Mayer chimes in on Britney lip-sync fiasco

Britney Spears has been left distraught over claims that she disappointed fans with her lip-syncing while on tour in Australia. Photo / AP

John Mayer has defended Britney Spears for lip-synching in Australia.

The Gravity singer – who is also in Australia promoting his latest album – blasted fans who had called for a refund after the Womanizer star's show in Perth after she sparked outrage by not singing live for her whole performance.

John wrote on his twitter blog: "If you're shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you."

Britney, 27, was said to have hid in her hotel room on Saturday following her performance on Friday night.

A representative for the star said: "Britney is aware of all this and she's extremely upset by it."

In response to the show fans protested about the high ticket prices and "impersonal" nature of the show.

Concertgoer Wendy Di Renzo, 36, said: "It was so impersonal. She did not interact with her audience. There were no big TV screens projecting the action, so if you didn't know Britney, you might have even doubted it was her."

Complaints against the Gimme More singer also included that she never referred to Perth by name, instead giving a generic welcome to fans, saying: "What's up Australia?"

Another fan, who left the show early, said: "I want my money back or I want her to sing properly. The ticket cost me $200 and she lip-synched the whole thing."

Politicians in three Australian states – Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales – have now called for new laws to force music promoters to disclose whether a concert will be live or lip-synched beforehand.

Britney will next perform in Melbourne on November 11.

- BANG SHOWBIZ