JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (CelebrityAccess) — Officials in Saudi Arabia have launched a probe into the opening of a new nightclub in the coastal city of Jeddah.
In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, the Saudi General Entertainment Authority announced it was investigating videos posted online which purportedly showed the interior of Project X, the nightclub in question.
“According to information provided to the GEA, the event is in violation of the legal procedures and regulations in force, and has not been authorized by the body,” the statement said.
The statement went on to add that a license had been originally issued for another event but the contractor “took advantage of an extension of that license to commit these serious and unacceptable violations.”
The nightclub, which was billed in media reports as “halal” or conforming to Islamic law, was due to open on Thursday night with a performance by the American hip-hop artist Ne-Yo.
According to Al Jazeera, the club is affiliated with the White brand, which also operates venues in Dubai and Beirut.
A post on White Saudi Arabia’s Facebook page reported that the performance appeared to be canceled at the last minute and the user left a scathing review.
In a post to his own social media, Ne-Yo appeared to confirm that his performance had been canceled and he apologized to his fans for the situation.
Wow…Apologies to the people of Saudi Arabia. Was literally on my way to the venue when I heard it was shutdown due to some technicality. Was looking forward to performing. Much love to my guys at White Jeddah. Maybe we try again some other time.
Let me know🤷🏾♂️— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) June 13, 2019
