Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna, who has risen to fame in the United States, recently shared a story of an unexpected mishap from her early 20s that led to her being blacklisted from Canada. The incident, which occurred during a late-night pizza run 14 years ago, was a result of a simple navigation mistake.
Yuna spoke about the event during her appearance on Malaysian model Deborah Henry’s Debonair Podcast, where she discussed her career growth, starting her own record label, and lessons learned from past failures. It was during this conversation that she recounted the time she accidentally crossed the Canadian border after a show in Detroit while searching for pizza.
The artist explained that after her performance, she and some friends decided to find a late-night pizza place. “We were using BlackBerry phones to navigate and found a pizzeria that was still open around 1 a.m. We saw that it was Halal, so we decided to check it out,” Yuna said. However, while driving, they noticed a sign that read, “You are now leaving the United States.” The group realized too late that they had entered a tunnel leading directly into Canada.
“We were all screaming in the van because we didn’t have visas to enter Canada,” Yuna recalled. Although they had their passports, they were stopped by border officers. “The officer was like, ‘You didn’t see the huge sign that said Welcome to Canada?’ and we were like, ‘No, we were just focused on finding this pizza place,’” she added with a laugh.
As a result of this unintentional border crossing, Yuna was blacklisted from entering Canada for a few years. During this period, if she needed to perform in the country, she had to undergo additional screening. When asked if she ever got the pizza, Yuna jokingly responded, “No! But the whole thing was really funny.”
It’s believed that the pizzeria Yuna and her friends were trying to reach may have been Sicily’s Pizzeria and Subs, a Halal-certified spot near the border. A quick glance at the map explains how the singer and her friends might have mistakenly crossed into Canada in search of their late-night snack.