HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) — A Jamaican reggae artist has pulled out from a weekend concert in which he was due to appear alongside Grammy award singer, Buju Banton, the organisers said on Friday.

They said 47-year-old Wayne Wonder was no longer on the United Festival bill at the National Sports Centre on Saturday night that is expected to attract up to 8,000 fans “due to circumstances beyond their control”.

They added that his inability to perform was caused by “an external conflict that has nothing to do with the Unity Festival organisers”.

A spokesman has since apologised but said all the other acts were on schedule to give “an amazing show full of additional surprises”.

Wonder, whose real name is Von Wayne Charles, confirmed his withdrawal in a social media post addressed to “all my Bermuda fans” and said the cancellation was beyond his control.

Buju, 46, last appeared in Bermuda around 12 years ago.

Earlier this month, another Jamaican entertainer, Vershon, was embroiled in a row after his publicist initially claimed the artist had been denied entry to Bermuda as a tourist when he arrived in the island following the last-minute cancellation of a show at Dockyard in which he was due to appear.

National Security Minister Wayne Caines said Vershon, whose real name is Kemar Vershawn Brown, had never applied for a work permit and had never set foot in the island.

Vershon later conceded he was in New York when he discovered the show had been cancelled and flew home to Jamaica.

He first asked, according to his publicist, Shuzzr, for an apology, but in turn apologised to the government and people of Bermuda for the “erroneous” statement put out on his behalf.