Dawn Images

Fans always took the news of the Young Stunners’ India debut with a pinch of salt but nobody expected it would be cancelled in such a public manner. The highly anticipated series of performances by the Pakistani rap duo — comprising Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus — in India have been cancelled due to “organisational and financial disputes,” according to Rolling Stone India.

The Young Stunners’ management team has denied allegations of wrongdoing, according to Rolling Stone India. However, they did not comment on what the reasons for cancelling the tour were.

The India tour, organised by Desi Disco Entertainment and supported by Live Vibe Australia, was set to feature the Pakistani act in major cities Mumbai (on December 13), Bengaluru (on December 21), and New Delhi (on December 25). However, the cancellation announcement came after a series of red flags, starting with the duo’s cancelled Australia show earlier this month.

Live Vibe Australia claimed that the rap duo pulled out of the Sydney show “due to their management’s choice,” but failed to return the artist booking fee. This was followed by an Instagram post from the organisers stating that deposits for the India tour remained unreturned.

In a post on Saturday, Live Vibe Australia said, “As many of you may know, the Sydney show was not cancelled; rather, the artists made a decision not to perform due to their management’s choice. Despite this, we have not received a refund for the deposit initially paid for the show.”

The company said its attempts to communicate with the Young Stunners’ management team through emails, texts, and calls had gone in vain and “deposits for the India tour remain unreturned as well.”

The post “urge[d] all professionals in the music industry to refrain from paying any deposits or entering into contracts with Young Stunners and their team” until they rectified the situation.

Images has reached out to the Young Stunners’ management for a comment.

After calling off their performance in Sydney, the Young Stunners took to their Instagram Stories on November 18 to announce: “Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to inform you that our scheduled performance tonight at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney has been cancelled.”

The note added, “The decision has been made necessary due to significant mismanagement and exhibiting unacceptable behaviour towards our team, including the mistreatment of artists.”

The act said its label prioritises the well-being and respect of its artists over such instances of misconduct. The statement addressed fellow artists and warned them to “exercise extreme caution when considering collaborations with Live Vibe and Desi Disco (Vaheed Khan), due to their questionable business practices and disregard for artist welfare.”

This isn’t the first time logistical and political hurdles have affected cross-border performances. Fans were initially excited when Young Stunners’ business manager, Alina Naghman, addressed the delays back in August, explaining that the India tour’s announcement was being held until their visas were approved.

Despite her reassurances that both sides were “working tirelessly” to make the tour a reality, the dream has now come to an abrupt end.

Amid the fallout, Kr$na took to Instagram to share a picture with Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus, captioning it: “Officially the third young stunner! Met my bros for the first time, almost 5 years after we made one of the most iconic collabs in desi hip hop!” The post reignited discussions about the duo’s popularity in India, despite controversies surrounding their cancelled tour.