Dua Lipa, Shakira, Rod Stewart: these artists who refuse to perform for the World Cup in Qatar
Artists
Yesterday, the British singer Rod Stewart announced that he would refuse to perform at the World Cup in Qatar, because of the humanitarian questions and the controversies raised by its implementation in the country. A few days ago, pop star Dua Lipa also announced her refusal to sing there. Who are these artists who rejected Qatar’s millions and boycotted the Cup?
The 22nd edition of the World Cup will begin on Sunday 20 November with a grand opening ceremony in Qatar. Despite the sums offered by the organizers to artists who would agree to perform for the event, some singers refused to participate, for moral reasons that they have expressed in recent days.
“I was offered a lot of money”
British singer Rod Stewart has explained that, despite attractive monetary offers from organizers, he will not be offering his voice at the World Cup this year. He soberly justified himself to the British media The times, to whom he granted an interview “it didn’t seem fair”. He detailed that the proposal from the Cup organizers dated from “fifteen months ago”, but that from the start he knew it “was not a good thing to do”.
And for good reason, in recent weeks, the controversy surrounding the holding of the World Cup in this country has only swelled. Between revelations about workers who died on the stadium sites, the fact of having entrusted this tournament to a country under an absolute monarchy, or even the ecological impact that the holding of the event will have… many are those who have made the choice to boycott the games this year.
Dua Lipa Opens Up About Her Boycott
For the British singer, the choice to boycott the event is also based on the overall situation in the country. Thus, she explained on her Instagram account, that she could not, in good conscience, support an event that is held in a country such as Qatar. “I look forward to visiting Qatar when they fulfill all the human rights promises they made when they won the right to host the World Cup.”
The pop star also forgot that the question of a performance from him for the Cup had not even arisen “I’m not going to do it and I’ve never been in negotiations for it”.
The question of Qatari laws may have held back some artists and could pose a problem for supporters during their visit. Thus, the CNIL (National Commission for Computing and Liberties) recommended a few days ago to take care to empty your phone when going to Qatar, or even at best, to go there with a disposable device to prevent data theft.
No Waka-waka
Singer Shakira, whose anthem for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, “Waka-waka” has become one of the most famous of the event, refused to participate in the event. She gave Gala UK magazine an explanation that touches on the field of ecology, Qatar’s big black spot.
“I don’t think anyone has the luxury of saying ‘Oh no, I’m not going to participate in this cause’ she argued during her interview for the British media.
The Artists Who Will Perform In Qatar
Despite these successive boycotts, artists will be present to sing and support the teams.
Francophone artists will also participate. This is the case of the internationally renowned DJ David Guetta or Maitre Gims, who produced one of the anthems for this Cup: “Arhbo”.
Singers from all over the world will perform in huge Qatari stadiums, such as Enrique Iglesias, Black Eyed Peas, Post Malone, Robbie Williams, Maroon 5, or Major Lazer.