Rod Stewart says that he turned down an offer to play a show in Saudi Arabia. “I’m grateful that I have a choice whether or not to perform in Saudi Arabia,” a statement from Stewart reads. “So many citizens there have extremely limited choices – women, the LGBTQ community, the press. I’d like my choice not to go … to shine a light on the injustices there and ignite positive change.”

Talking to The Mirror, a source on Stewart’s team said that the offer to perform in the country was “much higher” than the $1 million offer he received from Qatar, which he also turned down.

Major stars have been criticized for playing in the Middle Eastern country in recent years. Beyoncé was reportedly paid $24 million to perform in Dubai earlier this year at a luxury getaway for influencers. In 2019, Nicki Minaj pulled out of a festival performance after backlash; in 2021, Justin Bieber was urged to cancel but did not. Last year, the Saudi Arabian festival Soundstorm booked Post Malone, Bruno Mars, and DJ Khaled.