NICKI MINAJ was 40 minutes late on stage at Wireless Festival in London on Sunday night – but that was nothing compared to the carnage surrounding her yesterday.
The rapper caused chaos after announcing a last-minute meet and greet on the hottest day of the year, before turning up FIVE HOURS late after the police had been called.
Nicki Minaj announced a last-minute meet and greet in Camden and caused chaos by turning up five hours late[/caption]
Fans started queueing at 8am for the midday event on the hottest day of the year but countless people fainted[/caption]
Fans had started queueing at 8am for the midday event but countless people fainted and were left sobbing outside the venue after temperatures reached a scorching 32 degrees.
More than 2,000 people turned out to Cafe Koko in Camden, North London, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the US star after she revealed plans for the event during an Instagram Live at midnight on Sunday.
But she was so late that the venue couldn’t accommodate her, meaning she was mobbed in the street. At one point she had a tense conversation with two officers in the road as police attempted to hold back the thousands of people hoping to see her.
She was trapped in her car for 30 minutes but eventually got out of the vehicle to greet fans. However, the situation became so dangerous as people clamoured to get near her that she got back into her car and waved through the sunroof as she left.
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One fan who was there said: “I lost count of the amount of people I saw faint in the queue – it was horrific. There was a girl near me who was crying because she felt so exhausted in the heat and I saw medics carrying people away who had collapsed, but everyone was just really desperate to meet Nicki.
“The venue had been told she was going to be there at midday but it kept being pushed back. By 4.30pm the security started telling people that they didn’t think she would turn up at all.
“When she did arrive, all hell broke loose and people were running around and pushing past others to get near her. People put their health at risk and spent an entire day waiting to see her. If Nicki actually cared about her fans, she wouldn’t have done this.”
Nicki’s headline set at Wireless Festival in North London’s Finsbury Park – her only European show of the year – saw her wear three outfits including this yellow and pink bodysuit.
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But it only lasted 40 minutes because of her late arrival and because of a strict curfew for the festival.
Later on she splashed the cash on a night out clubbing with model Winnie Harlow.
Nicki clearly has plenty of money for hair, make-up and clothes.
Perhaps she should put her Wireless pay cheque towards a watch so she is punctual for once.
More than 2,000 people turned out to Cafe Koko in Camden, North London, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the US star[/caption]
Nicki Minaj leaving her London hotel and then trying to attend her meet and greet at Koko in Camden[/caption]
One fan who was there said: ‘I lost count of the amount of people I saw faint in the queue – it was horrific’[/caption]
SELENA ON THE BRIGHT TRACK
SELENA GOMEZ was all smiles as she gave a curtsy for cameras, despite drama back home in the US.
The Hands To Myself singer made the most of the heatwave by wearing a short skirt during a trip to Milan, ahead of a fleeting visit to London today.
But while she’s been overseas, Selena’s sprawling Los Angeles home has been broken into – a week after a man set fire to a mattress with her name on it outside the property.
Sounds like staying away from there is the best thing for her right now.
JUMPIN’ JACQUES FLASH
MICK JAGGER looks like an absolute scream to hang out with, if this photo is anything to go by.
The Rolling Stones legend enjoyed some down time in Brussels before the band’s show there last night and struck a pose with this statue of Belgian singer Jacques Brel while exploring the city.
Mick Jagger looks like an absolute scream to hang out with, if this photo is anything to go by[/caption]
The Stones have six dates left of their European tour after two sellout gigs at Hyde Park as part of the British Summer Time festival.
It’s good to see Mick back on top form after testing positive for Covid earlier this summer, forcing the cancellation of two shows.
ARI BACK IN (DRAG) RACE
ARIANA GRANDE has kept a low profile since the release of her sixth album Positions at the end of 2020.
But she will make her return to showbiz next year, kicking things off with a stint as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Ariana Grande will make her return to showbiz next year[/caption]
The star will be kicking things off with a stint as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race[/caption]
I have learned she secretly filmed for the opening episode of the next series earlier this summer.
She follows in the footsteps of other pop heavyweights including Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera, who have judged during the season premiere.
It is thought Ariana’s episode, set to air at the beginning of next year, will be the start of a busy year for the singer, who is expected to finally return with new music soon afterwards.
In the meantime she will be shooting two Wicked movies, in which she will play perky witch Glinda.
A music insider said: “Ariana has taking things easy after releasing three albums in three years and spending a lot of time on tour. She hasn’t been thinking about work as much, which she has found very refreshing.
“But things have still been in motion behind the scenes. She haas worked on music and although there is no album yet, it is always in the back of her mind.
“Wicked will take up the rest of this year but 2023 will be a big year and it will all kick off with her Drag Race episode. She was hilarious on set and fans will love it.”
GEORGE SHREKS MANIAC
GEORGE EZRA has scored three hit albums and reckons that is partly down to the influence of Hollywood’s most famous ogre.
The Green Green Grass singer said the 2001 animated film Shrek was one of his first introductions to great music.
The movie had a soundtrack featuring artists including Smash Mouth, Rufus Wainwright and rock band Eels.
George – who I have mocked up as the film character – explained on Radio 2’s Tracks Of My Years: “Me and my siblings were obsessed with Shrek.
“The soundtracks were so good. Even today, go and put one on – they’re brilliant.
“There’s a song called My Beloved Monster by the band Eels. It was in the Shrek film but as I grew up I found Eels for myself.”
HOLLY’S OVER THE MOON
HOLLY WILLOUGHBY’s payroll must be massive because she has claimed The Moon works for her.
The This Morning host launched her lifestyle brand Wylde Moon last year and her website now features a list of everyone on the team, including the moon.
The list includes an array of staff including podcast producers, a creative consultant, a managing director and a series of editors.
But it also credits the moon with “guidance and intuition” – although I’m not sure exactly what it has been telling her.
If I was one of her hardworking employees, I’m not sure how I’d feel about the moon’s contribution to the business being compared to my own.
Perhaps she ought to credit water, oxygen and last night’s dinner, too.
JENNIFER: MY PANIC ATTACK
AS a musician, actress and entrepreneur, Jennifer Lopez is one of the busiest women in showbiz.
But she actually cut down her workload in her late 20s following a life-changing panic attack, as she had only been sleeping a few hours a night in order to work as much as possible.
The On The Floor singer said: “There was a time in my life where I used to sleep three to five hours a night. I’d be on set all day and in the studio all night and doing junkets and filming videos on the weekends.
“I was in my late 20s and I thought I was invincible. Until one day, I was sitting in a trailer, and all the work and the stress it brought with it, coupled with not enough sleep to recuperate mentally, caught up with me.”
She said she suddenly felt “completely frozen,” “couldn’t see clearly” and that the physical symptoms “started to scare me and the fear compounded itself.”
Jennifer explained: “Now I know it was a classic panic attack brought on by exhaustion, but I had never even heard the term at the time. My security guard on set came in and picked me up and drove me to the doctor. By the time I got there, I could at least speak again and I was so terrified I thought I was losing my mind.”
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She added in her On The JLo newsletter: “I realised how serious the consequences could be of ignoring what my body and mind needed to be healthy — and that’s where my journey to wellness began.”
BAY'S WATCH
JAMES BAY has a rival glossy-haired, singer-songwriter to contend with in this week’s album chart.
He has returned with his third record Leap and is facing stiff competition from Harry Styles‘s Harry’s House.
James’s album was only 300 copies ahead yesterday. If the Hold Back The River singer, right, keeps the lead, it will be his first No1 since his debut Chaos And The Calm in 2015.
If Harry clinches it, it will be a fifth week at No1, after Paolo Nutini‘s Last Night In The Bittersweet took the No1 position last week.
