Calling

Dua Lipa and her talent agency have responded to reports that she sacked her agent after he reportedly signed a letter calling for Kneecap to be removed from the Glastonbury line-up.

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The Daily Mail reported this weekend that the singer, currently on the North American leg of her ‘Radical Optimism’ world tour, parted ways with her William Morris Endeavour (WME) agent David Levy.

A source alleged that the singer “made sure through her people that David Levy wasn’t working on her music anymore,” adding that “she views him as being a supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza, and the terrible treatment of the Palestinians and that was made very clear through the letter that he signed and sent to Michael Eavis.”

Now, Dua Lipa has taken to Instagram to distance herself from Levy but clarify the reports.

“I do not condone the actions of David Levy or other music executives toward an artist speaking their truth,” said Lipa. “I also cannot ignore how this has been handled in the press. Not only was the story completely false, but the language used by the Daily Mail has been deliberately inflammatory, crafted purely for clickbait, clearly designed to fuel online division.

“It is always Free Palestine but exploiting a global tragedy in order to sell newspapers is something I find deeply troubling.”

A WME spokesperson has also disputed the tabloid accounts. They told NME: “Reports suggesting that Dua Lipa or her management dismissed one of our agents because of his political views are categorically false.

They added: “David Levy played a role in Dua’s early career (2016-2019) and as is customary, is credited both internally and in industry journals as being a member of the team. When he moved out of London in 2019, he transitioned into an advisory role and has not been involved in Dua’s day-to-day business since. Levy fully removed himself from the project among others earlier this year.”

The letter in question was an email sent to Glastonbury organisers, including co-creator Eavis, ahead of this year’s festival. Intended to be confidential, it was leaked by a Glastonbury employee.

The campaign to remove Kneecap, known for their vocal pro-Palestine views, from the line-up, was ultimately unsuccessful, and DJ Toddla T was one of the letter’s biggest critics, writing on Instagram that it “was headed by a very systemically powerful music agent and signed by 30 individuals from within the music industry.”

Lipa, meanwhile, has long been outspoken about Palestine. In 2021, she criticised an ad in the New York Times that labelled her, as well as models Bella and Gigi Hadid – both half-Palestinian – as Antisemitic.

In October 2023, she was one of a number of celebrities to sign a letter to then-US President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and she reaffirmed her stance in an interview the following January.

Last May, she shared her support for the #AllEyesOnRafah campaign in a bid to garner support for people living in cramped refugee camps in the city without humanitarian aid. She wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilising to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza. #AllEyesOnRafah.”

A month later, she said she was “willing” to “be met with a backlash” over her comments, describing them as being “for the greater good”.

She’s also pressured Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take action, being one of over 300 figures to sign Choose Love’s open letter urging him to “end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza. Following his response, the non-governmental organisation hit back, saying, “We need actions not words for the children of Gaza.”