Singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey has defended her upcoming show in Israel, after certain pressure groups urged her to cancel the show.
Last week, Lana confirmed she would be playing at the Meteor Festival next month, held on the banks of the River Jordan shortly before the Jewish New Year.
The ‘Lust For Life’ singer broke her silence on the controversy on Sunday, insisting that her motivation for playing the gig in Tel Aviv was to perform for her young fans there, rather than a “political statement” or a “commitment to the politics there”.
She wrote: “What I can tell you is I believe music is universal and should be used to bring us together.
“We signed on to the show [with] the intention that it would be performed for the kids there and my plan was for it to be done [with] a loving energy [with] a thematic emphasis on peace.
“If you don’t agree with it, I get it. I see both sides. But me and my band have been performing all over the world for months out of the years for close to 10 years now together. And we’re about to travel to a place that many big bands are playing this year and at this festival.
“We don’t always agree with the politics of the places we play within or even in our own country - sometimes we don’t even feel safe, depending on how far abroad [that] we travel - but we are musicians and we’ve dedicated our lives to being on the road.”
Towards the end of last year, Lorde was at the centre of a similar controversy when she was scheduled to perform in Israel, eventually cancelling the show following backlash over the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.
“I’m truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you,” she said at the time. “I hope one day we can all dance.”