Was Lorde's discography removed from Apple Music in Israel?

Lorde's discography has disappeared from Apple Music in Israel after the singer yelled "free f**king Palestine" at a New York concert this week. Lorde was performing her hit song Team during a concert at Madison Square Garden on October 1, when the singer yelled, "free f***ing Palestine!"

The stage lighting switched to colors of red, green, white and black, which represent the Palestine Liberation Organization's flag. Lorde officially joined over 1,000 artists and labels in the No Music For Genocide Movement, as part of which she blocked her music from being streamed in Israel.

According to a statement by the organizers, the movement is in response to

"the genocide in Gaza; ethnic cleansing of the Occupied West Bank; apartheid within Israel; and political repression of the Pro-Palestine efforts wherever we live "

The campaign was officially launched in September, and includes major artists such as Massive Attack, Faye Webster, Arca, Rina Sawayama, Fontaines DC, Amine, Kelela, Japanese Breakfast, MIKE, King Krule, Amyl and the Sniffers, MJ Lenderman, Kneecap, MO, Erika De Casier, Mannequik Pussy, Liv.e, Wednesday and others.

More about Lorde's support for Palestine

Lorde's recent NYC concert is not the first time the singer has publicly voiced her support for Palestine. In 2023, the New-Zealand native shared a video of Palestinian-Canadian artist Nemahsis performing Team against visuals of a destroyed Gaza, and called it "incredibly moving."

In December, 2017, the singer cancelled her planned concert in Israel, following an online campaign by activists that opposed the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The singer while citing the reason for cancellation said an "overwhelming number of messages and letters" led to her decision.

Israel's culture minister, Miri Regev, called on the singer to reconsider her decision as she was denounced by pro-Israel supporters on social media. Regev in a statement said,

"Lorde, I expect you to be a pure heroine, like the title of your first album, a pure culture hero, free of any external, and if I may add, delusional, political considerations."

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Months after the singer cancelled her Tel Aviv concert, two New Zealand women were ordered to pay damages by an Israeli court for their role in the singer cancelling her concert in October, 2018.

An Israeli court ruled Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab of New Zealand to pay damages to Israeli teenagers Shoshana Steinbach, Ayelet Wertzel and Ahuva Frogel for writing a letter urging the singer to cancel her gig. The two women responded and said that they have no intention of paying the Israeli teenagers and instead launched a crowdfunding camapign to raise money for the Gaza Mental Health Foundation.

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