Dua Lipa Fires Jewish Agent Over His Pro-Israel Activism

Pop star Dua Lipa has reportedly ended her professional relationship with her longtime agent following his involvement in an unsuccessful campaign to drop from the Glastonbury Festival lineup an Irish rap group that has displayed support for Palestinian terror groups. A WME talent agency representative, David Levy, who is Jewish, joined several music industry figures in signing a private letter to Glastonbury organizers calling for Kneecap’s removal from the festival, which took place last June. The letter, which was subsequently leaked, cited the band’s public displays of support for Hamas and Hezbollah and argued that the band’s anti-Israel activism encouraged antisemitism. “Whilst we all support free speech, we cannot accept it when it drifts into whipping up hateful rhetoric that is essentially denying Israel’s right to exist,” the signatories wrote to the festival founder, Michael Eavis.Following the leak, the English-Albanian singer, who has been a vocal critic of Israel even before Hamas’s October 7 attack, “made sure through her people that David Levy wasn’t working on her music anymore,” a music industry source told the Daily Mail. The source characterized the split as stemming from conflicting political perspectives, noting that Ms. Lipa “views him as being a supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza” and that this “doesn’t align with” her “openly pro-Palestine” stance. Ms. Lipa remains with the same management company, but is now represented by a different agent, according to the Daily Mail. Mr. Levy has not publicly commented on the Daily Mail report and has not yet responded to the Sun’s request for comment. The Irish hip-hop trio came under scrutiny this past April after they projected during their Coachella music festival set the message “F— Israel Free Palestine.” Following the controversial performance, social media sleuths uncovered videos of the band promoting political violence and terrorism, prompting U.K. counter-terrorism police to launch an investigation into the group. Just a month before the Glastonbury Festival, band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a criminal offense by London’s Metropolitan Police after a clip resurfaced of him displaying a Hezbollah flag and chanting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” during a 2024 concert in London.Despite pressure to axe Kneecap from Glastonbury — including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer — festival organizers proceeded with the band’s scheduled performance.The group’s political activism has led them to be banned from several countries, including Hungary and, as of last week, Canada. The Canadian government justified its decision by pointing to the group’s “hate speech” and “glorification of terrorism.” Kneecap condemned the accusations as “wholly untrue and deeply malicious” and pledged to take legal action. Ms. Lipa has expressed her support for Palestinians both on stage and online. In May 2024, she took to Instagram to condemn what she called the “Israeli genocide” and called on her 88 million followers to “show your solidarity with Gaza.”

Dua Lipa Fires Jewish Agent Over His Pro-Israel Activism

More from the New York Sun

‘End of the Great China Gold Rush’

Wartime Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Declares That America Is No Longer Sleeping

Jerome Powell Takes JFK for Granted

More from the New York Sun

‘End of the Great China Gold Rush’

Wartime Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Declares That America Is No Longer Sleeping

Jerome Powell Takes JFK for Granted

‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent Scott Pelley Accuses Bari Weiss of ‘Murdering’ the Show: Report

Justice Department Says It Will ‘Abide by’ Court Order To Halt ‘Weaponization Fund’ Amid Legal Challenge

Silicon Valley Backs Spencer Pratt as L.A. Mayor’s Race Tightens in Final Hours

How Oman Lost Its Mojo as the Switzerland of the Mideast

Arsenal’s ‘Anti-Soccer’ Approach Produces a Very British Backlash