MAROON 5 frontman ADAM LEVINE struggled with his decision to boycott Ariz ona over the state’s controversial new immigration laws - because he did n’t want to "penalise" fans by refusing to perform there.
The singer admits he debated joining the Sound Strike campaign, which i s aimed at prompting touring acts to boycott Arizona until state official s agree to repeal the law, which requires local authorities to determine a person’s immigration status if he or she is suspected of being undocume nted.
Levine insists it "didn’t feel right" to perform in the state when he d isagrees so vehemently against the law.
He explains, "I did an interview in Tucson (Arizona) on the radio. (The host) asked about playing there. I said it was a really difficult decisi on to make because we have fans out there that are being penalised essent ially by us not playing, so it’s a really difficult decision to make.
"It really kind of comes down to what feels right, and it really didn’t feel right to play there and reward Arizona for what we thought was a re ally bad decision. We’re just citizens.
"It’s always good to look at everything that we’re talking about, discu ssing, debating or standing up for as an issue, not to grandstand, necess arily, our beliefs, but kind of just follow our hearts, as cheesy as that sounds, and say, ‘Look, this is how I feel, so I’m going to do this.’" The Sound Strike initiative has been taken up by several acts, includin g Rage Against the Machine, Conor Oberst, Ry Cooder, My Morning Jacket, B en Harper and rapper Pitbull.
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
