Charlotte Church has accused Ed Sheeran of choosing "consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing", after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him. The row has seen ticket prices drop and sales decline for the remaining US leg of his Loop Tour.
On Saturday he apologised to fans for making "mistakes" as he opened his first show since the controversy. Sheeran has been approached for comment. Sheeran is one of the most successful songwriters of all time.
He has sold more than 120 million records and spent more than 1,000 weeks on the US album charts. Church, who has taken part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, told the audience at Charlotte Church's Pop Dungeon at Depot in Cardiff on Sunday - the day after Sheeran apologised - that the conflict had "massively changed" her. "Whilst he [Sheeran] has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world, he chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing." She said she did not agree that "musicians shouldn't be involved in politics, politics is life".
"Ed Sheeran, we're watching you," she added. The controversy began on 4 September, when Macklemore, a long-time pro-Palestine activist, performed as the opening act atSheeran's concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine." The Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.
The lyrics are critical of Israel's military actions in Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The following night, Macklemore referred to the death toll as a genocide, a claim that Israel rejects. In response, the Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour, and the campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda.
Concert promoter Messina Touring Group said Macklemore was dropped because some venues - such as Kraft's Gillette Stadium - would cancel Sheeran's planned concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill. Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed he banned the US rapper from performing at Gillette, accusing Macklemore of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric. "I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate," Kraft said.
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