Ava Max thanks fans after being ‘slapped so hard’ by stage invader in LA
By Naomi Clarke and Hannah Cottrell, PA reporters
Singer Ava Max has said an alleged stage invader “slapped her so hard” during a show in Los Angeles that it scratched the inside of her eye.
Videos shared online from the gig at The Fonda Theatre on Tuesday showed a man appearing to hit the US pop star in the face while she was performing.
The Sweet But Psycho singer, 29, can be seen flinching and holding her eye after the incident before she leaves the stage soon after.
Following the show, Max wrote on Twitter: “He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again.
He slapped me so hard that he scratched the inside of my eye. He’s never coming to a show again 😡😡thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!❤️
— AVA MAX (@AvaMax) June 21, 2023
“Thank you to the fans for being spectacular tonight in LA though!!.”
Joel Rangel, 30, from Tucson, Arizona, who captured the moment on video, told the PA news agency: “She was ending the show with her song The Motto and a fan just ran and jumped on the left side of the stage.
“As he jumped on stage some of the lights fell to the floor and he was running for Ava with his arms wide open like he was going to hug her.
“But the security ran and grabbed him and as they did she just happened to turn and his arm was out and hit her in the face.”
Mr Rangel, who said he flew to Los Angeles from Arizona to see the concert, added: “Also, they almost cancelled the meet and greet because of the situation.
“She had to wear sunglasses and she was disoriented and dazed so it was sad having to talk to her like that.”
When asked if he had managed to see Max at the meet-and-greet, he said: “I did, we just had to wait an hour more.
“She just looked really out of it when I was talking to her.”
The singer, whose real name is Amanda Ava Koci, rose to fame following her breakout single Sweet But Psycho in 2018 and has enjoyed further success with hit songs Kings & Queens and The Motto featuring Tiesto.
Her debut studio record, Heaven & Hell, peaked at number two in the UK album charts in 2020 and she released her second album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, at the start of the year.
The incident comes days after Bebe Rexha sustained facial injuries after an audience member threw a phone at her while she was performing on stage in New York.
