Credit: Brendan WalterLorde has cancelled a show scheduled for Tel Aviv, Israeli this June in response to urging from the BDS movement which discourages artists from performing in Israel in protest of that country’s treatment of Palestinians. BDS stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
In a statement provided by Lorde’s booking agency to Variety, the singer wrote, “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. 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.”
Lorde had been scheduled to play Tel Aviv’s Convention Centre, which seats 15,000. The concert’s promoter in a statement to Variety wrote, “We forgive her,” but provided no further comment
Israeli culture minister Miri Regev wrote, “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.”
Last week, two BDS supporters from Lorde’s native New Zealand penned an open letter to the singer calling on her to cancel the performance.
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