Musician defies Hollywood boycott, records new song and video in Israel

I’ve been an artist all my life. Music has always been my way of connecting with people, finding common ground even when words are short. But lately, it seems as if art itself is under siege. Anti-Semitism In America, it has become an untamed beast, and in Hollywood and the music industry, it is taking an ugly form: a boycott culture that directly targets Israel and the Jewish people. Instead of promoting creativity and dialogue, too many artists are cutting ties, canceling collaborations, and demonizing an entire nation. It sucks the oxygen out of the art.

And that’s exactly why I decided to do the opposite. I put my money where my mouth was – in the middle of a war – and poured my energy into a project that meant more to me than anything I’d done in years. My new single “On My Mind” is about Israel and the Jewish people. Not only did I write about it, I shot the music video there, with the ground itself serving as my stage, and I collaborated with two exceptional Israeli artists: rapper Shahar Sol and singer Maya Dadon.
Hollywood joins history’s shameful betrayals by blacklisting Jewish performers

Memorials at the site of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Ra’im, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Coby Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The background was not a studio or green screen. It was Israel – raw, real, beautiful, and alive.

For me, it wasn’t just about making music. It was about standing up. When so many voices in entertainment pile up against Israel, when it becomes fashionable to call for boycotts or spread half-truths and outright lies, I choose to support the only democracy in the Middle East, a place I love, and a people I love.

Now, before you rush out to scream “genocide” or spout another anti-Semitic rant, I have a simple challenge: go visit. See with your own eyes. Because this is the truth: nothing is homogeneous in Israel.

It is a country of amazing diversity. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Armenians, Ethiopians, Bedouins – they all live, work and socialize side by side. It is not one culture. It’s dozens. It is not one ideology. It’s endless disagreements, arguments, protests, and conversations—often louder and more chaotic than anything I’ve ever seen in America. That’s the beauty of it. Israel is anarchic because it is alive. It’s vibrant. It’s free.

James Maslow, the American actor, singer and former member of Big Time Rush, has been a vocal advocate for Israel amid the entertainment industry’s highly critical stance towards the country. (Adam Beecher/Getty Images)

I wish more people understood that Israel It is the only democracy in the region. The only place where women can walk without fear, where gay rights are protected, and where citizens vote, criticize their leaders, and fight to make their country better. The only place where the rule of law is more important than who carries the gun.

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As an artist, I cannot stand idly by while the cultural world abandons Israel and the Jewish people. Silence is complicity. And to me, music isn’t just entertainment – it’s a statement. That’s why “On My Mind” isn’t just a love song. It’s an advertisement. It’s me who says, “I see what’s happening, and I refuse to be part of the mob that demolishes instead of builds.”

I know I’m going to take the heat for this. I already have it. I’ve been told to “stay in my lane” and to stop mixing politics with music. But here’s the thing: art has always been political. Art has always been about telling the truth, even when it’s unpopular. From Bob Dylan to U2 to Kendrick Lamar, music has been a way to express an opinion. Why should loving Israel and the Jewish people and standing against anti-Semitism be any different?

High-rise buildings surround the beaches in Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday, August 6, 2023 (Getty Images)

What frightens me most about anti-Semitism today is how normalized it is. We’ve seen Jewish artists blacklisted, Harassment of Jewish students And the subversion of Jewish institutions – and too often, the cultural world ignores this. That’s why I won’t. That’s why I chose to stand in Israel, sing in Israel, and film in Israel.
Because the Jewish people and Israel are on my mind.

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I want my fans to understand that it’s not about politics. It’s about humanity. It’s about standing up for the people who are after you Holocaustwho built a homeland out of sand and stone, who turned the desert into innovation, who contribute more to art, science and medicine than countries ten times their size. It’s about seeing through the lies and realizing that Israel is not the villain, but a nation fighting for survival in a hostile region.

To artists who keep their distance, and who fear backlash if they collaborate with Israelis, I will say this: Art is supposed to break down barriers, not build them. It’s meant to heal, not divide. And if you allow anti-Semitism to dictate your art, you have already betrayed it.

People wave Israeli and American flags in Hostage Square during a march in support of hostages and missing families following the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Dana Rainey/Missing Hostages and Families Forum)

“In my mind” is my answer to that betrayal. It’s my way of saying I won’t be afraid. I will not be silent. I love Israel, I love The Jewish peopleI believe in the power of music to tell the truth.

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And to everyone who is still screaming “genocide” without ever setting foot in Israel, I will repeat the challenge: go and see it for yourself. Walking in the streets. Get to know people. Experience diversity, flexibility and democracy.

Do that, and maybe—just maybe—Israel will be on your mind, too.