Does Jess Glynne need her hand holding after Isle Of Wight Festival ban?
Pop star Jess Glynne has been sparking a lot of bad press lately after pulling out of her Isle Of Wight Performance just hours before her stage slot. She attributed her unprofessional conduct to “anxiety and exhaustion” but has been accused of partying until 7am with the Spice Girls the night before her show.
Her team reportedly had already set the stage but fans were left disappointed after festival organiser John Giddings came to the stage and announced the last minute cancellation, as a consequence to this, Glynne has been given a lifetime ban with Giddings saying “She will never be booked to play the Isle Of Wight again.”
When I first heard this story on the radio I was absolutely appalled. Pulling out of a booked performance or press engagement is something you don’t do at any level but when you’re meant to be working at the top of the industry, it’s even more disgraceful. Of course, the anxiety and exhaustion claim could be legitimate, especially as this isn’t the first time she has cancelled a gig, the last time being the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekender. On the flip side though, she could just be losing her touch.
A friend of mine and I were discussing wether Isle Of Wight made the right decision in handing her the lifetime ban with him making the point that they have missed the opportunity to “leverage one of the top charting artists of today”. When I asked what was meant by “leverage” he suggested that he would’ve negotiated a situation for 2020 in which Glynne performs for a much reduced fee and explained that this would benefit both parties as “they would’ve saved themselves quite a bit of money and fans still would’ve been able to see their favourite performer on stage, albeit a year later.
Now, I could see how the suggestion could work very well but I make the argument that Giddings did the right thing to send a message to other stars that a cancellation this late for a festival of this magnitude would be met with extreme consequences and I can predict that no other artist will pull a stunt like Glynne has.
It does seem to me that the once well respected singer is starting to create a bad name for herself with top level players and if I were her management I’d get a grip on the situation quickly and seriously assess Jess’ ability to keep a handle on her career. We of course, can only speculate as to the circumstances of Glynne’s actions and hope that nothing like this happens again.
One thing is certain, the star has some bridges to rebuild if she wants to continue making a name for herself in an already cut-throat business. She’s already issued a public apology stating it was ‘not her intention to let fans down but she had to do ‘what was right for her physical and mental health’, but will this be enough to keep her name in lights?
