Smiths frontman Morrissey, who has been attracting headlines during the past few years due to his support for the far-right For Britain party and controversial statements regarding halal certifiers, has been dropped by BMG, according to a post by the artist. According to this statement, Morrissey was removed because executives were no longer interested in releasing another one of his studio albums. As of press time it is unknown if any of the performer’s past controversies influenced this removal.
“BMG have appointed a new Executive who does not want another Morrissey album. Instead, the new BMG Executive has announced new plans for ‘diversity’ within BMG’s artist roster, and all projected BMG Morrissey releases/reissues have been scrapped,” the statement reads.
Morrissey released three records with the label, 2017’s Low in High School, 2019’s all-covers record California Sun and I Am Not a Dog on a Chain, which was released this year. In a statement Morrissey stood by these three records, calling them the best of his career.
“My three albums with BMG have been the best of my career, and I stand by them till death,” Morrissey goes on to say. “Recording them has been a pivotal period in my life, and I thank the previous BMG team and everyone involved for that.”
While Morrissey avoided much of the controversy he attracted in 2019, his year wasn’t all that quiet as he held a London show in March during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this performance he played the song “London” for the first time in 13 years.
Morrissey removed a couple of protesters from his show in Portland, Oregon last year, after they waved signs critical of the performer and the For Britain party. The Council of American and Islamic Relations called for a boycott of the artist last year as well.