Joss Stone says 'Syria should not be ignored' as she performs concert in war-torn country

The British singer also paid tribute to the country's 'welcoming, kind people' after the intimate gig

HAVANA, CUBA - JANUARY 17: Joss Stone performs during the 34th International Jazz Plaza Festival at Teatro Nacional on January 17, 2019 in Havana, Cuba. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
Powered by automated translation

She is on a mission to perform in every single country of the world, and Joss Stone can now tick Syria off her list.

The British singer-songwriter revealed she "has learnt a lot" during her short time in the Middle Eastern nation, after holding an intimate gig in the war-struck nation.

The 31-year-old, who is behind hits such as Right to be Wrong and Super Duper Love, also opened up about her "scary" border crossing, though praised those who helped her show take place.

Click to play this video from Stone after she arrived in Syria: 

"I’m so glad we’re here and I’m so glad nothing bad happened," Stone said in a video posted to her Instagram page.

"We just have to trust the people on the ground that are advising us and looking after us," she added in the clip's caption. "This was the beginning, it was cold and wet but also so nice to meet such welcoming kind people."

Though details on the star's concert are scant, Stone performed to a crowd of around 70 in Derika, also known as Al-Malikiyah, a Kurdish-controlled city in north-eastern Syria, according to the BBC.

The singer remarked on the conflict in her social media post, telling her 238,000 fans that "Syria deserves not to be ignored, Kurdistan deserves not to be ignored".

"There is a lot of hurt here coming from all sorts of different directions," Stone added. "It is so complicated, a story I’m not in a position to tell you, but all I can say is that I have learnt a lot from my short time there and I hope that peace will come to every one on all sides soon."

The singer is believed to have been accompanied by war photographer Paul Conroy, according to Sky News, and the next destination on her ambitious total-world tour is not yet known - though she is set to perform in Poland in July, according to her official website.

Stone also shared a clip of some local musicians she met, as one man played the oud.

"This is one of the many moments I didn’t know what was going on or what was being said but I was just happy to be there," added the singer, revealing she collaborated with the band, named Judi, during her visit.

In another picture posted to her Instagram account, Stone revealed that her visit to Syria was an "experience we shall never forget".

"Thank you to those who looked after us along the way. And to those who welcomed us into your home and taught us about traditional music and instruments and language," the Fell in Love With a Boy singer wrote.

"Thank you to those who fed us and gave us your time and smiles and good feeling in a place we were once afraid to go. I hope to meet again in the future. Keep smiling and loving and making music and sharing your light."

Stone has already visited more than 170 countries on her tour/mission - you can read a full list here.

Her most recent stops include Suriname, Guyana, Haiti, Dominica, Barbados, Cuba, Belize, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles and Malta.