Why Noel Gallagher's Daughter Fears China Over Country's Ban on Her Oasis Star Dad

Anaïs Gallagher fears her father Noel Gallagher's long-running problems with Chinese authorities could complicate her dream of visiting the country, after the Oasis star was prevented from performing there over his involvement in a Tibetan independence benefit concert.

OK! can reveal the 26-year-old photographer and model, whose mother is Noel's former wife Meg Mathews, wants to travel across China and see the Great Wall but believes she may need to consult officials before applying for a visa.

Noel has said he was barred from performing in China because he appeared at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York in 1997.

Speaking in a YouTube video, Anaïs, 26, said: "I would love to go to China, I would love to see The Great Wall. I would love to travel China. My dad is banned for life, an enemy of the people I actually think it is. So I'm not sure if that will affect me. It's probably something I've got to look into with the embassy or something like that. Trying to get a visa and that, I'm not sure it'll be the easiest thing, but I would love to go to China. That's definitely something on my bucket list."

Anaïs publicly discussed the episode in 2022, explaining her father only discovered there was a problem between him and China years after appearing at the benefit alongside artists including U2, Radiohead, Alanis Morissette, Foo Fighters and Beastie Boys.

Oasis had been preparing to perform in Beijing and Shanghai in 2009 when Noel learned Chinese authorities objected to his participation.

He said: "I only found out I was banned when Oasis got invited to go to China a good 20 years ago. We'd agreed to go and all the paperwork came and you had to send through a list of your songs and the Chinese government sent you back a list of songs that weren't appropriate and we'd agreed to do all that. About a month before we were about to leave I got a letter saying you lot can come but you can't because of this thing you did for the Tibetan people. I'd forgot I'd even done it."

Noel said he believed officials were concerned he might make statements supporting Tibet while performing.

He said: "I've got a letter somewhere from the Minister of The Interior saying, 'You are an enemy of the people,' or something like that. The rest were invited with open arms."

The guitarist has also admitted his appearance at the Tibetan Freedom Concert was hardly a treasured memory.

Noel said Oasis were touring at the time and the concert happened to fall on a day off. With the rest of the group unavailable, he agreed to perform alone despite being uncomfortable with an acoustic-style solo appearance.

He said: "I walked out on stage in front of 50,000 people and as I walked out I thought, 'Why have I agreed to do this? I'm not even the f------ singer. I've got a Marshall stack, and I'm going to do 'Wonderwall' and 'Cast No Shadow.' As I remember, I only did about three or four songs but it felt like it was about four hours long. I was on in between Radiohead and U2, full bands.'"

Gallagher rose to fame as the chief songwriter and guitarist of Oasis, the Manchester band he formed with younger brother Liam. The group became one of Britain's biggest acts of the 1990s, producing era-defining albums including Definitely Maybe and (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.

Gallagher wrote hits including "Wonderwall," "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Champagne Supernova."

After Oasis split in 2009 following years of tensions between the brothers, he launched Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and enjoyed further chart success.

Oasis later reunited, generating enormous demand for their comeback concerts in 2025 and reaffirming their enduring international popularity.