Kneepcap. Photo: Raph PH. Wikimedia. CC BY 2.0.
I’ll be honest, last week when I heard the Welsh singer Charlotte Church excoriate Ed Sheeran for being a coward and a hypocrite, I had no idea who she was. I do now. I spent a few hours listening to Church’s music and reading about her career. Church is no latecomer to the Palestinian cause. She has been an advocate for Palestinian rights for many years and has spoken out consistently against the Apartheid State well before the Israeli genocide in Gaza. And Church is far from the only one. In fact, hundreds of musicians, bands and record labels have publicly opposed Israel’s genocidal rampages in Gaza, its ethnic cleansing operations in the West Bank and ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. I started compiling a list of musical artists who’ve spoken up for Palestinians, at risk of being blackballed by their own industry. It’s an impressive diversity of artists and musical styles. And it’s surely incomplete. If you know of bands who’ve taken similar stands against genocide and for Palestinians rights, let me know. –JSC
A-C
A Tribe Called Quest
Aaron Rowe
Albert Dalton
Amyl and the Sniffers
Ana Tijoux
Annie Lennox
Ashnikko
Aurora
Avishai Cohen
Bastille
BB No Money
Beabaddppbee
Belly
Ben Howard
Beoga
Bert McCracken
Billie Eilish
Billy Bragg
Billy Woods
Björk
Blondie
Blood Orange
Bob Vylan
Brian Ennals
Brian Eno
Brother Ali
By Storm (fka Injury Reserve)
Cameron Winter
Cardi B.
Caribou
Caroline Chung
Caroline Polachek
Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)
Cavetown
Chance the Rapper
Chanel Beads
Chappelle Roan
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Day Wilson
Chelsea Wolfe
Clairo
Coldplay
Corbin
CupcakKe
Bob Vylan. Photo: Stefan Bollmann. Wikimedia.
D-F
Damon Albarn
Dargen D’Amico
Dave Matthews
David Rovics
Denzel Curry
Destroy Boys
DJ Snake
Dua Lipa
Earl Sweatshirt
Eartheater
Eddie Mack
Eliza McLamb
ELUCID
Elvis Costello
Elyanna
Enter Shikari
Eric Clapton
Erika de Casier
Escho
Esha Tewari
Ethel Cain
Fontaines DC
Eve 6
FAMM
Fat Tony
Faye Webster
Fever Ray
Finneas O’Connell
Flavien Berger
Frank Ocean
Dave Matthews in Atlanta. (Screen capture from video posted to YouTube.)
G-I
Garbage
Geese
Genesis Owusu
Ghais Guevara
Gia Margaret
Gorillaz
Green Day
Grizzly Bear
Hailey Williams
Halsey
Hania Rani
Hesham Jarmakani
Hot Chip
Hyperdub
Immortal Technique
Hayley Williams of Paramore performing live on the Honda Civic Tour. Photo: Riot!4ever. Wikimedia. CC BY 3.0
J-L
Jae Park
Jane Remover
Janelle Monáe
Japanese Breakfast
Jensen McRae
John Legend
JP Saxe
Julia Jacklin
Kehlani
Kelela
Kelsey Lu
Kiana Ledé
Kid Cudi
Kiki Rockwell
Kimya Dawson
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
King Krule
Kneecap
Kool A.D.
L’Rain
Lambrini Girls
Lauren Jauregui
Lauryn Hill
Le Trio Joubran
Leaving Records
Lil Peep
Liv.e
Loathe
Lorde
Lowkey
Lucy Dacus
Lukas Graham
Luna Li
Lupe Fiasco
Kehlani at a protest in solidarity with Palestine, October 2023. Photo: Wisenerd. CC BY-SA 4.0
M-O
M.I.A.
Mach-Hommy
Macklemore
Mannequin Pussy
Marc Rebillet
Marina
Maryam Saleh
Massive Attack
Maurice Louca
MC Abdul
Mechatok
Mei Semones
Melanie Martinez
Method Man
MIKE
Minaret Records
Mitski
MJ Lenderman
Mndsgn
MØ
Mohammed Najem
MUNA
Mustafa the Poet
N.A.A.F.I.
Nadah El Shazly
Nala Sinephro
NAO
Narcy
Navy Blue
NEEMZ
Nemahsis
Newsha Khalaj
Nick Hakim
Nick León
Nilüfer Yanya
No Name
Nourished by Time
NTS
Obongjayar
Of Monsters and Men
Of Montreal
Oklou
Omer Avital
Or Baraket
Orbital
Robert Del Naja for Massive Attack at an anti-genocide protest in London. (Screen capture from video posted to YouTube.)
P-R
Paloma Faith
PAN
Paramore
Paul Weller
Pearl Jam
Peter Gabriel
Phoebe Bridgers
Pinegrove
Pinkshift
Primal Scream
Rage Against the Machine
Redveil
Reem Kelani
Rejjie Snow
Rina Sawayama
Robyn
Roger Waters
Ruptured Records
Roger Waters with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. Photo: Republic of Colombia.
S-U
Sandy Chamoun
Sasami
Saul Williams
Show Me the Body
Sigur Rós
Simsara Records
Sir Chloe
Skee Mask
Skrillex
Slow Pulp
Smerz
Soccer Mommy
Sophie Hunter
Strange Boy
Sudan Archives
System of a Down
Talib Kweli
Tamer Abu Ghazaleh
Teedra Moses
The Blessed Madonna
Blonde Redhead
The Estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Japanese House
The Knife
The Weeknd
The Welfare Poets
Thievery Corporation
TOKiMONSTA
Topshelf Records
TraTraTrax
Unsound Foundation
Sudan Archives. Photo: Elise Malterre. Wikimedia. CC BY 2.0
V-Z
Viagra Boys
Vic Mensa
Victoria Monét
Wanees Zaroun and East Loop
Wednesday
Wegz
Wet Leg
Wolf Alice
Yasmine Hamdan
Yassin Bey
Yeule
Young Fathers
Zara Larsson
