British band Jamiroquai has announced it will perform in Israel for the first time. The band is scheduled to perform on May 2 in Rishon Lezion's Live Park, coinciding with the Lag B'Omer holiday, reported the Israel Hayom newspaper.
The band, led by Jay Kay, released its eighth studio album, "Automaton," a year ago, 25 years after releasing its first single, "When You Gonna Learn."
The band's international breakthrough came in 1996 with "Virtual Insanity," a single from its third album, "Traveling Without Moving."
Jamiroquai received much attention and critical acclaim around the world in the 1990s. The band won a Grammy Award in 1998 for "Virtual Insanity" and two MTV Music Awards for the song's music video.
Kay is known for his passion for racing cars and his colorful hats, most of which he makes himself.
The scheduled concert in Israel comes at a time when foreign artists regularly face pressure from anti-Israel activists to cancel their Israel shows.
Most recently, New Zealand pop star Lorde cancelled a June concert in Tel Aviv after pro-Palestinian Arab fans in her country criticized her. Israeli concert organizers announced the cancellation and said ticket sales would be refunded.
Lorde later justified her decision, claiming it was the right one and adding, “I pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and I had done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in Tel Aviv, but I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one. Tel Aviv, it’s been a dream of mine to visit this beautiful part of the world for many years, and I’m truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you. I hope one day we can all dance.”
Much of the pressure on artists who schedule concerts in Israel comes from former Pink Floyd frontman and notorious anti-Israel activist Roger Waters.
His list of targets includes Jon Bon Jovi, Alan Parsons, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Radiohead and actress Scarlett Johansson.
Most recently, Waters clashed with Australian rocker Nick Cave, who resisted boycott calls and went ahead with his Israel show and even criticized the BDS movement.
In addition to Cave, Radiohead played in Tel Aviv this past July, defying boycott calls. Popular rhythm and blues artist Alicia Keys and pop duo Pet Shop Boys are among the artists who have also performed in Israel in recent years, amid calls to cancel their show.
At the same time, several popular musicians, such as Elvis Costello and Lauryn Hill, have cancelled past concerts in Israel following pressure from BDS.