Lady Gaga Kiss Cup Raises 6 Million Yen for Japan Quake Relief
Lady Gaga Tour Shows Asia Demand for Live Music
US pop diva Lady Gaga poses for photographers after arriving in Hong Kong on April 28, 2012. Photograph: Dale de la Rey/AFP/GettyImages
US pop diva Lady Gaga poses for photographers after arriving in Hong Kong on April 28, 2012. Photograph: Dale de la Rey/AFP/GettyImages
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Last week was Lady Gaga's first set of concerts in Hong Kong and the second stop on the Asian leg of her world tour. These days chart successes join niche bands and regional artists in planning concert dates in multiple countries across the region. With growing demand and spending power, Asia is becoming a bright spot as the music industry grapples with falling sales and stalling economies elsewhere. (Source: Bloomberg)
Singer Lady Gaga raised 6 million yen ($75,000) as part of a U.S.-sponsored effort to support Japans recovery from last years earthquake and tsunami by auctioning off a tea cup with her autograph and a lipstick kiss.
The blue, white and gold cup hasnt been washed since the pop star drank Diet Coke from it at a! press c onference with U.S. Ambassador John Roos last June in Tokyo. The auction, on Yahoo Japan Corp. (4689), ended at midnight and proceeds will go to the Tomodachi Arts Fellowship Program that sponsors young Japanese to study in the U.S.
Lady Gaga came to Tokyo 10 weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan, which left almost 20,000 people dead or missing and spawned the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. She wrote We Pray for Japan on the Narumi-brand cup, and pledged to sell it to support relief efforts.
The singer of Born this Way returns to Japan to give three concerts on May 10th, May 12th and May 13th at the Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.
To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net
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