Overview

• Banks announced on X that promoters at Boomtown and Maiden Voyage pressured her for weeks to endorse Palestine or face removal from the lineup
• Boomtown confirmed her withdrawal and issued a statement insisting it never dictates performers’ personal views
• Maiden Voyage also confirmed Banks’ exit and said it will name a replacement artist shortly
• Earlier this month Banks declared her support for Israel on social media, including a post reading “F*** Palestine”
• The dispute has shone a spotlight on tensions between artists and festival organizers over political activism and artistic freedom