Boy George Pulls Out of London Production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ In Wake of Backlash to AI-generated ‘We Will Dance Again’ Song
Categoria: Musica
The Culture Club singer was slated to play King Herod in the musical beginning next week.
Por Billboard | 31/07/2026
Boy George will no longer be appearing as King Herod in the upcoming London production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar . The news comes just a few days after the Culture Club singer and solo performer released a controversial, AI-generated track in support of Israel titled “We Will Dance Again.” George’s manager, Paul “PK” Kemsley, confirmed the news on Instagram, writing , “After careful consideration, I have decided, in my capacity as Boy George’s manager, that he will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium. The decision has been made with the utmost respect for the producers, the creative team and the entire company. We are grateful for the professionalism and understanding they have shown throughout and sincerely wish everyone involved every success with the production.” At press time, neither Kemlsey nor George, 65 (born George Alan O’Dowd) had commented on the specific reason for the singer’s leave-taking from the show. But in his post, Kemsley apologized to fans who’d bought tickets with the hopes of seeing the “Karma Chameleon” singer on stage, saying, “We also recognise that many people purchased tickets in the hope of seeing George perform. To those fans, we offer our sincere apologies for the disappointment this decision may cause, and we are deeply grateful for their continued loyalty and support.” Kemsley did hint at the potential distraction created by George appearing in the show at a time when his new song is stirring up division. “George has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that,” Kemsley wrote. “Equally, I believe it is my responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interests of my artist while also showing respect to others. In 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.” Last week, George released the reggae-spiced “We Will Dance Again,” which shares a title with a 2024 documentary about the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack at the Nova Music festival in Israel that sparked the devastating Israel-Gaza war. George acknowledged in a Threads post that the song was “created using AI. I call it ‘AI for good’. Truthfully, I would struggle to write this with a human!” The track features the lyrics, “You say genocide, I say war/ When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for” and finds George singing, “You never mention October 7/ Young girls raped against trees/ Murdered brutally/ For the crime of dancing.” The song was released on X, Instagram and Threads and George appears to be conflicted about the response to it, writing on X on Thursday (July 30), “ It doesn’t matter what I think or what you think . When will you r