In his statement, Mr. Legend said that he had “spent quite a bit of time thinking about human rights, civil rights and other issues of justice, both in the United States and abroad. The solution to every human rights concern is not always to boycott.”

The singer added that part of his “mission in life is to spread love and joy to people all over the world,” and he hoped that touring widely would allow him to “meet the many people who are peacefully struggling for freedom, justice and accountability, regardless of what country they live in, and tell them directly that I stand with them.”

His response failed to convince critics of Bahrain’s government.