Dua Lipa and her expertise company have responded to stories that she sacked her agent after he reportedly signed a letter calling for Kneecap to be faraway from the Glastonbury line-up.
The Every day Mail reported this weekend that the singer, presently on the North American leg of her ‘Radical Optimism’ world tour, parted methods along with her William Morris Endeavour (WME) agent David Levy.
A supply alleged that the singer “made positive by means of her people who David Levy wasn’t engaged on her music anymore,” including that “she views him as being a supporter of Israel’s warfare in Gaza, and the horrible therapy of the Palestinians and that was made very clear by means of the letter that he signed and despatched to Michael Eavis.”
Now, Dua Lipa has taken to Instagram to distance herself from Levy however make clear the stories.
“I don’t condone the actions of David Levy or different music executives towards an artist talking their reality,” mentioned Lipa. “I additionally can’t ignore how this has been dealt with within the press. Not solely was the story utterly false, however the language utilized by the Every day Mail has been intentionally inflammatory, crafted purely for clickbait, clearly designed to gasoline on-line division.
“It’s all the time Free Palestine however exploiting a worldwide tragedy with the intention to promote newspapers is one thing I discover deeply troubling.”
A WME spokesperson has additionally disputed the tabloid accounts. They instructed NME: “Stories suggesting that Dua Lipa or her administration dismissed considered one of our brokers due to his political opinions are categorically false.
They added: “David Levy performed a task in Dua’s early profession (2016-2019) and as is customary, is credited each internally and in trade journals as being a member of the staff. When he moved out of London in 2019, he transitioned into an advisory function and has not been concerned in Dua’s day-to-day enterprise since. Levy totally eliminated himself from the venture amongst others earlier this 12 months.”
The letter in query was an e mail despatched to Glastonbury organisers, together with co-creator Eavis, forward of this 12 months’s competition. Meant to be confidential, it was leaked by a Glastonbury worker.
The marketing campaign to take away Kneecap, recognized for his or her vocal pro-Palestine views, from the line-up, was finally unsuccessful, and DJ Toddla T was one of many letter’s largest critics, writing on Instagram that it “was headed by a really systemically highly effective music agent and signed by 30 people from throughout the music trade.”
Lipa, in the meantime, has lengthy been outspoken about Palestine. In 2021, she criticised an advert within the New York Instances that labelled her, in addition to fashions Bella and Gigi Hadid – each half-Palestinian – as Antisemitic.
In October 2023, she was considered one of plenty of celebrities to signal a letter to then-US President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and she or he reaffirmed her stance in an interview the next January.
Final Might, she shared her help for the #AllEyesOnRafah marketing campaign in a bid to garner help for individuals residing in cramped refugee camps within the metropolis with out humanitarian help. She wrote on her Instagram Tales, “Burning youngsters alive can by no means be justified. The entire world is mobilising to cease the Israeli genocide. Please present your solidarity with Gaza. #AllEyesOnRafah.”
A month later, she mentioned she was “prepared” to “be met with a backlash” over her feedback, describing them as being “for the larger good”.
She’s additionally pressured Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take motion, being considered one of over 300 figures to signal Select Love’s open letter urging him to “finish the UK’s complicity within the horrors in Gaza. Following his response, the non-governmental organisation hit again, saying, “We want actions not phrases for the youngsters of Gaza.”
