Photo Credit: Saweetie by Amy Wesson / CC by 4.0
A pair of Japanese concert promoters file breach-of-contract lawsuits against Jason Derulo and Saweetie for backing out of scheduled performances.
Concert promoters Moon Dream Production Co. and SFL Group filed separate breach-of-contract lawsuits against Jason Derulo and Saweetie for backing out of their scheduled performances at the July 2025 Afro Jam Festival in Japan.
Originally, Afro Jam was billed to include shows across Okinawa, Osaka, and Tokyo, but only the Tokyo performances took place due to “artist and other operational reasons,” according to festival organizers.
According to court documents, the artists both entered into deals to perform four shows in Japan between July 18 and July 26, 2025. Both were paid advances, but then breached their deals by failing to perform the agreed-upon shows.
The suit against Saweetie, filed by Moon Dream Production, claims that the rapper and her team “utilized all the visa services facilitated by” the promoter, which enabled her to “enter Japan, then proceeded to perform at unaffiliated nightclubs for other vendors on the same dates she was contractually bound to perform” at the Afro Jam venues Musashino Forests Sports Plaza and R3 Club Lounge. She was allegedly paid a $100,000 advance for her festival appearances.
“Had plaintiffs known the defendants’ true intentions, plaintiffs would never have entered into any performance agreement with Saweetie and her team,” the complaint against her states.
The Derulo lawsuit, filed by SFL Group, alleges that despite the artist receiving a $200,000 advance to perform at Okinawa Arena and Osaka’s Ookini Arena for Afro Jam, he was already contracted to perform in Spain during the same period.
“Despite demand, Derulo has refused and continues to refuse to refund plaintiff’s deposit in the sum of $200,000,” the lawsuit reads.
The promoters are demanding that the artists repay their advances, as well as $300,000 each for incurred expenses, and millions of dollars in punitive damages. UTA is also named in the Saweetie suit for supposedly booking the Afro Jam shows on her behalf.
Reps for Derulo and Saweetie, as well as UTA, did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
