As Negative White reported, artist Bernarda’s performance was cancelled at short notice after her links to the controversial anti-abortion movement „March for Life“ were pointed out on social media.
The festival management decided to call off the performance after consulting with the police because it feared disruption or protests. The story was widely reported by traditional media as well.
It was previously known that Bernarda’s past was unknown at the time of her engagement. The background check was not carried out thoroughly enough. However, in our research conversations with industry professionals, there was growing evidence that m4music was aware of the issue before the public comments were made.
Negative White was able to speak directly with festival director Philipp Schnyder following a media enquiry and is now familiar with the entire timeline of events.
The Swiss-Croatian artist had been on the festival management's radar for some time as an artist who could benefit from m4music as a platform for up-and-coming artists.
In a phone conversation with Negative White on Saturday, the festival management said that the m4music team was not aware of her proximity to the „March for Life“ at the time of booking. The team only became aware of this connection after the programme was published.
„Based on m4music’s values, we immediately recognised that this commitment harboured potential for conflict. We addressed this in a conversation with Bernarda, discussed various scenarios, and also suggested terminating the contract. Bernarda emphasised that the performance was important for her career and assured us that she would not use the performance as a platform to promote her beliefs.“
In the end, the festival management decided not to call off the show. „There were good arguments for and against. The decision was not an easy one.“
On the Tuesday before the festival, social media appeals called for the performance to be disrupted. This raised security concerns, which the m4music festival closely examined, including with the authorities. Due to the security situation, m4music called off the performance the day before the show.
„We very much regret what happened; we will work through it as announced and exchange information with other organisations in the music business that have already been confronted with similar cases,“ concludes Philipp Schnyder.
Janosch Troehler
