Singer Huang Zitao accuses Dutch DJ Martin Garrix of disrespect during performance in China

Chinese singer Huang Zitao. Photo from Huang's Instagram

According to the Global Times, Huang, 31, and Garrix, 28, were scheduled for a joint performance on April 20 at the festival.

However, during a subsequent live broadcast, Huang voiced that Garrix had failed to attend the rehearsal for the performance. Additionally, during the designated performance time, the DJ arrived on stage early, transforming what was supposed to be a collaborative act into his solo performance.

The singer thus expressed his dissatisfaction with the DJ and his team’s conduct, claiming he found their behavior disrespectful.

In response to the controversy, Garrix called the incident a product of "misinformation and lies."

Shanghai Dongya Performance Co., the event organizer, has yet to comment on the matter.

Huang, also known under the stage name Tao, was formerly a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO. He departed from the group in 2015 and subsequently embarked on a solo career in China.

As per the South China Morning Post, his father was reportedly one of China’s wealthiest men. The singer inherited an estimated fortune of US$3 billion after his father passed away in 2020.

Garrix is recognized as one of the world’s most successful DJs, having topped DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years, from 2016 through 2018.

The F1 China Grand Prix music festival took place from April 19 to 21 in Shanghai.