Boy George Fires Label Manager: 'OK, We're Done'

Boy George pulled out of his run at London’s Palladium on July 31, three days before he was due to step onstage for the first time as King Herod in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The news didn’t come from him. His manager, Paul Kemsley, announced it in a post on Instagram.

The trigger was the song “We Will Dance Again,” released in late June. The singer himself confirmed it was made with the help of artificial intelligence. The lyrics reference Hamas’s attack on the Nova festival on October 7, 2023, reject describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, and call pro Palestinian supporters sheep. The track was pulled from streaming services after the first wave of backlash.

Kemsley’s post didn’t name the reason directly:

George has never been afraid to stand behind his personal beliefs, and I have always respected him for that. At the same time, I believe it’s my responsibility to make decisions that are in my artist’s best interest, while respecting others. In this case, I felt it was right to step back, so the show can stay in focus and everyone working on it can move forward with mutual respect and goodwill.

Herod in this production isn’t a single fixed role but a rotation of well known faces, so the show didn’t need to bring in an outside replacement. The performances Boy George was scheduled for were taken over by Richard Armitage, who extended his own run in the part.

Why did he part ways with his own record label?

Because the label wouldn’t put the song out. Tony Pontius had run Boy George Presents, the small label the singer uses for his own releases, for years, and he refused to back “We Will Dance Again.” The partnership ended the same day, and the singer described the split in a social media post:

In Buddhism we understand that every action carries a consequence. Because of my decision to stand by my Jewish friends, I’m losing several people from my life. Today I parted ways with Tony Pontius, who ran my label BGP for years. I wanted to release “We Will Dance Again,” but he was unequivocal and said “I want nothing to do with this song,” and I answered “ok, we’re done.” When someone has no backbone, it really doesn’t hurt to say goodbye. My faith in humanity won’t weaken and the truth always wins. I’m releasing it!

He then put the song up for sale on Bandcamp. That moved the story from a pulled release to a product people were being asked to pay for, which shifted the tone of the argument around it.

The diss track and the feud with Sean Dickson

Sean Dickson, former singer of the Scottish band Soup Dragons who now works as a DJ and producer under the name HiFi Sean, was among the first to publicly criticize the song. The back and forth dragged on for a week across social media. Dickson laid out his objection on X:

For the record, I never mentioned Gaza or Israeli policy in relation to @BoyGeorge. What I mentioned is that George supports a regime that withholds aid from AIDS charities and their patients. And as a gay, queer “supposed” icon, he should be ashamed. Let’s be clear, this wasn’t nearly as divisive as he’s making it out to be. But the fact that he blocked me on Instagram, then tore into me with accusations that aren’t true, shows just how far this person is willing to go. Genuinely sad. And pathetic.

The reply came on August 1, again in the form of an AI generated track, posted to Instagram. The lyrics are short and blunt: jealousy got you here, it isn’t hard to be bitter, look how well that’s working out for you, get your computer out and pretend you’re a DJ.

“So @BoyGeorge has now made an AI song dissing me and put it on Instagram,” Dickson wrote on X.

In the caption under that post, the singer linked Dickson to Karen Gerry, a musician who had worked with him in the past and is now among the song’s critics, and said he would pursue legal action against her.

Vienna in May, the Palladium in August

This is the second time in a few months that Boy George has stepped into a major production only to walk back out of it and into the headlines. In May, he took the stage in Vienna with Italian singer Senhit in the first Eurovision semi-final, performing “Superstar” for San Marino. That entry didn’t make the final, but it put him back in front of a large television audience.

The Palladium was meant to keep that momentum going, coming after his run on Broadway in “Moulin Rouge.” Instead, his summer turned into three separate breakups: with the show, with his record label, and with part of his own musical circle.

The production moves to the Drury Lane theatre in October, with a new cast list for who plays Herod. His name isn’t on it.