Zara Larsson has told fans she will not perform at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after many urged her to reconsider the appearance over concerns about the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role in the ongoing Sudanese civil war.
The Swedish pop singer was set to perform alongside Lewis Capaldi on December 3 as part of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at Etihad Live on Yas Island.
In light of Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after making a Pro Palestine speech – which shone a light on the political impact musicians can have – hordes of fans encouraged her to cancel the date.
After one fan on social media asked her to “read about what UAE is doing to Sudan” and cancel the show, she responded simply: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Those comments were later deleted, but screenshots have since circulated. Larsson later elaborated on the decision, explaining that her choice wasn’t based solely on politics.
“I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government,” she wrote. “I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart.
“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.”
Zara Larsson addresses pulling out of her Abu Dhabi show:
“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.” pic.twitter.com/868IRN6yam
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 19, 2026
The situation in Sudan has been described by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with the watchdog noting last month that 13 million people have been displaced amid widespread atrocities, “including mass killings, sexual violence, child recruitment, attacks on hospitals and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure”.
The UAE has been accused of being involved in the ongoing war by funding Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group which has slaughtered thousands of civilians in the region.
The RSF has been accused of crimes against humanity. And, according to a Human Rights Watch report, fighters for the RSF are being trained by a security company based in Abu Dhabi. The UAE government denies the accusations of its involvement with the RSF.
At the time of writing, Ticketmaster still listed her alongside Capaldi for the December concert, while the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix’s Yasalam page also continued to advertise her as one of the weekend’s performers.
The broader concert line-up includes Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers and The Script, with performances scheduled throughout Grand Prix weekend.
Larsson also appeared to indicate that a more formal statement on the situation could be coming.
The pop singer is well known for weathering backlash for political causes, and told the Guardian that after she’d made a joke about abortion on TikTok, a brand had revoked a multimillion-dollar sponsorship offer. “I lost $3 million, which is the biggest brand deal I’d been offered in my life,” she said. “I was genuinely like, ‘OK, losers!’”
