Neha Kakkar breaks silence on Melbourne concert delay: 'I performed for free..'

Popular singer Neha Kakkar, who enjoys a massive fan following across India, was on an international tour for her performances. After her show in Sydney, she performed in Melbourne last week. However, things did not go as smoothly as expected. Neha arrived three hours late for her live concert in Melbourne, leading to a negative reaction from the audience.

As soon as she took the stage, the singer was booed and mocked. Despite her apology, the crowd continued to criticize her and pass comments. Overwhelmed by the situation, Neha became emotional and broke down on stage.

However, she gathered her strength and went on to perform for an hour.

The backlash wasn't limited to the concert; social media users also slammed Neha for what they called unprofessional behavior.

Days after her performance, Neha Kakkar took to Instagram Stories to share her side of the story. She wrote, "Wait for the truth, you'll regret judging me so quickly."

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Neha Kakkar penned a lengthy note on social media, revealing that the event organisers had run off with her money.

"Do you all know that I performed absolutely free for my Melbourne audience? The organisers ran away with my money and others too. My band was not even given food, hotel and even water. My husband and his boys went and provided them food. Inspite of all this We still went on stage and did the show without any rest or anything bcz there my fans were waiting for hrs for me."

"Do you know our sound check got delayed by hrs coz the sound vendor was not paid and he refused to put the sound on. And when after so much of delay our sound check started, I could not reach the venue, couldn't do the sound check, we did not even know if the concert is happening coz the organisers stopped picking my manager's calls coz apparently they were running away from the sponsors n everyone. Though there's still a lot to share but I guess this is enough", she added.

Lastly expressing her gratitude she wrote, "I want to thank all those people who spoke so beautifully for me, as if all this happened to them personally. I really appreciate all the efforts they all took to clarify my situation. I'm always gonna be thankful to all of them who attended my concert that day and cried with me and even danced their hearts out."

The video of Neha Kakkar crying on stage and apologising for arriving late to her performance has gone viral on social media.

In the video, she is heard saying, "Guys, you are really sweet! You have been patient. Itni der se aap log wait kar rahe ho (You have been waiting for so long). I hate it, maine life mein kabhi kisi ko wait nahi karwaya hai (I have never made anyone wait for so long). Aap itni der se wait kar rahe ho, I'm so sorry! It means a lot to me. I will remember this evening forever. Aaj aap log mere liye itna kimti time nikaal kar aaye ho (You people have managed time for me). I will make sure that I will make you all dance."

Tony Kakkar wrote in the caption, "Ek sawal hai... kisi ke liye nahi hai... bas sawaal hai... hypothetically."

Work Front 

Neha Kakkar has served as a judge on the singing reality show Indian Idol multiple times. She is known for chartbuster songs like "London Thumakda," "Kala Chashma," "Kar Gayi Chull," "Aankh Maarey," and more.