Russian DJ's Movement performance questioned due to Putin support
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
DJ Nina Kraviz. Photo: Pablo Gallardo/Redferns via Getty Images
A Russian DJ's past support of Vladimir Putin is putting pressure on organizers of the upcoming Movement electronic music festival to reconsider her spot in the event.
What's happening: Local Ukrainian-American groups sent a letter to DJ Nina Kraviz Tuesday asking her to renounce past statements supporting Putin. If she refuses, Movement and the city should re-evaluate welcoming her to the festival, the letter reads.
- Metro Detroit's Ukrainian-American community is about 50,000 people.
What they're saying: "You have spoken of the evils of racial injustice and the need to combat climate change, yet remain silent on the murder of thousands of Ukrainians carried out by your countrymen," the letter to Kraviz reads.
The latest: Kraviz posted a statement yesterday distancing herself from politics and disapproving of "what my country's relations with Ukraine have become."
- After the statement, the groups who sent the letter stood by their request to Movement due to Kraviz's "continued obfuscation."
- Morin Yousif, a spokesperson for Movement's management company, pointed to Kraviz's Instagram post when asked for comment on the Ukrainian-American groups' demands.
Between the lines: Kraviz is at the center of an emerging cultural boycott of Russian artists since the country's invasion of Ukraine, Time reports.
- Kraviz, among Russia's most famous pop musicians, has "shown some tacit support for Putin over the years," according to Time.
The other side: Kraviz's past social media posts linked to Putin have been misinterpreted, representative Rosalie De Meyer tells Axios in an email.
- "Hopefully you see that calling her a Putin-supporter is a big stretch and incorrect," De Meyer says. "Finally, as a journalist, I'm sure you understand the potential consequences for Russians in Russia for speaking up about the war."