Portuguese-British-Angolan singer DDB has issued a statement condemning Israel’s theft of her likeness for an AI ‘slopaganda‘ video.
The video, which tries to deny that the colony is a colony, was posted by the official @israel X account with a comment that Israel had ‘gone home’. But clips remain online:
“I oppose genocide”
In her statement, the singer – real name Diana de Brito – expressed her dismay at the theft and said that she stands against Israel’s slaughter of innocents. She also attributed a performance in Israel during the early part of her career to her then-ignorance about what the colony really stood for and that she would not have agreed to go if she had known then what she now knows:
I want to address something that has been circulating online involving my image and likeness.
It has come to my attention that Al-generated visuaIs resembling me have been used in a video shared by the official Israeli government account.
I want to make it absolutely clear that I did not authorise, approve, participate in, or consent to my image or likeness being used in this video. I have no involvement in its creation or its message.
I have always approached my music and my art from a place of love, freedom, humanity and connection. I do not support genocide, the killing of innocent people, or the suffering of women, children and families. My heart is with every innocent person experiencing loss, displacement and violence, especially the Palestinian people who have endured unimaginable suffering.
I also want to acknowledge that I performed in Israel in the past. That performance was arranged through my former management at a time when I did not have the awareness or understanding of the situation that I have today. I was a young artist grateful for the opportunity to travel, perform and experience a part of the world I had never imagined I would see.
Had I understood then what I understand now, I would have made a different decision. That performance should not be taken as an endorsement of any government’s actions, past or present. My identity, my artistry and my image are not available to be used without my consent to promote political messaging.
I am deeply concerned by the use of Al to create the appearance of an artist’s involvement in something they never agreed to. I am taking advice and exploring the appropriate steps to protect my image, my work and my rights. I stand for humanity. I stand against the killing and suffering of innocent people. And I stand for every artist’s right to decide what their name, face and work are associated with.
My image is mine. My voice is mine. My values are mine. FREE PALESTINE.
Commenters have pointed out the massive difference between de Brito’s handling of the situation and the appalling spinelessness of singer Ed Sheeran. The Israel lobby is, predictably, in meltdown – and her social media post is being swarmed by apparent bots trying to undermine her statement.