"You’ll be leaving this country soon then?": Sheku Kanneh-Mason sparks outrage by calling for Rule, Britannia! to be axed from BBC's Proms

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is facing flak online for saying the song Rule, Britannia! should not be sung on Last Night of the Proms, BBC’s annual eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held mostly at the Royal Albert Hall.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs on January 21, 2024, Sheku Kanneh-Mason said that Rule, Britannia! made people “feel uncomfortable” due to its connotations to Britain’s history of slavery and colonialism.

“I think maybe some people don’t realise how uncomfortable a song like that can make a lot of people feel, even if it makes [the people singing it] feel good. I think that’s somehow a big misunderstanding about it,” he said.

According to The Independent, the song included the lyrics: “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves” and “The nations, not so blest as thee / Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall / While thou shalt flourish great and free: The dread and envy of them all.” These lyrics, as per Kanneh-Mason, had undertones of racism and slavery.

Proud Brits hit back against Kanneh-Mason’s comment, saying that the song is a part of British tradition and must not be erased. One person on X told the cellist he could leave if this made him “uncomfortable.”

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Netizens fired up after Sheku Kanneh-Mason's comment to remove Rule, Britannia! from BBC's Proms

Sheku Kanneh-Mason's comments sparked outrage as Brits rallied for Rule, Britannia!, claiming it to be a part of their tradition. Here are some of their reactions on X:

When asked what song he would use to replace Rule, Britannia! with, Sheku Kanneh-Mason said:

"There is so much wonderful British music, the wealth of folk music from this country is astonishing. I think that would be [a] wonderful thing to take its place."

According to The Guardian, a BBC spokesperson responded to his comments by saying:

“The Proms are built on longstanding traditions that were established by co-founder Sir Henry Wood, and which are loved by people around the world. One of these traditions is the last night festivities. Other traditions include promoting new music, accessibility and opening up the world of classical music to as many people as possible.”

According to The Independent, there was a fierce backlash when BBC's Proms announced that Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory would be performed as an orchestra version without the lyrics due to the mounting controversy surrounding the songs in 2020.

However, BBC's Proms backtracked at the last minute, and the song was sung by a "select" group of singers with the original lyrics.

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Sheku Kanneh-Mason played at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding

Hailing from Nottingham, 24-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason was a musical savant who picked up the cello when he was six. He entered the reality competition Britain's Got Talent with his siblings as a family musical act.

A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music, Sheku Kanneh-Mason was the first black musician to win the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016. According to his website, he became a household name after performing at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.

As per his website, Sheku Kanneh-Mason has performed every summer at the BBC Proms since his debut in 2017. He even performed a mesmerizing recital with his sister Isata in an empty auditorium during the pandemic in 2020.

The musical prodigy plays a Matteo Goffriller cello from 1700, which is on indefinite loan to him. He was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to music.