Devon soul singer Joss Stone detained and deported from Iran

Devon soul singer Joss Stone, 32, was recently deported from Iran while on her world tour. Saying it broke a little piece of her heart, she said authorities in Iran didn’t believe she wouldn’t try to put on a public show in the country. As she is a woman, this would be illegal in Iran. Women are forbidden to perform in public and in May this year, an Iranian singer named Negar Moazzam went to court after singing to some tourists.

As noted by The Guardian, Stone is trying to play in every country of the world, but didn’t have much success in Iran.

After her experience she made a post on Instagram, showing her wearing a white scarf. In the post she said her group was fully aware she couldn’t give a public concert there, but authorities in the Islamic Republic would not believe her.

Not trying to change the politics of Iran

Stone said that personally, she doesn’t fancy going to a prison in Iran and she is not trying to change the politics of the country or put anyone else in danger. In the video, she explained that she was first detained, and then deported the next day after trying to explain to authorities that she wouldn’t be playing there. They just wouldn’t believe her and instantly put her and her travelling companions on a “blacklist” when they arrived in the immigration hall.

Joss explained that the immigration people were very “friendly, charming and welcoming,” but she couldn’t get them to change their minds. This led to them deciding she would be detained over night and deported the next day. She said she was “gutted,” adding they had got so close to visiting Iran and that it broke a piece of her heart.

She admitted they should have been apologizing to authorities for not having their correct paperwork. Stone said a translator helped her explain to the immigration authorities about her world tour.

Stone went on to write in her post on Instagram that she had told authorities her story, explaining that her mission is to bring good feelings to other countries of the world.

She wanted to show people how to look at the positive side of this world, even though she knew a public performance was out of the question in Iran.

Flight to Kish Island in Iran

Stone also posted photos of herself as she boarded a flight to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf of Iran. This area is an economic free zone visited by all nationalities, but is known to be a dangerous location for western visitors.

As reported by Sky News, the singer originally had plans of playing in every country in the world. Earlier in the year Stone and her entourage headed to Syria to perform in the war-torn country, saying she was glad nothing bad had happened while they were in the country. She also staged a small musical performance in North Korea.

Two days ago, Joss posted an image to say they had enjoyed a performance in Yemen.

The soul singer gained fame in 2003 after the release of her best-selling debut album, “The Soul Sessions.” She has had a number of chart-topping singles, including the song, “Fell in Love with a Boy.”