MadameNoire
Source: NBC / Getty
If you were looking forward to tonight’s Verzuz battle between Ashanti and Keyshia Cole, you may have to wait a little while longer. The musical battle will likely be postponed due to Ashanti testing positive for COVID.
The singer announced the news on social media this evening, writing on Instagram:
“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!!!”
If you can remember back to what felt like years ago now, Verzuz battles were originally done from separate homes and streamed over Instagram live. However, as stay-at-home orders let up in cities and states across the country, so did restrictions on Verzuz battles with the last several editions taking place with the entertainers in the same venue.
Ashanti isn’t the first singer whose COVID-19 diagnosis halted a Verzuz battle. During the Spring, Teddy Riley and Babyface postponed their highly anticipated face-off when Babyface and his entire family contracted coronavirus. The mishaps that happened when the actual Verzuz took place in mid-April had nothing to do with COVID-19 but certainly made the battle an interesting one to watch.
So far Verzuz hasn’t addressed Ashanti’s diagnosis, with the platform still noting the battle is slated to take place tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Keyshia Cole has yet to respond to the news either, though fans are letting their disappointment be known on Twitter, with many pointing to Ashanti’s recent travels abroad as the likely cause of her infection.
Ashanti went live to give fans details, explaining that things were in place for the event to take place in person in LA. She shared the Apple team didn’t advise streaming from home due to delays and technical issues that would diminish the experience.
“Keish actually felt it would be better to postpone,” Ashanti added, saying she shared the news with her fellow battler last night.
“At this point, I don’t know what else there is to do or to say. …And just to be very, very, very, clear, yes I’ve been traveling, yes I went to Nairobi, and no I didn’t get the virus from traveling or being in Africa,” Ashanti added pointing out no one else she traveled with tested positive. “I actually got it from a family member when I came home. I came home and I hugged a family member that actually ended up being positive.”
