Beyonce and Taylor Swift called out as rising star makes 'brave' Gaza plea (2024)

Prominent music stars Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have been called out for lack of public statements over the crisis in Gaza.

As pressure mounts for a ceasefire from pro-Palestine protestors, fans are turning to their idols to apply pressure on governments to stop the war.

Eyes are on the two biggest artists on the planet after rising US star Reneé Rapp was praised for making a ‘brave’ speech calling for a ceasefire in Gaza while accepting her GLAAD Media Award.

The 24-year-old singer and actress won the award for Outstanding Music Artist at the LGBTQ+ celebration in Los Angeleson Thursday night.

She has shot to fame this year for her role as Regina George in Mean Girls 2024, while also touring her debut album Snow Angel worldwide.

Reneé began by sharing how she ‘loves her identity’ — she identifies as a lesbian and is dating Towa Bird — and declaring that everyone was exceptionally talented and ‘hot’.

‘Yes, the hottest people are gay, no one’s surprised,’ the Sex Lives of College Girls star joked before turning her attention to a more serious topic.

She said: ‘We’re in a room of very influential people, very privileged people, which is exciting and also is a huge privilege to be a part of that. Having said that, I’d like to take the opportunity to show support and call for an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.’

In Israel’s war in Gaza, 30,000 Palestinians dead and a quarter of the enclave’s 2.3 million population starving, according to UN reports.

Israeli protestors have been attempting to block aid trucks heading into Gaza, which carry essential food and medical supplies, until Hamas releases hostages.

Pro-Palestine marches calling for a ceasefire have been organised across the UK and globally but many celebrities have remained quiet on the matter for fear of backlash.

The crowd broke out into huge applause asReneé added: ‘Please continue to advocate for yourselves, continue to advocate for your friends, your queer friends and for those who can’t advocate for themselves.’

Making such a strong political statement so early in her career was praised by fans on X, who recognised that it was a risk for her budding career.

Chris said: ‘Keep rewatching this video because I love the way she explicitly called for a ceasefire instead of tiptoeing around the wording to not make people angry.’

‘So thankful for Renee for using her influence and visibility to spread awareness and fight for a ceasefire when she’s still beginning her career. i wish some people with already established careers were not too scared to take a stand and fight for a free Palestine,’ Ella shared.

Ali Golub wrote: ‘I’m not saying this as a diss at all but Renee has like three credits to her name. The fact that she is willing to use her platform like this while established A-listers won’t…very brave of her and very cowardly of all of them.’

The comparisons to larger pop stars who have remained quiet on the matter publicly showed growing disappointment from fanbases for their idols.

‘Bigger artists with careers infinitely more bulletproof than Rapp’s could’ve done this at any point without serious damage to their jobs but they haven’t because they’re cowards There are at least 3 that I can think of off the top of my head that could’ve done so much doing this,’ added user Maceahwindu.

‘Taylor Swift, Beyoncé are arguably two of the biggest artists in the world rn and they remind silent on this, while Renee Rapp, a much smaller artist and whose career can suffer a lot more, has the courage to speak up,’ wrote Beyonce stan account Miss Honey.

Both women generally avoid political statements, although Taylor does regularly encourage her followers to vote in US elections and has been vocal about her support for the Democrats.

Fans recently rallied around actress Melissa Barrera after she was dropped from the Scream franchise over her pro-Palestine comments.

They were shocked to see Neve Campbell announced to be returning to the series after pay disputes once Melissa had stepped away, prompting discussions of boycotting.

Mark Ruffalo and Jonathan Glazer were also praised for their recent vocal support for a ceasefire.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Taylor and Beyonce’s reps for comment.

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