Wireless Festival organizers have opened up about the "lesson" learned after they were forced to cancel this year's event due to Kanye West's UK ban.
Earlier this year, Ye was announced as headliner of a planned three-night run at the UK festival, which was promptly cancelled after he was denied entry into the country due to his history of antisemitism, although the rapper-producer apologized in a full-page WSJ ad in January.
In a statement about the cancellation of his string of Wireless performances, the 24-time Grammy winner said he wanted to "present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love."
"I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen. I know words aren’t enough — I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here," Ye continued.
The condemnation of Ye headlining the festival included major brands like Pepsi, Diageo and Rockstar Energy pulling sponsorships, and in a recent interview with NME, Reading & Leeds managing director Melvin Benn said he's accepted having to axe this year's Wireless.
"Timing, I think, is an important lesson," Benn told the outlet. "I would hope that other people learn the lesson of forgiveness, because forgiveness is an important part of being a decent human being, in my view. So I do think that is a lesson, but that's not my lesson."
"I think timing is an important one, but Wireless will return. We’re very confident about that," he continued.
Since April, Kanye West has performed internationally, beginning with two dates in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where he was joined by his daughter, North West, Lauryn Hill, Travis Scott and more. The tour continues on July 30 in Madrid, Spain, with additional dates before concluding September with two nights in Chicago.
