What news Ariana Grande and also Lady Gaga are among the artists whose lyrics have landed on a list of "illustrations of offensive lyrics" in a ministerial handout recently issued in the Singapore Parliament.
The handout appears to be part of a ministerial statement on hate speech delivered by Singapore's Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam last Monday, April 1.
The handout, titled "Restricting Hate Speech to Maintain Racial and Religious Harmony in Singapore," lists lyrics from songs by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, who have both performed in Singapore, as well as Hozier and Nine Inch Nails.
The list singled out lines from Ariana Grande song "God is a woman," as well as Lady Gaga's "Judas," and other lyrics that seem to speak irreverently about the Christian faith.
Ariana Grande is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She was born in Florida. Ariana Grande began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13, before playing the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious.
However, in a Facebook post, Shanmugam clarified that the songs were not banned, but only used as examples for what people may find offensive.
"People who did not listen to the speech may misunderstand that the list contains songs which have been banned or are going to be banned. All of that is untrue," he said.
The handout came weeks after Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs canceled a concert of Swedish Satanist metal group Watain, following outcry from Christian groups.