[REVISION HISTORY]

Boy George faces backlash over pro-Israel AI song

Updated 15 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-15 22:31 UTC → 2026-09-07 13:02 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, Boy George released an AI-assisted, reggae-inflected track titled “We Will Dance Again” (Hebrew title “עוד נרקוד”), defending Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and rejecting the term “genocide”. The lyric “You say genocide, I say war” sparked swift online backlash and calls for a boycott. George described the use of AI as “AI for good,” noting it allowed him to work without “gatekeepers.” On 30 July 2026, his manager Paul Kemsley announced George would withdraw from the West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium, where he was to play King Herod. Richard Armitage was confirmed to cover the role. By 1 August 2026, George confirmed he had ended his professional relationship with manager Tony Pontius, who had refused to release the track, calling it “gutless.” George labelled Pontius “spineless” and urged fans to purchase the song via Bandcamp after it was removed from mainstream streaming platforms. Bandcamp later removed George’s profile, citing its policy against music generated substantially by AI. In a video, George insulted the platform’s owners, accusing them of yielding to ~~pressure.~~ pressure and claiming the removal was motivated by the song’s pro-Israel message. On 9 August 2026, George threatened to fire band members who refuse to perform the song live. He defended the AI-generated backing track, stating it removes “human interference” and that the lyrics and melody remain his own. By 14 August 2026, the controversy extended to Culture Club’s scheduled September performance at the PNE’s Summer Night Concerts. While the venue confirmed receiving complaints and refund requests, a spokesperson stated there are no plans to cancel, citing a position of non-censorship and freedom of expression.

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