The 'Smile' hitmaker criticizes the WMG owner Leonard Blavatnik for being hypocrite for jumping on the Black Lives Matter bandwagon while donating to Trump.
- June 4, 2020
AceShowbiz - Lily Allen has accused Warner Music Group (WMG) executives of hypocrisy over their support for the Blackout Tuesday campaign as its owner has donated money to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Warner labels and artists backed the music industry anti-racism initiative in response to protests and unrest following the death of an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week.
The British singer, who has long been signed to WMG's Parlophone label, claimed in a post on Instagram that she was "not a Warner's artist" but those signed to its labels should be challenging owner Leonard Blavatnik's ties to Trump, who has been heavily criticised for his response to the protests.
"I'm not a Warner's artist or employee, but if I was I'd be asking the owner if he's still donating millions to the Trump administration and the GOP (America's Republican Party)," the "Smile" hitmaker wrote in a text image, which she captioned, "The music industry is beyond exploitative. Black Lives Matter."
As of January 2019, Blavatnik had donated $6 million to Trump's Republican Party, according to U.S. Federal Election Commission data, and gave $1 million to the President's inauguration committee. However, on Wednesday, Warner Music Group and the Blavatnik Family Foundation announced a $100 million fund to "support charitable causes related to the music industry, social justice and campaigns against violence and racism."
Lily has had a rocky relationship with Parlophone and WMG executives in recent years, claiming they failed to promote her 2018 album "No Shame" as she had accused an executive of sexual assault in her memoir. She also alleged no action was taken over her allegations.
Questioned by fans as to whether her post meant she had left Parlophone, she responded, "It means whatever you want it to mean."
Representatives of the singer did not respond to requests for comment on whether she has left the label. Reports last year claimed Lily had been dropped by Parlophone due to poor sales, but she hit back citing the critical acclaim the Mercury Music Prize-nominated "No Shame" received.
