COVID-19: Singer Ashanti tests positive, postpones Verzuz battle
She had been due to take on Keyshia Cole in an online music battle
Singer Ashanti has had to postpone a ‘battle’ with Keyshia Cole after contracting COVID-19.
“Hey y’all I can’t believe I’m saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m ok and not in any pain. I’m actually down to do the verzuz from my house... we’re trying to figure it all out!!!” the singer posted on Instagram.
Ashanti had been due to take on singer Cole on Saturday in a music battle called Verzuz, a viral concept hosted by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz that is streamed on Instagram and sees hundreds of thousands of people tune in. Notable music battles that have taken place include Nelly vs Ludacris, Erykah Badu vs Jill Scott and T-Pain vs Lil Jon.
Verzuz has announced that the battle between Ashanti and Cole will now take place on January 9.
“Unfortunately, we have to postpone tonight’s @Ashanti vs @KeyshiaCole #VERZUZ,” Verzuz posted on Instagram. “Ashanti tested positive for COVID-19 beforehand, and we cannot put anyone at risk in the process. First time this has struck us so close to showtime. We apologise to our incredible audience!”
Ashanti, 40, first gained fame as a singer after featuring on Fat Joe’s ‘What’s Luv?’ and Ja Rule’s ‘Always on Time’ in 2002. She went on to release six studio albums, the most recent being 2014’s ‘Braveheart’.