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Boy George threatens to fire bandmates who refuse to perform his pro-Israel song
Culture Club singer says AI helped him bypass ‘gatekeepers’ while creating a track inspired by Nova massacre victims
Boy George has said he will fire members of his band who refuse to perform his new pro-Israel song, as he defended using artificial intelligence to help create the controversial track.
The Culture Club frontman made the warning after revealing that some musicians working with him have questioned whether they are prepared to play We Will Dance Again live.
“Even now that the song is written, there are people in my band who are questioning whether they’ll perform it with me,” he said in an Instagram video on Sunday, adding that “those people will be fired”.
The 65-year-old singer, whose real name is George O’Dowd, released the song last month after visiting the Nova Exhibition in London and meeting survivors and bereaved relatives.
Its lyrics address the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 and challenge criticism of Israel and musicians who have backed the pro-Palestinian movement.
The track has also attracted criticism over George’s use of AI during its creation.
Defending the decision, he said: “If I would have tried writing We Will Dance Again with any other musician, they would have gotten in my way. They would have said ‘Oh, you can’t say that’.”
He added: “I don’t need gatekeepers, and one of the great things about AI is that it removes all the interference – all the human interference.”
George insisted the technology had not replaced his own songwriting.
“I wrote that song. The lyrics are mine, the melody is mine,” he said.
“That doesn’t make me lazy or make me uncreative. In fact, I think AI has made me more creative.”
The latest row follows several weeks of controversy surrounding the song.
George recently withdrew from a planned appearance as King Herod in the West End production of Jesus Christ Superstar after its release.
Responding to criticism of his stance, he later said he was “devastated for the loss of the innocent lives on both sides of this war” and called for peace.
He said the song was inspired by meeting people affected by the Nova massacre, including Michael and Lisa Marlowe, whose son Jake was murdered during the attack, and survivor May Hayat.
George has also split with his label manager Tony Pontius, whom he described as “gutless” after Pontius reportedly wanted “nothing to do” with the track.
Writing on X following the split, George said: “Due to my decision to stand up for my Jewish friends, I am losing a few people from my life.”
He added: “When someone is gutless, it really does not hurt to say goodbye. My faith in humanity will not diminish, and the truth will always win.”
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