Lana Del Rey has defended her decision to perform in Israel, explaining that her choice to appear in the country is “not a political statement”.
No matter how you look at it, performing a concert in Israel is a rather controversial action for a musician to do. In the past, plenty of musicians have been criticised of supporting Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians when they’ve announced that they’re set to play a show in the country.
While Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters is undoubtedly one of the most vocal critics of bands performing in Israel, Lorde was the subject of a rather high-profile boycott appeal back in December, when she was labelled a “bigot” after cancelling her show in Tel Aviv.
“I pride myself on being an informed young citizen,” Lorde wrote in a statement at the time. “And I have done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in Tel Aviv, but I’m not proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”
Now, Lana Del Rey is the latest musician to be copping heat over her decision to tour the country.
Back in 2014, Lana Del Rey cancelled her debut performance in Israel due to political upheaval in regards to Operation Protective Edge – otherwise known as the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. Now, with the musician being confirmed for the inaugural Meteor Festival next month, it seems that she has had a change of heart.
Read the article by Tyler Jenke in Tone Deaf.