Singer Dua Lipa is expected to have a busy and creative year, including promoting her new album, which has been topping the charts around the world. However, while other artists try to avoid discussions about politics or from taking an unequivocal position during their promotional campaigns, the Armenian singer decided to face the challenge and broke her silence regarding the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in a celebratory cover story for Rolling Stone magazine.
"There must be a humanitarian cease-fire," she said in the interview published Tuesday, in which she also addressed the situation in Israel for the first time.
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"My feelings on displaced people [are] very real and raw, and it is a difficult subject to speak about because it’s so divisive," she said of the millions of Gazans. The 28-year-old singer recently also signed a petition calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
"There is a world where you can grieve all the human lives that have been lost. I have to say this - there is no forgiveness for the actions of Hamas … All human lives are precious."
She also said during the interview with the magazine that she believes in the importance of people learning about the conflict, especially at times when misinformation is being spread around the web.
"I feel so bad for every Israeli life lost and what happened on Oct. 7," she said. But, added the singer, who is known for her criticism of Israel over the years, "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."
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Dua Lipa has called for a cease-fire in Gaza and condemns the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre
(Photo: AP)
Like many other public figures in her position, Lipa admitted that she feels powerless about the crisis and the ongoing fighting. Her solution, she says, is to use her voice and power to encourage her fans to act like her. "It seems easier not to take any political position," she said. "Avoidance of deep discussions when it comes to war and oppression is something we've seen happen time and time again in history. I I feel like just being a musician and posting about something doesn’t make enough of a difference, but hopefully, just showing solidarity, which is sometimes all you feel like you can do, is important."
Throughout the pop singer's career, she was known for her harsh criticism of the State of Israel and its conduct in the West Bank. However, in 2021, Lipa collaborated with the pair of Israeli directors Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia in the music video for the song "We're Good."