By Images Staff

Copyright dawn

British pop star Dua Lipa and her talent agency have responded to reports that she fired her agent, David Levy, after he reportedly signed a secret letter calling for Kneecap to be removed from the Glastonbury line-up.

The Daily Mail reported this past weekend that the singer, who’s currently on her Radical Optimism world tour, parted ways with the William Morris Endeavour (WME) agent over the letter.

According to the outlet, a source said the singer “made sure through her people that David Levy wasn’t working on her music anymore,” adding that “she views him as being a supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza, and the terrible treatment of the Palestinians and that was made very clear through the letter that he signed and sent to Michael Eavis”.

On Tuesday, Lipa took to her Instagram stories to clarify that while she does not condone the actions of Levy or other executives trying to bar an artist from speaking their truth, she also “cannot ignore how this has been handled in the press”.

“Not only was the story completely false,“ she said, “but the language used by the Daily Mail was deliberately inflammatory, crafted purely for clickbait, clearly designed to fuel online division.”

The singer assured, “It is always Free Palestine, but exploiting a global tragedy in order to sell newspapers is something I find deeply troubling.”

A WME spokesperson also disputed the tabloid accounts. They told NME, “Reports suggesting that Dua Lipa or her management dismissed one of our agents because of his political views are categorically false.“

They added, “David Levy played a role in Dua’s early career (2016-2019) and, as is customary, is credited both internally and in industry journals as being a member of the team. When he moved out of London in 2019, he transitioned into an advisory role and has not been involved in Dua’s day-to-day business since. Levy fully removed himself from the project, among others, earlier this year.”

The letter in question was an email sent to Glastonbury organisers, including co-creator Eavis, ahead of this year’s festival. Intended to be confidential, it was leaked by a Glastonbury employee, according to the outlet.

The campaign to remove Kneecap, known for their vocal pro-Palestine views, from the line-up was ultimately unsuccessful, and DJ Toddla T was one of the letter’s biggest critics.

Lipa, meanwhile, has long been outspoken about Palestine. In 2021, she criticised an ad in the New York Times that labelled her as well as models Bella and Gigi Hadid antisemitic for expressing pro-Palestine views.

In October 2023, she was among celebrities who signed an open letter to then-US President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. She reaffirmed her stance in a Rolling Stone interview the following January.

Last May, she shared her support for the #AllEyesOnRafah campaign. She wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilising to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza. #AllEyesOnRafah.”

A month later, she told Radio Times she was “willing” to “be met with a backlash” over her comments, describing them as being “for the greater good”.

She was also one of over 300 figures to sign Choose Love’s open letter urging UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to end the kingdom’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza.