Luton pop star Myles Smith has spoken out about the controversy engulfing his friend and fellow singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, insisting that supporting Palestinian people does not mean he has to “betray someone” he knows to be a good person.
All support acts on Sheeran’s US tour have pulled out after rapper Macklemore was dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.
Smith, who grew up in Leagrave, is not one of the support acts, but has been closely connected with Sheeran for several years after initially being inspired to become a musician by the global superstar.
The pair’s friendship has developed from Smith being a teenage fan of Sheeran’s music to sharing stages, including at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, and Smith supporting his musical hero on tour.
Smith previously told how Sheeran’s album ‘+’ inspired him to get a loop pedal for his 13th birthday, while he later performed his song ‘My First Heartbreak’ for Sheeran, who became emotional and told him: “This song is incredible.”
Smith, who is now on his own world tour, also supported Sheeran in 2024.
But the relationship has been placed under an unusual spotlight following a row over Sheeran’s current US tour.
Rapper Macklemore made pro-Palestinian comments during performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including calling for a “Free Palestine”.
Pressure followed from the Israeli American Council, who launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour, and after that outcome was confirmed, Macklemore wrote a statement on Instagram, that the boycott had been organised by Robert Kraft – the billionaire owner of the Gilette Stadium in Massachusetts.
Sheeran, who performed at Kraft’s wedding, subsequently said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour’s promoter rather than himself. He said he had spent the week speaking to venues in an attempt to “build a bridge” and defended his decision not to use his own professional platform for political statements.
Smith’s lengthy statement on his social media accounts makes clear that his comments are not an attack on his friend.
“Ed is my friend. Not an industry friend. A real one,” the Lutonian wrote.
“And there is no pressure, no trend, no headline and no comment section that will make me turn on him or hang him out to dry.”
Smith said he would not discuss private conversations between the pair but added that he believed Sheeran had privately done more to help others than many people would know.
“The person being flattened into a symbol online is someone who, behind the curtain, has put more time, care and money into making the world better than most people will ever know,” he wrote.
However, Smith also made clear that his friendship with Sheeran would not prevent him from speaking about the suffering of Palestinians.
“Supporting Palestinian life, safety and freedom does not require me to betray someone I know to be a good human being,” he said.
“It requires me to keep the focus where it belongs: on the people suffering, and on the people with the power to stop it.”
Smith said his views had been shaped by his experiences growing up in Luton, describing the town as “a working-class, proudly multicultural, predominantly ethnic minority town where Islam and Muslim culture were part of the beauty and fabric of everyday life”.
He also referred to spending six months working in a home with Holocaust survivors and his experiences with the Jewish community.
“Neither of those experiences taught me to sit on the fence. They taught me to be human,” he wrote.
Smith said he believed the issue was more complicated than the arguments often presented online, writing: “This is not antisemitism. It is nuanced.”
He added: “This is not a rejection of Israeli people or Jewish communities. It is nuanced.
“And it is absolutely not a rejection of Palestinian pain.”
The Luton singer argued that people could recognise Jewish suffering while condemning the deaths and displacement of Palestinian civilians.
“You can mourn Jewish trauma and still condemn the bombing of Palestinian children,” he wrote.
“You can reject antisemitism and still reject occupation, collective punishment and the killing of civilians.”
Smith also rejected the idea that the focus should remain primarily on musicians involved in the dispute.
“If we have this much energy for artists, we should have more for the people with actual power: governments, leaders, diplomats, policy makers, arms suppliers, and anyone with the authority to stop bombs, protect civilians, release hostages, open humanitarian access, uphold international law and work towards peace.”
For Smith, however, the statement ultimately returns to his own identity and the values he says he took from growing up in Luton.
“I am a child of the Windrush generation. I am Black British. I am the son of a working-class town. I am from Luton, a place built by migration, faith, struggle, humour, music and survival,” he wrote.
“I am an artist, but I am also a human being before anything else.”
He finished by acknowledging the impact his decision to speak out could have on his own career.
“My career has been my dream since I was a little boy, and I know I’m still on my journey,” Smith wrote.
“But if it means risking parts of that dream to bring awareness, compassion and rationale to this subject, then so be it.”
Smith’s comments come just months after Luton celebrated his extraordinary rise from Leagrave schoolboy to global pop star, with thousands turning out for his hometown takeover ahead of the release of his debut album ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’.
The album went on to enter the UK albums chart at number two, while Smith has continued to maintain his close connection with the town where his musical journey began.
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