Lorde has cancelled her upcoming concert in Israel after protests calling for artists to boycott playing shows in the country.
Artists and musicians have joined the cultural boycott of Israel in protest against the Israeli government’s policies, occupation of Palestine, and treatment of the Palestinian people.
The New Zealand pop star had announced a show in Tel Aviv as part of her ‘Melodrama’ world tour, which was due to take place on June 5, 2018. However, on Thursday (December 21), she told a fan on Twitter she had been “speaking w many people about this and considering all options”.
https://twitter.com/lorde/status/943677206558994432
Now, according to Jerusalem Post journalist Amy Spiro, an official statement confirming the cancellation of the show has been sent out via an Israeli PR for the concert. It read: “Hey guys, so about this israel show – I’ve received an overwhelming number of messages & letters and have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show.”
Here is @Lorde's statement on the cancellation of her Tel Aviv show, via Israeli PR for the concert. pic.twitter.com/Ph0uGHRjCV
— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) December 24, 2017
“I pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and I had done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in tel aviv, but I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”
The statement continued to say it is a dream of Lorde’s to visit Tel Aviv and that she was “truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you”. It concluded: “I hope one day we can all dance. L x”.
According to Spiro, Israel’s Culture Minister Miri Regev released his own statement asking Lorde to think twice about cancelling, in which he said: “Lorde, I’m hoping you can be a ‘pure heroine’ like the title of your first album. Be a heroine of pure culture, free from any foreign – and ridiculous – political considerations.”
Eran Arieli, a producer behind the scheduled gig, is quoted as apologising to Lorde’s fans and the musician herself “who doesn’t deserve all the shit she’s had to put up with over the past week.” He added: “I was naïve to think a singer of her age could handle that pressure.”
Earlier this year, both Radiohead and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds faced backlash after they defied their critics to play shows in Tel Aviv.