Global pop star Dua Lipa has cut ties with her longtime agent, David Levy, after he was found behind a smear campaign attempting to block the Irish rap group Kneecap from performing at Glastonbury Festival.
According to the Daily Mail, Levy was the first signatory on a leaked "private and confidential” letter sent to festival founder Michael Eavis, urging him to drop pro-Palestinian rap band Kneecap over alleged political ties. The letter, once exposed, prompted Dua Lipa to end her professional relationship with Levy, who has a Jewish background.
An industry insider told the paper that Dua "made sure David Levy was no longer producing her music,” stressing that the artist is outspokenly pro-Palestinian and could not tolerate an agent who aligned with such pressure tactics.
The Grammy-winning singer has long championed Palestinian rights. In May last year, she used her Instagram platform of 88 million followers to denounce the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and she has joined rallies condemning the U.K.’s complicity in the war.
Despite the letter, Kneecap performed at Glastonbury in July. Police briefly investigated complaints but later closed the case, citing a lack of evidence of any offence. The group described the probe as "political policing intimidation.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza, which has so far killed nearly 65,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The onslaught has displaced hundreds of thousands alongside a blockade on humanitarian aid that has claimed the lives of at least 442 Palestinians, including 147 children.
