The 30-year-old singer was interviewed by Variety about her views on the Israel-Palestine issue just before the awards show on Monday night, where she reaffirmed her support for a Palestinian state.
She commented, “It shouldn’t be a big deal or something I get a lot of attention for, it shouldn’t be something I’m praised for,” explained the ‘After Hours’ artist.
“If there are people being killed and harmed at large scales, it should be instinctive—it should be as obvious as breathing to say, ‘Hey, I don’t think this should be happening, maybe we should put a stop to it,'” she added, also criticizing the United States’ backing of Israel.
‘And we’re funding it so we should stop,’ Kehlani said, looking directly at the camera.
At that point, the interviewer asked whether other celebrities ‘should be speaking out on the issue.’
‘Yeah, I said it a bunch,’ she said.
‘I definitely think we have more power than we think and everything’s stronger in numbers, and I think that that’s something that hopefully people will understand at some point.
Controversial R&B singer Kehlani made anti-Israel comments on the red carpet for the American Music Awards
‘But all I can say is “Free Palestine,”‘ she concluded.
The singer has previously faced backlash for her support amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with some claiming she has espoused antisemitic views.
Her music video ‘Next 2 U’ opens with the phrase ‘long live the intifada’ and features dancers waving Palestinian flags.
Intifada, an Arabic word for ‘uprising’ or ‘resistance,’ is seen by some as a call for violence against Jews.
In the aftermath, Kehlani’s invitation to perform at Cornell University was rescinded, with the Ivy League school saying her appearance ‘injected division and discord’ into its annual Slope Day celebration.
‘In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media,’ President Michael Kotlikoff said in a letter.
‘While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it.’
Mayor Eric Adams canceled a scheduled performance by Kehlani in Central Park as she faces backlash over perceived anti-Israel comments she made
SummerStage said in a statement that Adams’ office was concerned about security demands
The singer had also been set to headline a June 26 concert billed as ‘Pride with Kehlani’ at Central Park for its annual SummerStage – a slate of free concerts at parks across the city.
But earlier this month, organizers announced that the concert would no longer go ahead – citing concerns from the mayor’s office.
‘We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds,’ the organization wrote in the announcement posted on Instagram.
‘However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled.’
Kehlani responded on Instagram Stories by sharing the announcement, along with the phrase ‘lol.’
Her post also included a selfie in which the musician wrote: ‘I just found that one out on Instagram by the way.
‘I’m so deeply grounded in my purpose, my mission, my art, my contribution. Back to this album. See you this weekend LA!’
The singer has previously faced backlash for her support amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with some claiming she has espoused antisemitic views
PEN America, a group that advocates for artists’ freedom of expression, meanwhile, called the cancellation ‘cowardly.’
It noted the decision came as US Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing the Bronx, slammed Kehlani’s appearance, saying the city has ‘no business subsidizing or sanitizing antisemitism at taxpayer expense’ in a post on X.
‘It is deeply unsettling to see elected officials using their offices to dictate the bounds of acceptable expression and muscling private entities to fall into line,’ PEN America said in a statement.
‘No one wins when politicians meddle to suppress artistic expression.’
But Adams spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus said the administration was ‘grateful’ for the City Parks Foundation, the nonprofit that organizes SummerStage, for responding to its concerns.
‘We look forward to an exciting lineup of other performances this summer,’ she wrote in an email.
