Siti Nurhaliza Shocked And Concerned By Universal Music's Seemingly Pro-Israel Stance
The songstress clarified that she is not signed under Universal Music Group (UMG).
By Yap Wan Xiang — 17 Nov 2023, 11:27 AM
Malaysian pop queen Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza has been left shocked by music production company Universal Music Group (UMG)'s apparent pro-Israel stance
In an interview with mStar this week, Siti stated that she and UMG are "not on the same page" on the war between Israel and Palestine, as she has always been supportive of the Palestinians.
She explained that she is not an artiste signed under UMG, rather, the Malaysian arm of the company — Universal Music Malaysia — works with her as the distributor of her music, including her latest album, Sitism.
"I am shocked by what they said. However, I do not believe that Universal Music Malaysia shares a similar view," said Siti.
The revered songstress's statement comes after UMG issued a statement a month ago, condemning Hamas for their "terrorist acts"
"There are no words strong enough to adequately condemn the barbaric acts committed by Hamas terrorists in Israel last weekend.
"Tragically, we recognise that these terrorist acts will cause violence and hate to spiral, with the rise of both Israeli and Palestinian civilian casualties, and the anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry that will inevitably follow," read the statement published on 13 October.
The statement failed to address the decades-long atrocities committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians, and UMG did not release any statements calling for a ceasefire or acknowledging the war crimes being perpetrated by Israel.
Siti also revealed that she will be postponing her March 2024 concert, in line with Malaysia's ongoing solidarity with Palestine
"The planning of my concert will be halted for now, as the issue (the suffering of the Palestinians) is sensitive.
"However, I am planning to hold a ceremony to collect funds that will be channelled to Palestine," she told mStar.
