Culture Club frontman Boy George has found himself at the center of growing public criticism after releasing a controversial new track expressing support for Israel and questioning accusations of genocide in Gaza. The singer posted the reggae-style song, titled “Od Nirkod (We Will Dance Again),” directly to his X (formerly Twitter) account accompanied simply by the caption “Shalom.”
The title of the song directly mirrors a 2024 documentary about the October 7 Hamas attack on the Supernova Sukkot Gathering music festival, an assault that resulted in 378 deaths and sparked Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza. Rather than avoiding the political debate surrounding the war, the musician confronts the allegations against Israel in the opening lyrics of the track, singing: “You say genocide / I say war / When you’re attacked / That’s what the army is for / Does it get ugly? / You bet it does / When I know you want to kill / Every last one of us …”
The song’s lyrics quickly sparked pushback online, particularly as human rights organizations and international bodies continue to document the humanitarian toll of the conflict. Groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations have repeatedly raised alarms regarding the situation. A recent UN report concluded that “Israel had committed genocide against the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip, found that the intense scale and systematic nature of the Israeli military operations have continued, resulting in unprecedented death, injury and trauma of Palestinian children.”
Critics flooded the comments section on social media, accusing the singer of taking a self-centered approach to a devastating humanitarian crisis and denying widespread destruction. Some users also brought up the pop icon’s legal troubles, citing his 2007 conviction in which he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for falsely imprisoning a male escort, handcuffing him to a wall, and beating him with a metal chain. Further friction emerged after Boy George seemingly confirmed that he used artificial intelligence to produce the track, leading to added criticism from listeners and fans.
Defending the project on social media, the musician pushed back against the label that the release was inflammatory. Replying to critics online, the singer asserted, “I call it ‘pro-peace!”
The release aligns with Boy George’s past public statements regarding Israel. He has consistently resisted calls from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to avoid performing in Tel Aviv. During a Eurovision event in London earlier this year, the musician addressed criticisms surrounding his ongoing support, saying, “I have many, many Jewish friends that I’ve had since I was 15 or 16 years old. Are people asking me as a principled human being to turn my back on my Jewish friends? It’s not going to happen, it’s never going to happen.”
Photo courtesy of social media
