Rapper Azaelia Banks announces move to Tel Aviv days before planned show

Controversial American rapper Azealia Banks announced on Tuesday that she has moved to Tel Aviv, days before her scheduled October 8 show. Banks cited creative camaraderie and Israel's mature arts scene as reasons, and shared political commentary supporting Naftali Bennett and Itamar Ben Gvir. The article traces her shifting stance on Israel over the years.

Controversial American rapper Azealia Banks announced on Tuesday that she has moved to Tel Aviv, days before her scheduled October 8 performance at the Tel Aviv Amphitheater. In a post on X/Twitter, Banks shared a picture of her new apartment and said she would have called anyone crazy who predicted she would end up moving to Tel Aviv and liking it. She explained that she has been working on new music since arriving and has found camaraderie in the local art scene, calling it the most creatively enabled she has felt in years. Banks also shared political commentary on X, expressing support for Naftali Bennett while saying his coalition with Yair Lapid makes zero sense, and repeatedly praising Itamar Ben Gvir as right about everything. The article traces Banks's erratic relationship with Israel over the years: she stood up to BDS in 2018, temporarily vowed never to return after that trip, re-emerged as a Zionist supporter in mid-2025, headlined an October 7 anniversary show, abruptly turned on Israel in March 2026 with profane posts, and has now booked her third performance in Israel.