.. It’s crazy that people still do that. They are killing Ukrainians every day. Children, women, elderly.. And yet, people like you give concerts there. Shame!” one person vehemently exclaimed. Another vociferously said: “After performance in ruzzia you proved to be a few bricks short of a chimney. Friggin’ tool.”
More politically inclined furthered with the discussion, branching to the post’s “look.” One commenter remarked, “Wow great makeup 😍 I’m still looking for Halloween one for this year. Love when it’s scary 😱.” Another praised the crooner’s looks, saying, “Geez this man is hot 🔥,” while an alternative voice commented, “😍 those eyes aren’t ocean at all. They’re scary.”
Mostly unrelated to the post itself but rather an interjection of its own, included a long one-sided rant about God and salvation, alongside a plug for her new single by an independent artist. Some, on the other hand, took a more literal interpretation of “Who Hurt You?”, with one of them going on: “I’m scared of real monsters aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!”
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Jason Derulo’s humble post ended up being one of the lightning rods for further international appeal, which concurrently belies the deeply divided opinions bordering Western artists who choose to perform in Russia. A mixture of genuine appreciation from new fans and biting criticism from naysayers illustrates the rocky terrain an artist attempts to chart in global stardom in an entirely politicized world. This post is a small yet telling insight into modern-day fandom and its confluence with world events. He recently built his son King an epic game room as a surprise. The singer also sparked Diddy comparisons with his wild birthday party. In other news, Derulo was seen enjoying a jalebi snack at a luxury Singapore hotel pool and he caused a stir when he promoted gambling mid-flight.