Following the controversy involved with his ‘We Will Dance Again’ song, that includes the line “You say genocide, I say war,” Boy George has threatened to sack anyone in his band who refuses to perform his controversial pro-Israel, AI song generated.
After he refused to be involved with the release, the fallout surrounding the song led the 65-year old musician parting ways with Tony Pontius, who’s run his label BGP for several years.
Facing substantial criticism over the track, which was inspired by the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on Israel’s Nova Music Festival – an assault carried out by Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by multiple governments and responsible for severe harm and loss of life – the iconic singer/songwriter insisted the song is “pro peace” and said he is “devastated” by the deaths of innocent people in both Israel and Palestine.
Also affecting his theatre commitments. the musician (born George Alan O’Dowd) pulled out of playing King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium just days before his run was due to begin, with his manager Paul Kemsley stating the decision was made “with the utmost respect” for the production team.
Due to its AI policy, Bandcamp also blocked George from uploading the track on his profile.
Warning his Culture Club bandmates to perform the song or risk being fired, in a video update on Instagram this week, George said “Even now the song is written, there are people in my band who are questioning whether they’ll perform it with me. And those people will be fired.” “I don’t need gatekeepers, and one of the great things about AI is that it removes all the interference, all the human interference. The lyrics are mine, the melody is mine.”
In another video, the controversial artist said: “At some point I’ll do a list of all the people who have turned their backs on me”.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Jessica Hansson