Renowned international music star Akon recently shared a bizarre and highly lucrative chapter from his touring career, revealing how he pocketed one million dollars—equivalent to over twelve million Bangladeshi Taka—to perform for an audience of just three people at a private Middle Eastern gathering.

Appearing on the Flagrant podcast, the Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, and producer recounted the surreal evening. The engagement was arranged primarily to satisfy a young female member of a wealthy family who counted herself among his devoted fans. Given the extravagant scale of the preparations, Akon initially expected a massive stadium or arena-sized concert.

Logistical arrangements for the artist were extraordinarily lavish. The family dispatched a private Boeing 747 aircraft to transport him, complete with a private bedroom, shower facilities, a game room, and an onboard theatre. Akon travelled with his entire touring entourage, which included sound engineers, a lighting team, road managers, and business managers, all accommodated according to his professional riders.

Upon arrival, the artist was escorted into a massive, professionally outfitted hall featuring an enormous stage, advanced LED lighting rigs, and intricate laser displays. Expecting a packed house, he waited backstage until the audience finally arrived. To his astonishment, the seating area consisted of only three chairs, occupied solely by the young female fan, her brother, and her mother.

The eccentricities of the evening continued once Akon took to the stage. Mid-performance, the young fan interrupted him to request his global smash hit, “Mr. Lonely.” When Akon delivered the track, the fan immediately demanded an encore of the exact same song. This cycle repeated continuously for an entire hour, with the artist performing nothing other than “Mr. Lonely” on loop. Reflecting on the experience with humour, Akon remarked that he felt like a human CD player, noting that his entire technical crew stood by as he serenaded a micro-audience of three.

Industry estimates suggest the total expenditure for the extravagant production—including Akon’s seven-figure performance fee and the elaborate stage setup—approached five million dollars. Looking back, the artist joked that had he known the precise nature of the booking in advance, he could have saved his hosts a fortune by simply showing up in their living room to perform a karaoke session for half the price, drawing laughter from the podcast hosts.

Akon first rose to global prominence following the release of his debut studio album, Trouble, in 2004. Breakout singles such as “Locked Up” and “Lonely” propelled him to international stardom, quickly followed by a string of chart-topping hits including “Smack That,” “I Wanna