Bob Geldof defends Band Aid’s holiday hit after Ed Sheeran criticism

A charitable song touting global harmony is driving a wedge between two hitmakers.

Bob Geldof, 73, has brushed off recent criticism from Ed Sheeran over “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” the decades-old Band Aid holiday hit that’s raised millions for the Band Aid Charitable Trust.

“This little pop song has kept millions of people alive,” the Irish musician told The Sunday Times. “Why would Band Aid scrap feeding thousands of children dependent on us for a meal?”

The disagreement began after Geldof began work on a 40th anniversary re-release of the hit that incorporates performances from the 1984, 1989, 2004, and 2014 versions. The different versions of the song have drawn heavy hitters on the music scene over the years, including Bono, Boy George, George Michael, and Jody Watley in 1984; Bananarama and Kylie Minogue in 1989; Chris Martin, Snow Patrol, and Robbie Williams in 2004; and One Direction, Sinéad O’Connor, and Elle Goulding in 2014.

But Sheeran, who also appeared in the song’s 2014 version, went public last week to state that he hadn’t been asked about the inclusion of his vocals in the 2024 remix —and that he wouldn’t have given his permission if he had been.

“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed,” Sheeran, 33, said on Instagram stories. “This is just my personal stance. I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all.”

Sheeran also shared a statement by Ghanaian-British songwriters and rapper Fuse ODG, who has sharply criticized Band Aid’s efforts and refused to participate in the 2014 version of the song. 

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Fuse ODG argued in an Instagram post that Band Aid and similar charitable efforts have failed to invest funds in the continent itself, have led to the dehumanization of the continent’s people, and have excluded Africans from their own narratives. His Instagram post ends with a snippet of his song, “We Know It’s Christmas.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Band Aid representative said, “Ed did not ask to be removed from the record. Bob [Geldof] has since also put a call into Ed to speak directly.”

Geldof told The Sunday Times that the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised £140 million (or $176 million) over the years, and he doesn’t intend to stop his work. 

“Why not keep doing that?” he asked. “Because of an abstract wealthy-world argument, regardless of its legitimacy?”

Geldof, who co-wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas” with Midge Ure, was inspired by 1984 reports by BBC journalist Michael Buerk on the Ethiopian famine, but since then the song has drawn criticism for perpetuating a white-savior myth.

According to Geldof, half of the 600 million hungry people in the world today live in Africa. “We wish it were other but it is not,” Geldof said in a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly. “We can help feed some of them. That’s what we will continue to do.”

Representatives for Sheeran did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.