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Norman Wong
Nemahsis
Concerts
Nemahsis Plays Her Cover of Lorde's 'Team' for the First Time at Macklemore’s Free Palestine Concert
The Palestinian-Canadian artist performed a four-song set on Oct. 30 at London's Wembley Arena and said "my existence [is] the strongest form of resistance."
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Nemahsis brought music and activism across the pond to Macklemore’s Free Palestine benefit show at Wembley Arena in London.
The Palestinian-Canadian artist took the stage at the U.S. rapper’s final show of his three-city European tour, raising money for organizations supporting Palestine.
The Toronto artist performed a four-song set, which kicked off with her rendition of Lorde’s 2013 hit “Team.” It’s been over three years since the cover went viral on social media, after Nemahsis shared that she was dropped from her record label over her Free Palestine comments. Last year, she released an official video version of the track, to much acclaim.
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“They said it wouldn’t be televised…,” the singer-songwriter wrote on social media, sharing a clip of her performance. Nemahsis thanked Macklemore and Lorde “for letting me borrow ur song sometimes.”
It marks the first time that the Canadian act has performed the song live since her initial 2023 cover. “i was waiting for the perfect moment and this was it, for me,” she wrote.
Macklemore commented on the post, writing: “MAGIC 🪄… divine. Thank you so much ❤️✨.”
In addition to her “Team” cover, Nemahsis performed three more tracks, including “You Wore It Better,” “Stick of Gum” and “Miss Construed,” which she dedicated to Macklemore for being what she calls “misconstrued.”
Before performing the song, she gave the audience context about her experience as a Palestinian artist, adding that her label dropped her in October 2023 “for being Palestinian,” which drew boos from the crowd. “And in that moment, I knew that my existence was the strongest form of resistance,” prompting cheers from the audience.
She continued, explaining that she’d like to dedicate “Miss Construed” to “all of you. We’re in this room because we’ve been misconstrued for our political takes. But most of all, Ben, thank you for having me, this one’s for you.”
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That night, Nemahsis was joined by many artists and activists, including Paloma Faith, Aja Monet, Vic Mensa, Lucas Jones, Greta Thunberg and more. The benefit concert in London was the third and final sold-out show on Macklemore’s three-city tour, which included stops in Dublin and Paris. On the first night in Dublin, Mark Ruffalo and Julian Casablancas were among the special guests at the show.
The shows marked some of Macklemore’s first times on stage since his protests against the Israeli government and what he and many others have labeled as a genocide in Gaza resulted in his dismissal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
“Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore,” the rapper said when announcing the shows in September. “People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”
Meanwhile, Vancouver act bbno$ is gearing up for his own The Internet For Palestine charity concert on Nov. 7 in Los Angeles, with artists like Smosh, Mxmtoon, Sophie Powers and more on the lineup.
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