Zara Larsson Says No to Abu Dhabi After Fans Demand She “Read About What UAE Is Doing to Sudan”

Swedish pop star Zara Larsson declared that she is pulling out of her scheduled December 3rd performance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, saying that after much thought, skipping the show is the right decision for her because of reasons that transcend politics.

Larsson had been hired to perform at Etihad Live on Yas Island, during the Yasalam After Race Concerts program, during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. Larsson and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi were supposed to headline the first night concert on Thursday, December 3rd, with races to end on December 6th.

The decision was made following pressure from fans of the Swedish artist regarding the involvement of the United Arab Emirates in funding Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group blamed for ethnic cleansing and fueling a civil war, leading to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” one fan pleaded on Instagram.

” I will not be going to Abu Dhabi,” Larsson replied. Both comments were later deleted from Instagram.

In addition, the singer explained why she does not wish to perform in front of governments and not people.

“I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government. I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much,” Larsson explained.

“Maybe it came off as a impulsive response to a comment, but I have spent some time thinking about everything and decided that to not do the show aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics, as well as. Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”

The UAE denied any military support of the RSF. “In light of the recent statements of a fact-finding mission of the United Nations, the UAE strongly condemns the atrocities committed by the Sudanese armed forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UAE calls for an arms embargo to be imposed on the whole territory of Sudan and ending all external military support to the warring parties,” UAE officials said in the recent statement. Reports from the U.N., Human Rights Watch, and media outlets show that the country is supplying military hardware, sophisticated weaponry, and drones to the RSF, and Sudan has filed a lawsuit against the UAE alleging complicity in the genocide.

The conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s military started in April 2023. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, and millions left homeless as a result of the fight.

Zara Larsson’s declaration has received mixed feedback from her fans. While some supported her position regarding siding with civilians in Sudan, others pointed out the inconsistency of the position. Many online commentators noted that Larsson agreed to the event, while some people suggested that the withdrawal may mean that there is doubt regarding the safety of the race. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were canceled in April due to regional security concerns, but Formula One later confirmed that the 2026 season would conclude in Abu Dhabi.

As of Saturday, Ticketmaster continued to list Larsson and Capaldi for the performance, without any announcement of the cancellation being made from the promoters’ side.

It comes as part of a week when Larsson has made public statements on politics. Recently, the singer criticized the White House for using her song “Midnight Sun” in the immigration-enforcement video footage, and the White House later deleted the track from the video.