Singer Dua Lipa denies singing at World Cup in Qatar
The FIFA Men’s World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar on Sunday is not going to feature Dua Lipa, according to rumours.
The singer said she will “look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made” when it became host.
FQatar has been under criticism for its attitude on same-sex couples, human rights record, and treatment of migrant labour.
In addition, Robbie Williams and Jung Kook of BTS are scheduled to perform.
Songs from Dua Lipa like “New Rules,” “One Kiss,” and “Cold Heart” have reached the top of the charts.
On Sunday, Lipa published an Instagram story that read: “There is a lot of talk right now that I will perform at the World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar.”
“I won’t be performing, and I’ve never agreed to anything through bargaining, I’ll be rooting for England from a distance… Dua, one love,” she further wrote.
Lipa, a Kosovar-Albanian who was born in London, is hardly the first well-known artist to make a point of not performing in Qatar.
Sir Rod Stewart has disclosed that he declined the chance.
“In fact, over $1 million was given to me to perform there 15 months ago. I declined it. Going is not right,” To the Sunday Times, he spoke.
He continued, “And the Iranians [football team] should be out [of the World Cup] too for supplying arms,” alluding to Iran’s allegedly denial of providing explosive drones to Russia.
Following its invasion of Ukraine, Russia was barred from all competitions by FIFA and Uefa in February.
However, other musical acts, including the US pop/rap group Black Eyed Peas and the Colombian singer J Balvin, are also scheduled to appear at tournament-related events in Qatar.
Meanwhile, comedian Joe Lycett has given ambassador for the Qatar World Cup David Beckham a deadline.
If Beckham cancels his rumoured multimillion-pound deal with Qatar, Lycett has promised to donate £10,000 of his own money to charity.
In Qatar, homosexuality is prohibited, and same-sex relationships are punishable by the death penalty.
In response to Qatar’s criminalization of same-sex relationships, Beckham has been urged to speak out.
A source close to the celebrity told the following to the BBC last year: “Naturally, David wanted to make sure he was aware of the information and any worries he might have for his LGBT friends, football followers, and admirers.”
He believes that commitment is sincere and has seen evidence of the World Cup organisers’ proactive engagement with the international LBGTQ community, even though some of the laws and beliefs in the region are different from his own. However, the Qataris have always said that everyone will be safe and welcome at the World Cup in 2022.
Khalid Salman, the ambassador for Qatar at the World Cup, made headlines last week after it came to light that he had called homosexuality “harm in the psyche.”
The former Qatari international’s remarks were deemed “harmful and unacceptable” by Human Rights Watch.
Singer Dua Lipa denies singing at World Cup in Qatar
“The failure of the Qatari government to counter this false information has a significant impact on the lives of LGBT residents of Qatar, ranging from fueling discrimination and violence against them to justifying subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion practises,” said Rasha Younes, senior researcher on LGBT rights at Human Rights Watch.
