Kehlani Responds to Cornell University After Scrapped Performance: ‘I…

Kehlani is not backing down.

The singer is speaking out against Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, in the wake of the school canceling a performance at the campus.

The “After Hours” singer, who uses she/they pronouns, vehemently denied being antisemitic in a post to their Instagram account Sunday, just days after Cornell announced it was no longer going forward with a planned performance from Kehlani as part of the campus’ annual Slope Day.

“I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew,“ Kehlani says in the video. “I am anti-genocide. I am anti the actions of the Israeli government. I am anti the extermination of an entire people. I’m anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women. That’s what I’m anti.”

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The president of Cornell University, Michael I. Kotlikoff, said in a statement on April 23 that choosing Kehlani as the headliner for the concert had “injected division and discord into Slope Day.”

“For that reason, I am rescinding Kehlani’s invitation and expect a new lineup for a great 2025 Slope Day to be announced shortly,” he said. “In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media. While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it.”

Kehlani has been steadfast in their support for Palestine, going as far as waving Palestinian flags and incorporating keffiyehs into the music video for their song “Next 2 U.”

“If you want to cancel me from opportunity, stand on it being because of your zionism," Kehlani wrote in the caption to Sunday’s post. “don’t make it anti-jew. this a played out game. all this because we want people to stop dying.”

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