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Ed Sheeran says that Band Aid did not ask for permission to re-use his vocals on a the new Band Aid 40 release.
Posting on Instagram, the Shape of You star said he would have “respectfully declined” any permission to use his vocals, citing a post by British-Ghanaian rapper Fuse ODG that criticized the Band Aid -Do They Know It’s Christmas project.
Sheeran had sung on Band Aid 30 alongside One Direction, Sam Smith, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. He wrote, “My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had i had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.”
“A decade on and my understanding of the narratives associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward looking one. Love to all x.”
The original Band Aid single was released in 1984 featuring artists led by Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure.
Meanwhile, in his post, Fuse ODG wrote, “10 years ago today, I said NO to Bob Geldof’s Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas project due to the fact it’s a campaign that dehumanizes African and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’.
“He has decided to release another version, which demonstrates how much he tsill has not learned from the points I made clear to him on the negative impact of his project on Africa and its diaspora. The white saviour complex is an incredibly dangerous thing which is now playing out on an individual and corporate level.”
“African problems should be solved by Africans. We welcome anyone genuinely trying to support the continent but it needs to be a spirit of collaboration not patronisation, solidarity not charity. In 2024, there is no way we’d stay quiet and allow other people to continue to tell our story. We know it’s Christmas.”
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