Dua Lipa has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged for world leaders to “take a stand” in a new interview.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has continued into the new year, with over 24,000 people now having died on both sides, 23,469 of them Palestinian and 1,200 Israeli.
Last year, Lipa joined the likes of Michael Stipe and Cate Blanchett in signing an open letter to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire and “an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of hostages”.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about her upcoming new album, Lipa reaffirmed her stance on the conflict, saying: “My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” she said. “I feel for people who have to leave their home. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war does, no one really wants to leave their home. They do it for protection, to save their family, to look after the people around them, that kind of thing, for a better life. So I feel close to it.”
Lipa added: “My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive.
“I feel so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on Oct. 7. At the moment, what we have to look at is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, and the innocent civilians, and the lives that are just being lost. There are just not enough world leaders that are taking a stand and speaking up about the humanitarian crisis that’s happening, the humanitarian cease-fire that has to happen.”
Elsewhere in the cover interview, Lipa shared that her upcoming album is “psychedelic-pop-infused” and was inspired by the likes of Primal Scream and Massive Attack.
“This record feels a bit more raw. I want to capture the essence of youth and freedom and having fun and just letting things happen, whether it’s good or bad. You can’t change it. You just have to roll with the punches of whatever’s happening in your life,” Lipa told the publication.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lipa spoke about meeting Tame Impala‘s Kevin Parker back in July 2022. “I was so nervous because I’m just such a fan of Kevin’s,” she said, adding that Parker was “quite shy in the beginning”.