Pop
Boy George warns Culture Club bandmates they’ll be fired if they refuse to perform his controversial AI‑generated song
Boy George has told his Culture Club bandmates they risk being fired if they refuse to perform his divisive AI‑generated pro‑Israel track We Will Dance Again.
Boy George has issued a stark warning to members of Culture Club, saying anyone who refuses to perform his controversial new song We Will Dance Again will be sacked.
The 65‑year‑old singer shared the message in a video posted to Instagram, telling fans that some musicians in his band were questioning whether they would play the track live.
He said: “Even now the song is written, there are people in my band who are questioning whether they’ll perform it with me. And those people will be fired."
The track, which includes the line “You say genocide, I say war,” has sparked intense backlash since George uploaded it online.
The song was inspired by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel’s Nova Music Festival - an assault carried out by Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by multiple governments and responsible for severe harm and loss of life.
George has insisted the song is “pro peace” and said he is “devastated” by the deaths of innocent people in both Israel and Palestine.
The fallout has already led to major professional upheaval.
George recently parted ways with Tony Pontius, who had run his label BGP for several years, after Pontius refused to be involved with releasing the track.
The controversy also affected George’s theatre commitments, with the singer pulling out of playing King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium just days before his run was due to begin.
His manager Paul Kemsley said the decision was made “with the utmost respect” for the production team.
Bandcamp has also blocked George from uploading We Will Dance Again due to its policy on AI‑generated music.
George defended the technology, saying: “I don’t need gatekeepers, and one of the great things about AI is that it removes all the interference, all the human interference. The lyrics are mine, the melody is mine.”
He later suggested he may publicly name people who have distanced themselves from him over the song.
He said in a separate clip: “At some point I’ll do a list of all the people who have turned their backs on me."
