{"id":577228,"date":"2026-07-31T14:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T14:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/577228\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T14:01:11","slug":"boy-george-pulls-out-of-west-end-musical-after-backlash-over-pro-israel-song-created-using-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/577228\/","title":{"rendered":"Boy George pulls out of West End musical after backlash over pro-Israel song created using AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>BOY GEORGE HAS pulled out of a West End musical after facing backlash for releasing a pro-Israel song, which was created using AI.<\/p>\n<p>He had been due to appear in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on social media, his manger Paul Kemsley said that he had taken the decision \u201cin my capacity as Boy George\u2019s manager, that he will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Kemsley added: \u201cGeorge has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEqually, I believe it is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my artist while also showing respect to others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus, while ensuring everyone involved can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785506471_32_.jpeg\"  alt=\"london-uk-31st-july-2026-general-view-of-the-london-palladium-theatre-in-the-west-end-showing-jesus-christ-superstar-pop-singer-boy-george-will-no-longer-be-appearing-in-the-musical-following-the\" class=\"alignnone inline-image\" \/><br \/>\n            Boy George will no longer be appearing in the musical following the release of a pro-Israel song                    Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n<p>    Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n<p>The singer, whose real name is George Alan O\u2019Dowd, rose to fame in the 1980s as the singer of the pop band Culture Club.<\/p>\n<p>Culture Club is set to go on a UK tour in December.<\/p>\n<p>This week, Boy George released a reggae song titled \u2018We Will Dance Again\u2019, which expressed support for Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>The lyrics include \u201cyou say genocide, I say war\u201d and \u201cwhen you\u2019re attacked, that\u2019s what the army\u2019s for\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He goes on to criticise other unnamed musicians, saying they are \u201cholding flags, mouthing like sheep\u201d and are influenced by \u201cpropaganda fuelled by the internet\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\" xml:lang=\"qme\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Shalom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">#Shalom<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0BfHIrThzO\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/0BfHIrThzO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Boy George (@BoyGeorge) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BoyGeorge\/status\/2081514648835162582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">July 26, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The song\u2019s title is a phrase used to express solidarity after Hamas\u2019s 7 October 2023 attack on an Israeli music festival and other Israeli communities, in which 1,221 people were killed.<\/p>\n<p>More than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza in Israel\u2019s ensuing offensive.<\/p>\n<p>Since a truce came into effect last October, at least 1,214 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>Boy George, who was set to star as King Herod in the London musical from 3-15 August, also acknowledged that the song was \u201ccreated using AI\u201d in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI accept that many people disagree with my point of view but that is what is great about democracy,\u201d he wrote in the social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe song was created using AI. I call it \u2018AI for good\u2019. Truthfully, I would struggle to write this with a human!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that he was inspired to write the song after visiting the Nova exhibition which commemorates victims of the attack at the music festival and is being displayed in London.<\/p>\n<p>Boy George made an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thejournal.ie\/patrick-kielty-late-late-show-4-7030566-May2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">appearance on RT\u00c9\u2019s The Late Late Show in May,<\/a> during which host Patrick Kielty asked Boy George about being in Golders Green in London on the day that two Jewish people were attacked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Boy George went on to say that he knows lots of amazing Jewish people, and added: \u201cIf you don\u2019t know any Jewish people maybe that\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then turned to the audience and asked: \u201cDo you know any Jewish people?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When the audience did not respond, Boy George said: \u201cLook at the quiet, so weird, as a country that\u2019s had a lot of pain, we should know what that feels like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Holocaust Awareness Ireland had said that Kielty shown a \u201clack of empathy when speaking about Jews\u201d, but RT\u00c9 defended Kielty and\u00a0said the host \u201callowed his guest to share his experience and views in a sensitive and editorially appropriate manner\u201d.\n<\/p>\n<p>Massive Attack<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the British music scene, Singapore authorities have launched an investigation after Massive Attack displayed a Palestinian flag during a concert.<\/p>\n<p>The city-state bans the public display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785506471_896_.jpeg\"  alt=\"robert-del-naja-aka-3d-of-massive-attack-in-norway-in-june-2024\" class=\"alignnone inline-image\" \/><br \/>\n            File image of Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack                    Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n<p>    Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n<p>A video circulating online showed two band members on stage raising a Palestinian flag to loud, prolonged cheers from the audience during a concert held on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Broadcaster CNA quoted one concertgoer as saying the band members shouted \u201cfree Palestine\u201d during their performance and that many in the audience joined the chant.<\/p>\n<p>The Singapore Police Force said \u201creports were lodged and investigations are ongoing\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The unpermitted display of a foreign flag is punishable with a fine of up to 500 Singapore dollars (\u20ac340), a maximum prison term of six months, or both.<\/p>\n<p>The band is known for its criticism of Israel\u2019s military actions in Gaza and has used its popularity to support the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n<p>In April, frontman Robert Del Naja was among more than\u00a0200 people arrested at a protest\u00a0in London\u2019s Trafalgar Square in support of Palestine Action, an activist group banned by British authorities.<\/p>\n<p>-With additional reporting from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.afp.com\/en\/home\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.afp.com\/en\/home&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1662988616372000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0NpVoRbtqPu3YxcH9SaDK0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a9 AFP 2026<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BOY GEORGE HAS pulled out of a West End musical after facing backlash for releasing a pro-Israel song,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[220,218,5478,93,97,61,60,3410,4268,6085],"class_list":["post-577228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-boy-george","tag-entertainment","tag-gaza","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-rte"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}