The tweet came from Jesse Carmichael, the keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the band. The backlash began after his alleged happy birthday tweet:

“Happy Birthday America (and The Dalai Lama too) sang happy birthday to his holiness today.”

The tweet was posted on July 6, but we haven’t seen a trace of it since then, indicating that the musician realized his error and removed the offending tweet. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist sect. The first Dalai Lama was inducted under Chinese communist rule, and the man who holds the position is one of the most revered spiritual and temporal leaders of Asian culture, particularly in China and Tibet.
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When Chinese fans saw the tweet, it was met with heavy backlash by both fans and government, showing just how much tweeting can be detrimental, even to major celebrities like Maroon 5. One upset Weibo user wrote as follows.

“When it comes to matters of a country’s dignity and territorial claims, there can be no compromise. Musicians should stick to music and do their thing. Why bother with politics?”