Singer Andrea Bocelli: 'Absurd' to shun opera legend Domingo

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is staunchly defending opera legend Placido Domingo, calling it "absurd" that opera houses have canceled the star's performances over sexual harassment allegations before they are fully investigated.

"I am still appalled at what happened to this incredible artist," Bocelli said. "I don't understand this. Tomorrow a lady can just come up and say Andrea Bocelli molested me 10 years ago, and from that day on, no one wants to sing with me anymore; the opera houses won't call me anymore. This is absurd."

Bocelli spoke to The Associated Press through an Italian translator during an interview at his Miami-area home. Bocelli, one of the world's most famous classical singers, is preparing for a U.S. tour that begins next month in San Francisco and closes with two nights at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

This Nov. 8, 2019 photo shows Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli during an interview at his home in North Miami, Fla. Bocelli is defending opera legend Placido Domingo and calling it “absurd” that opera houses have canceled the star’s performances before sexual harassment allegations against him are fully investigated. Three U.S. music companies canceled Domingo appearances following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women earlier this year. (AP PhotoEllis Rua)

Three U.S. music companies canceled Domingo appearances following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women in twoAP stories earlier this year and he withdrew from a slate of performances at New York's Metropolitan Opera.

The AP spoke to more than 20 women, many of whom said Domingo tried to pressure them into sexual relationships and sometimes punished them professionally if they rejected him. One soprano said he grabbed her bare breast under her robe.

Domingo has disputed the allegations, calling them "in many ways, simply incorrect."

This Nov. 8, 2019 photo shows Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli with his dog Katarina during an interview at his home in North Miami, Fla. Bocelli is defending opera legend Placido Domingo and calling it “absurd” that opera houses have canceled the star’s performances before sexual harassment allegations against him are fully investigated. Three U.S. music companies canceled Domingo appearances following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women earlier this year. (AP PhotoEllis Rua)

Bocelli is the most prominent artist to speak out on the Spanish opera star's behalf, taking issue with the "call-out culture" and arguing that people should differentiate between public figures' morality and their artistry and skills.

If criminal accusations are brought forward, Bocelli said, people should not make a judgment until the accused person is convicted and sentenced.

"Whenever that happens, then the moral judgment against this person would of course change on my end, but not the artistic judgment, because they are two different things," he said.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2019, file photo, Opera star Placido Domingo performs during a concert in Szeged, Hungary. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is staunchly defending Domingo, calling it “absurd” that opera houses have canceled the star’s performances over sexual harassment allegations that haven’t been fully investigated. Three U.S. music companies canceled Domingo appearances following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women earlier this year. (AP PhotoLaszlo Balogh, File)

"There have been in the past many artists who have dubious morality," Bocelli said, adding that there are two aspects to judging an artist. "One is the moral one, which must be dealt with in courts and here on Earth and by our good Lord up in the skies. Then there is an artistic judgment, which is subjective, and up to each one of us."

Domingo has continued to perform in Europe. On Friday, the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said Domingo decided not to perform at a pre-Olympics event, citing the "complexity of the project."

He has resigned as general director for the Los Angeles Opera, where an internal investigation into the allegations against him is ongoing.

Bocelli and Domingo are credited with injecting new energy into opera during times when its popularity had dwindled.

Bocelli, especially, has overlapped with pop music genres and is widely known for the iconic "Time to Say Goodbye," which has been used in several sporting events and Hollywood films. The blind singer has partnered with pop sensations such as Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez.

Bocelli sat down for an interview with the AP to speak about his new collaborations with "13 Going on 30" actress Jennifer Garner and pop singer Ellie Goulding. The tracks are part of a special edition of his album "Si," which launched last week.

He said opera is alive but needs to shift back to a form of entertainment for everyone, and not just affluent spectators.

"We could do a lot more so that it could go back to the origins, go back to being popular for a wider audience," he said. "Today, it risks being an elite phenomenon, and this is a pity because opera was born for the people."

NEW DELHI (AP) — The hugely popular Chinese app TikTok may be forced out of the U.S., where a measure to outlaw the video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature.

In India, the app was banned nearly four years ago. Here's what happened:

In June 2020, TikTok users in India bid goodbye to the app, which is operated by Chinese internet firm ByteDance. New Delhi had suddenly banned the popular app, alongside dozens other Chinese apps, following a military clash along the India-China border. Twenty Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed, and ties between the two Asian giants plunged to a new low.

The government cited privacy concerns and said that Chinese apps pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and security.

The move mostly drew widespread support in India, where protesters had been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods since the deadly confrontation in the remote Karakoram mountain border region.

“There was a clamour leading up to this, and the popular narrative was how can we allow Chinese companies to do business in India when we’re in the middle of a military standoff,” said Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy expert and founder of tech website MediaNama.

Just months before the ban, India had also restricted investment from Chinese companies, Pahwa added. “TikTok wasn’t a one-off case. Today, India has banned over 500 Chinese apps to date.”

At the time, India had about 200 million TikTok users, the most outside of China. And the company also employed thousands of Indians.

TikTok users and content creators, however, needed a place to go — and the ban provided a multi-billion dollar opportunity to snatch up a big market. Within months, Google rolled out YouTube Shorts and Instagram pushed out its Reels feature. Both mimicked the short-form video creation that TikTok had excelled at.

“And they ended up capturing most of the market that TikTok had vacated,” said Pahwa.

In India, TikTok content was hyperlocal, which made it quite unique. It opened a window into the lives of small-town India, with videos coming from tier 2 and 3 cities that showed people doing tricks while laying down bricks, for example.

But for the most part, content creators and users in the four years since the ban have moved on to other platforms.

Winnie Sangma misses posting videos on TikTok and earning a bit of money. But after the ban, he migrated to Instagram and now has 15,000 followers. The process, for the most part, has been relatively painless.

“I have built up followers on Instagram too, and I am making money from it, but the experience isn’t like how it used to be on TikTok,” he said.

Rajib Dutta, a frequent scroller on TikTok, also switched to Instagram after the ban. “It wasn’t really a big deal,” he said.

The legislation to outlaw the app has won congressional approval and now awaits a signature from Biden.

The measure gives ByteDance, the app’s parent company, nine months to sell it, and three more if a sale is underway. If this doesn’t happen, TikTok will be banned. It would take at least a year before a ban goes into effect, but with likely court challenges, it could stretch longer.

In India, the ban in 2020 was swift. TikTok and other companies were given time to respond to questions on privacy and security, and by January 2021, it became a permanent ban.

But the situation in the U.S. is different, said Pahwa. “In India, TikTok decided not to go to court, but the U.S. is a bigger revenue market for them. Also, the First Amendment in America is fairly strong, so it’s not going to be as easy for the U.S. to do this as it was for India,” he said, in reference to free speech rights in the U.S. Constitution.

As Chinese apps proliferate across the world, Pahwa says countries need to assess their dependency on China and develop a way to reduce it as the apps can pose a national security risk.

The app is also banned in Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan and restricted in many countries in Europe.

“Chinese intelligence law and its cybersecurity law can allow Chinese apps to work in the interest of their own security. That creates a situation of distrust and it becomes a national security risk for others,” said Pahwa.

“There should be different rules for democratic countries and for authoritarian regimes where companies can act as an extension of the state,” he added.

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This story corrects the expert's erroneous reference to Fourth instead of First Amendment.

FILE- Activists of Jammu and Kashmir Dogra Front shout slogans against Chinese President Xi Jinping next to a banner showing the logos of TikTok and other Chinese apps banned in India during a protest in Jammu, India, July 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)