Pop star Lorde has pulled out of a concert in Israel after a backlash from fans who support a cultural boycott of the Jewish state.
Earlier this month (Dec17), Lorde, real name Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, announced she would be performing in Tel Aviv, Israel next June (18).
Fans backing calls for artists and companies to cut ties with Israel, due to its government’s treatment of the Palestinian people, reacted angrily to her booking the gig – with two from her native New Zealand, one of Jewish heritage, the other Palestinian, penning an open letter to the star.
Lorde subsequently took to Twitter, revealing she was considering cancelling the concert, and now she has explained she will not be performing in the country after all.
“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,” she wrote online.
“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. tel aviv, it’s been a dream of mine to visit this beautiful part of the world for many years, and i’m truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you. i hope one day we can all dance (sic).”
Lorde isn’t the only artist to boycott Israel – Roger Waters, Lauryn Hill and Elvis Costello also won’t perform in the country because of the government’s treatment of Palestinians.
