Bob Geldof rings Ed Sheeran to discuss Band Aid drama after backlash

Bob Geldof, co-founder of Band Aid, reportedly reached out to Ed Sheeran to discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding the project. The re-recorded song has faced growing criticism over the years, with some artists describing the initiative as dehumanising.

Bob Geldof, co-founder of Band Aid, reportedly called Ed Sheeran to discuss the Band Aid drama. This followed Band Aid's decision to reuse Ed Sheeran's vocals from the song, which had been re-recorded a decade earlier, without his permission.

Band Aid 40 is a version of the charity song Do They Know It's Christmas? The song has been recorded multiple times over the years, each time with different groups of artists, to raise money. The original version of the song was recorded in 1984 by a group of famous British and Irish musicians as part of the Band Aid charity project. This version raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

The first re-recording, Band Aid 20, was released in 2004 to raise funds for famine relief in Sudan. Ed Sheeran participated in Band Aid 30, released in 2014, which aimed to raise funds for the Ebola crisis in West Africa. He was joined by a lineup of renowned artists, including One Direction, Sam Smith, Bono, Ellie Goulding, and Chris Martin of Coldplay, among others.

Ed Sheeran has since stated that he did not approve the use of his vocals from Band Aid 30, which was recorded 10 years ago, for Band Aid 40 and that the group did not ask for his permission. He also mentioned that his perspective on the situation has since changed. Ed explained: "My approval wasn't sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.

"A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I'm hoping it's a forward-looking one. Love to all x."

The project has received criticism for allegedly promoting 'pity rather than partnership' and for reinforcing harmful stereotypes about Africa. But Bob told Lorraine Kelly on Lorraine that he was open to debating with Ed while also highlighting the positive impact the single has had in raising funds for victims of humanitarian crises still suffering from hunger.

When Lorraine asked if he found the criticism of Band Aid "irksome," Bob responded: "No, genuinely not. The necessary part of this is that opinions have changed over the years. Sentiment changes, sensibility changes, opinion changes over 40 years – and that's correct, you can't stay static. You've got to find different ways of combating these issues and different ways of talking about them and what we're celebrating here is – none of these arguments would get any oxygen if Band Aid didn't come out."

Bob added: “Ed says, 'This is what I feel now'. I've put in the call – he's a really lovely man, he's an intelligent guy, he's a major artist and we'll have a chat and either agree or disagree but we talk about it. The debate must be made and it means we can argue our point of view even more strongly – so that's where I'm at with this."

Do They Know It’s Christmas? has faced controversy over the years, with critics calling it a "white saviour" narrative. In 2014, singer Emeli Sandé expressed her disagreement with the latest reworking of the song and revealed that her suggested changes had been rejected in the final version.

Other celebrities, including Lily Allen and Damon Albarn, have also criticised the project in the past. Fuse ODG turned down an offer to participate in the 2014 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which featured Ed Sheeran. The rapper shared his decision on his Facebook page last week:

“Ten years ago today, I said NO to Bob Geldof's Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas project due to the fact it's a campaign that dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of 'charity'.”

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