British singer threatens to fire bandmates over 'pro-Israel' song

• Singer demands live performance of controversial track.
• Culture Club members face potential fallout.
• Boy George defends AI-assisted song amid backlash.

British Singer Boy George declared that he will fire any bandmates who refuse to perform his controversial AI-assisted 'pro-Israel' track, We Will Dance Again, during live shows.

The statement marks the latest escalation in a series of professional fallouts surrounding the single.

Within two weeks of announcing the track, the 65-year-old artist withdrew from playing King Herod in a West End production of Jesus Christ Superstar, parted company with his label manager over a refusal to release it, and fell out with Bandcamp after the platform rejected the song.

The threat to dismiss reluctant band members appears to apply to Culture Club members Roy Hay and Mikey Craig, who have worked with the singer on and off for more than 35 years following the departure of drummer Jon Moss in 2018.

Addressing the controversy on Instagram, Boy George defended his reliance on artificial intelligence during the writing process and rejected objections raised by fellow musicians.

"I'm not lazy. The truth is if I tried to write We Will Dance Again with any musician, they would have got in my way," Boy George stated. "They would have said: 'Ooh you can't say that, that's too controversial, you can't say this, you can't say that'. 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."

He further argued that using technology streamlined his creative process:

"I don't need gatekeepers, and one of the great things about AI is that it removes all the interference, all the human interference. You see every day on the internet people with opinions. First of all, I wrote that song, the lyrics are mine, the melody is mine. It's a bit like Elton John writing the music and Bernie Taupin writing the lyrics. That's what I do with Culture Club, that's what I do with all the people I work with. Because I don't play an instrument that doesn't make me lazy or make me uncreative. In fact, I think AI has made me more creative."

Track faces backlash over Gaza 

The single has faced sharp criticism for dismissing the genocide in Gaza, where 'Israeli' military forces have killed over 75,000 people in the Palestinian territory since 2023.

The track also takes direct aim at artists who have publicly voiced support for Palestine, featuring the lyrics: 'You condemn the Jews, with selective memory / Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep / Propaganda fuelled by the Internet feels so weak'.

Roy Hay and Mikey Craig have not issued public statements regarding the track or the singer's comments. Culture Club is scheduled to begin a UK arena tour in December alongside ABC and Haircut 100 under the promotional tagline 'Playing All The Songs You Want To Hear'.