Heart scare forces Calvin Harris out of MTV EMAs
CALVIN Harris, the Scottish DJ and record producer, has been forced to pull out of his prestigious slot at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow tonight due to health problems.
The Dumfries-born star, who was due to perform along with some of the world’s biggest pop and rock stars, withdrew from the event with just over 24 hours to go until the stars headed down the red carpet.
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Hide AdThe 30-year-old, who was also nominated for two honours, is reported to have tweeted that he had been suffering “heart problems”, although the message had been removed from his official feed last night.
Harris, one of Scotland’s most successful music acts in recent years, was one of the headliners at the T in the Park festival this summer and was also one of the biggest acts to appear at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Glasgow in the spring.
A statement on the official MTV EMA Facebook said: “Hey #MTVEMA fans – we have some really sad news.
“Calvin Harris has taken ill and will not be able to perform at tomorrow’s show. He sends his sincere apologies.
“Get well soon, Calvin!”
Harris, who is up for best UK and Ireland act and the best electronic act, is reported to have tweeted: “No EMAs for me this weekend. Got some heart problems. Heading home to see if it can be fixed.”
Glasgow has been gearing up for a spot in the global limelight with a host of stars, music industry VIPs and celebrities flocking to the city for the 20th annual awards, one of the biggest cultural events in the world.
The potential global television audience for the event – which is being subsidised
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Hide Adto the tune of £525,000 through Scottish Government agency EventScotland – is thought to be above the 500 million mark.
Fellow Scots Biffy Clyro are also due to take the stage at the event along with host Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, U2, Ed Sheeran, Enrique Iglesias and Ariana Grande.
Singer Katy Perry is leading the race for awards with seven nominations in total, one more than Ariana Grande.
Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and One Direction are among the other contenders for the main awards. It has already been announced that rock legend Ozzy Osbourne will also be honoured with a global icon award.
A spectacular red carpet event lasting 90 minutes will be held at the venue before the two and a half hour show, which is being shown on Channel Five from 9pm tonight, gets underway.
The event, which is being held in Scotland for a second time, is expected to generate at least £10 million for the city’s economy, with thousands of overseas visitors flocking to Glasgow and MTV hosting a week of special live music and clubbing events in the run-up to the main awards ceremony.
The event was held in Edinburgh in 2003, when Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Pink and The Black Eyed Peas all appeared inside a big top in Leith Dock and actor Vin Diesel hosted – sporting a leather kilt.
Other previous host cities include Frankfurt, Madrid, Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Rome.
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Hide AdThe MTV EMAs ceremony is by far the most high-profile to be staged so far at the SSE Hydro, on the Clyde waterfront, which opened just over a year ago.
A gala concert to mark the return of the Ryder Cup to Scotland was staged at the £125 million venue in September, while the venue will be playing host to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony next month.
The completion of the SSE Hydro has boosted hopes that Glasgow, an official Unesco City of Music, will be able to bring the Brit Awards, the UK’s flagship music awards ceremony, north of the border for the first time.
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