New Zealand singer Lorde has canceled a concert scheduled for Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 5 after criticism by anti-Israel activists urging continued boycotts of the country.
“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,” Lorde wrote in a statement distributed by Naranjah, the Israeli promoters of her Tel Aviv show.
“I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one,” she said of the initial decision to perform in Israel. “I’m truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you. I hope one day we can all dance.”
In a statement to AFP, Naranjah said: “We forgive Lorde and wish her a successful tour in Russia and the US.”
The movement behind the pressure on Lorde is known as BDS. The “BDS” movement, which stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions, organizes social media campaigns to discourage artists from performing in Israel. It has seen some success (Elvis Costello, Thurston Moore and Lauryn Hill all canceled appearances in Israel), but it has also inspired rebuttals by the likes of Radiohead and Nick Cave.
Israel sees BDS as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism — a claim activists firmly deny, calling it an attempt to discredit them.
Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev said she hoped Lorde would reconsider her decision.
“Lorde, I expect you to be a pure heroine, like the title of your first album, a pure culture hero, free of any external — and if I may add, delusional — political considerations,” Regev said in a statement.
The Israeli concert promoter responded to the cancellation: “We forgive her.”
