Lady Gaga refuses to tone down her shows

Pop superstar Lady Gaga would rather cancel  dates in her world tour than make changes to appease censors and religious  groups, the US singer's manager said on Thursday as controversy dogs her in Asia. Troy Carter said that in any case, nothing would appease the religious  hardliners who have denounced Lady Gaga in South Korea, Indonesia and the  Philippines since her tour kicked off in Asia. "We'll skip them," Carter said a music conference in Singapore, insisting  that Lady Gaga would not tone down any upcoming concerts. "We play the show as  it is. It's a very specific show, it's a very specific audience." Conservative Christians in South Korea and the Philippines, and a groups in Indonesia, have accused the provocative US singer of  espousing blasphemy and devil-worship. Indonesian police are refusing to issue a permit for her June 3 show in  Jakarta after threats of violence from the militant groups, but the promoters  say they are still lobbying to stage the event. This week in Manila, Philippine censors were on hand to ensure Lady Gaga's  act did not breach permit terms banning nudity, blasphemy and lewd conduct. She  is next due to perform in Bangkok on Friday, before three gigs in Singapore. After that is supposed to come the June 3 concert in Jakarta. On Twitter  this week, Lady Gaga said she would perform solo if necessary, rather than bow to demands from Indonesian censors or the threats of violence. The singer ruffled some feathers in Thailand with a tweet after she arrived late on Wednesday saying she wanted to buy a fake Rolex and visit a "lady market" - which critics took to be a reference to a red-light area. "If Gaga supports fake Rolex in Thailand, I bet she also supports the unauthorised copies of her album. Such an ignorant comment!" one user responded on Twitter. Lady Gaga is expected to do 110 shows this year following the huge success  of her album Born This Way, which has sold nearly six million copies worldwide since it was released in May 2011. The star, named one of the 100 most influential fashion icons by the US  magazine Time, has wowed fans with outfits ranging from a dress made of raw meat to a frock fashioned out of plastic bubbles. Her manager said it was important that the 26-year-old singer retain the  support of millions of devoted fans who are likely to sustain her career over the long term, rather than pander to her critics. "So it's very important that she maintains her loyalty and integrity with this audience and hopefully they will follow her," Carter said.