UPDATE 2:57 p.m. ET on Feb. 6, 2019: Promotional material for R. Kelly's overseas tour has vanished from his social media accounts.
The trek, dubbed "King of R&B," was set to kick off "soon" with stops in Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. It's unclear if the shows have been officially canceled.
Read the original story below.
R. Kelly is going to the other side of the world in the hopes that the allegations at the heart of the Surviving R. Kelly series won't follow. The embattled singer announced a tour that will touch down in Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka on Twitter.
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Back in the States, Kelly is facing heat from all sides. The FBI and other authorities are investigating the claims that Kelly ran a cult where he abused scores of women, the city he calls home has looked into his infamous studio and dinged him for tons of code violations ,and other cities have made it clear that he's not welcome. On top of that, the renewed conversation about Kelly has provided a space for more accusers to come forward with their stories of abuse.
On the music front, plenty of his past collaborators have distanced themselves from the singer. Some have gone so far as to pull their work with Kelly from streaming services. His own label, Sony, dropped him as the outrage against Kelly piled up.
Kelly is doing everything he can to play it off, though. On his birthday, he went out to a Chicago nightclub and performed some of his hits while protestors gathered around his studio.
