Lorde is among the latest wave of artists joining the No Music for Genocide campaign, which urges musicians to geo-block their music in Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Caribou, Hayley Williams, Dry Cleaning, Marina, Caroline, Diiv, Duval Timothy, Idles, Muna, Paloma Faith, Obongjayar, Marc Rebillet, Tokimonsta, 454, Pinegrove, and Skee Mask have also removed or pledged to remove their music from streaming services in the country. Hyperdub is the latest label to pull its catalog, joining Bayonet, 10k, Pan, and more.
Back in 2017, Lorde announced—and swiftly canceled—a concert in Tel Aviv, after proponents of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, including the authors of an article in New Zealand publication The Spinoff, criticized her decision to play in Israel. Lorde wrote at the time, “i pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and i have done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in tel aviv, but i’m not proud to admit i didn’t make the right call on this one.” An Israeli court ordered the authors of the article in The Spinoff to pay damage to fans who claimed the cancellation caused them “moral and emotional injury.” The article authors said the ruling was designed “to intimidate Israel’s critics” and added that, rather than paying the court-ordered fine, they would raise funds for a mental health organization in Gaza.
Today’s new additions to the No Music for Genocide streaming embargo join the likes of Massive Attack, Björk, MJ Lenderman, and dozens more who have backed the organizers’ stated protest against “Israel’s genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing of the Occupied West Bank; apartheid within Israel,” and the suppression of pro-Palestine activism.
Massive Attack have also joined a separate but parallel drive to pull music from Spotify altogether; proponents of that movement primarily cite founder Daniel Ek’s investment in weapons contractor Helsing, which is not linked to Israel. Music businesses’ links to the military industrial complex are also listed as a target of the No Music for Genocide movement, for which more than 1,000 artists and labels have signed up, according to organizers.
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