Australian pop singer Jessica Mauboy was all set to sing the national anthem during Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, but went totally AWOL after pulling out of the performance mere minutes before she was due on stage.
As The Australian reports, Mauboy was booked to sing ‘Advance Australia Fair’ as part of the big day’s celebrations, taking to social media to share the news, and was even introduced to the crowd by announcers.
However, Mauboy never showed up and instead another singer, Nadia Aya, suddenly had to take the stage with only 30 seconds of preparation, leading to confusion and many wondering what caused the last-minute scratching.
“We were very disappointed that Jessica Mauboy was on course and didn’t perform today,” Victoria Racing Club chief executive Simon Love said. “We were grateful that Nadia Aya could perform the national anthem ahead of the Emirates Melbourne Cup.”
Meanwhile, a representative for the ARIA winner has revealed the cancellation was due to issues over “clothing and preparation” adding that the singer was “incredibly sorry” she could not perform as planned.
So what was the apparent wardrobe issue that caused Mauboy to go missing after she’d been photographed on her way to the Cup in full racewear garb and make-up? She refused to put on the correct footwear.
If this sounds oddly similar to an excuse used by a parent for why they and their four-year-old were late to a function, that’s because it is. Mauboy apparently stomped her feet when presented with shoes to wear.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, the singer reportedly refused to wear kicks supplied by official race sponsor Myer. The VRC declined to comment on rumours Mauboy wanted to wear shoes supplied by a rival department store.
While Mauboy herself has been silent on social media since Monday, 6PR’s Peter Ford tweeted that “The VRC are considering possible legal action over [Jessica Mauboy] antics yesterday that caused disruption & narrowly avoided embarrassment.”
